This Misalignment Can Be The Result of Natural Differences

This Misalignment Can Be The Result of Natural Differences

This Misalignment Can Be The Result of Natural Differences

There are millions of people who visit their chiropractors, physicians, and acupuncturists to alleviate their back pain. Many of these millions do not understand fully what their health professionals do and therefore do not heed the advice given regarding maintaining proper posture and increasing flexibility and strength to maintain good back health. I was one of them. I did not see the benefit of maintaining proper posture or strengthening my back and abdomen to alleviate my back pain. I attributed my pain to aging and bad luck - until I found myself working at a veterinary rehabilitation center.

Most people are unaware of veterinary rehabilitation as it is a new field of veterinary health care. Companion animals are rehabilitated implementing the very same techniques used by human chiropractors, physical therapists, and physicians. Working as a therapy assistant, I have become keenly aware of how important proper alignment, strength, flexibility and proper body mechanics are in the overall well-being of both human and non-human animals. What I have learned is the following:

Back pain is caused by poor or abnormal alignment of the spine. This misalignment can be the result of natural differences in a person's structure and posture from birth, the result of an injury, or overuse. For example, people born with leg length discrepancies may have misalignment of the pelvis and therefore the spine. This deviation from a proper spine alignment contributes to back pain.

Another reason people suffer from lower back pain is injury. Not just injury to the spine itself - an injury to a foot or a knee will cause a person to shift his or weight to another limb or assume an abnormal posture which can contribute to back pain.

Another very common reason people suffer from back pain is poor body mechanics, or the way we use our bodies to perform daily functions. It seems that the very act of living causes back pain. People who spend their work days sitting at a computer can suffer just as much back pain as those with very physical jobs who never come near a desk.

I see examples of all three of these in my job as an animal therapy assistant. Dogs and cats who are missing limbs from birth or after amputation have improper balance, abnormal gaits, and therefore neck, back, and limb pain. Similarly, pets with tears or sprains to their cranial cruciate ligament use their injured leg less (or not at all), and then overcompensate by shifting their weight to their forelimbs, causing shoulder, back, and neck pain.

My dog, cat, and rabbit patients do not suffer alone. Pet therapy assistants experience back pain as well. It is an extremely rewarding experience watching paralyzed, limping, or painful pets regain mobility. To achieve these goals, their human therapists must bend over at the waist to treat their patients who are all between six inches and two feet in height. My day is spent picking up tiny, limping Chihuahuas or paralyzed one-hundred pound Labradors, or bent over in an underwater treadmill patterning their hind legs to mimic a proper walk, all while supporting their body weight on my knee or shoulder. At the end of the day, I love my job, but my spine does not love me.

During therapy, I position my patients in an optimal balanced posture, perform exercises to strengthen their weakened muscles, and increase the flexibility of overused limbs. However, I should not ignore my own posture and back health. For this reason, I remember to use proper lifting techniques, exercise, and visit my chiropractic doctor.

When I am pain free, I feel invincible and it becomes easy to forget the advice of my chiropractor and my physical therapist. When I feel the slightest twinge of back pain, however, I remember to bend at the knees to help my tiny patients place their feet correctly, and lift with my legs when I have to move my sixty pound pit bull from one mat to the other. Using proper body mechanics helps me avoid or mitigate the damage a highly physical job can do to my spine.

My chiropractor advises me to strengthen my back and my midsection so I can better stabilize my back while I pick up, move, or work with pets. When I have a particularly strenuous day at work, spending time at the gym lessens my pain within one hour. After I started my exercise regime, my back pain became temporary. Increasing the strength of my stabilization muscles and increasing the flexibility of my joints will help me prevent joint damage.

Lastly, it is easy to ignore and abuse our bodies when we are pain free. But now that my daily life is helping patients lessen their pain, I am mindful to take care of my back. Just as I encourage clients to visit our rehabilitation clinic as often as they can, part of my wellness plan is to visit my chiropractor regularly to maintain proper alignment.

Because injury, overuse, and everyday life cause misalignment of our spine, chiropractors manipulate the joints in our back into alignment either with hands or with alignment tools. A modality used by my chiropractor (and at the animal rehabilitation clinic) is therapeutic ultrasound. Ultrasound uses the energy of sound waves to break down scar tissue and increase mobility of stiffened joints. Chiropractors also teach their patients important exercises to strengthen the body, increase flexibility, and encourage proper body mechanics to maintain the effects of the doctor's realignment.

My experience working at a rehabilitation center for animals has given me a new perspective on my own health and has caused me to be more proactive regarding my own actions to protect my back. We are lucky to live in a time when there are educated and trained health professionals who can help relieve our back pain and lead happier pain free lives.





This Misalignment Can Be The Result of Natural Differences

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