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Back Pain and Poor Posture

Back pain is estimated to affect 31 million Americans at any given time according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Back pain has many causes, but one of the most common is poor posture. In addition to poor posture, back pain frequently comes as a result of trauma, such as in a motor vehicle accident, and from occupational stresses.

Line Umpire in Tennis

In April 2012, our office (The Hayden Institute) was invited to help out with the 2012 US Men’s Clay Court Tennis Championship. During the week of tournament play, we saw a variety of symptoms among the players, umpires, and officials. The most common complaint among the line umpires, was back pain. The line umpire helps to determine if the ball is “in” or “out,” and has to remain in a certain position while in active play.

As a result of the structural stresses, poor posture, and prolonged time frame which these judges stay in, it is no wonder that most of them experience back pain.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work (behind upper respiratory infections), and one-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.

Poor posture is a complicating factor when it comes to back pain. In 1957, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that “Deviations in the body’s center of gravity caused poor posture, which resulted in intestinal problems, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, osteoporosis, hip and foot deformities, poor health, decreased quality of life, and a shortened life span.”

In addition to supporting and rehabilitating back pain while at the tennis tournament, we helped support the structures that maintain optimal posture. Posture is as important as back pain relief, and we should strive daily to improve our posture, and prevent the back pain from ever setting in. Below is a “before” and “after” picture of the postural changes that we saw at the tennis tournament. In order to achieve these changes, we used Quantum Neurology rehabilitation, joint mobilization, and light therapy. The woman’s back pain also decreased from a 6/10 to a 1/10 in the 20 minutes between the two photos.

Back Pain and Poor Posture – Before and After

Tags: adjustment, back, back pain, chiropractic, low, manipulation, pain, poor, posture, tennis