Visit Us
Shop 16/17 Laycock St, Carey Bay NSW 2283
Give us a Call
02 4959 5966
Send us a Message
admin@hunterbackcare.com.au

Blog

Articles & Tips to Help You Care for Your Back

Hunter Back CareBlog
Surgeon Looking at a Spine
By support 0 Comments back pain , , , , ,

Is Chiropractic Care Better than Surgery for Low Back Pain?

Many people think that surgery can “fix” an area of their spine that is injured. While in rare cases that’s true, the permanent changes that surgery makes to your anatomy can cause a host of new problems in addition to the trauma and risks that inherently go along with surgery.   

The changes are referred to as “adjacent segment disease,” and they are the number one reason why people who have one surgery on their low back often have to repeat the process. 

Why it Matters: 

A recent study found that chiropractic care can provide the same relief as surgery for disc issues in the low back, and that’s without any of the surgical risks.   

The kicker is those individuals who didn’t get great results with chiropractic care were found to be great surgical candidates. So, in most cases, it’s clear that anyone entertaining the idea of surgery should go to the chiropractor before going under the knife!  

  • An estimated 60% of patients with sciatica benefited from spinal adjustments to the same degree as if they had received surgery. 
  • Over 25% of patients undergoing spine surgery may have complications. 
  • Patients with disc herniations should consider chiropractic care before surgical intervention. 

Next Steps:  

Having surgery is a big, irreversible decision. The time away from work, risks associated with anaesthesia, the direct trauma to your spine, and results that aren’t exactly fantastic have all led many doctors to question whether surgery is a good option (outside of emergency cases).  

In our practice, our goal is to help you avoid unnecessary addictive drugs and risky medical procedures so that you can find health and healing naturally. And if you are one of the rare people who may benefit from surgery, we’ll let you know. 

Our team is dedicated to providing you with the best care recommendations based on your goals and our findings. It’s how we believe healthcare should be delivered. 

Call our team now on (02) 4959 5966 and make a time to see one of our experience Chiropractors in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

Science Source(s):  

Manipulation or Microdiskectomy for Sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study. JMPT. 2010.  

Risk of Complications in Spine Surgery. Open Orthopaedics Journal. 2015. 

Patient visits chiropractor for back pain
By support 0 Comments back pain , , , ,

Chiropractic Care is Recommended for the Treatment of Back Pain

According to the Institute of Health & Welfare, around 4 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems. It is also estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives.1

The Lancet reveals that low back pain is the number one source of disability in the world.

If you’ve dealt with low back pain in the past, you understand just how much it can alter your daily life. Even simply standing up straight can feel like an incredibly impossible task, and for that reason, many top healthcare organisations have begun to publish recommendations for the best ways to take care of low back pain.  

Their findings may surprise you. 

Why it Matters: 

The care provided by chiropractors ranks at the top of many leading healthcare recommendations for relieving low back pain. Movement-based strategies like spinal adjustments, controlled exercise, and dynamic stretching are a few of the most effective ways to relieve low back issues. Not only are movement-based strategies good for providing fast relief, but emerging research shows that they may be able to offer a preventative effect when continued over time.  

The days of taking drugs and medications for back pain are over. Prescriptions are now rarely recommended as a first option because of their dangerous side effects and, frankly, lack of results. 

  • The American College of Physicians supports chiropractic care for the treatment of back pain. 
  • Both Harvard Health and The Mayo Clinic have published numerous articles highlighting chiropractic and movement-based treatment options for low back pain relief. 
  • Clinical care guidelines discourage the use of medication for low back pain due to the risks, dangers, and lack of results.
     

Next Steps:   

We’re happy that major, trusted healthcare organisations have evolved to support natural ways to find relief from low back pain. If you or someone you know is struggling with back pain, reach out to us today. Our practice in Lake Macquarie near Newcastle will provide you with a thorough evaluation to determine the source of your problem and the best unique care plan designed specifically to help you find relief. 

Book Online Here

 
Science Source(s):  

Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Practice Guidelines.  The American College of Physicians. 2017. 

Prevention and Treatment of Low Back Pain: Evidence, Challenges, and Promising Directions. The Lancet. 2018. 

 

Chiropractor in Newcastle Treats Stiff Necks
By Chris Stathis 0 Comments Neck Pain , , , , , ,

How to Get Rid of a Stiff Neck

Working on computers at home, on desks not ergonomically designed, and staring down at our smartphones for hours each day has left over 20% of us experiencing neck pain over the past few months.

A stiff neck is usually the result of postural issues that have tired the neck muscles over time.

Weakened, or unbalanced, muscle strength can place additional stress on your spinal joints and lead to changes in how you move, extra pressure on your discs, and pain.  

Why it Matters: 

If you are looking down at your digital devices all day every day, the stress can add up and result in your neck not moving correctly. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before you wake up with a stiff neck or turn your head during the day and are greeted by an intense muscle discomfort or pain.  

Here are our 3 smart tips for getting rid of that stiff neck: 

  • Perform exercises each day to stretch and strengthen the muscles that support your neck. 
  • Sleep on a supportive pillow to keep your head in a neutral position throughout the night.
  • Visit your chiropractor regularly for gentle adjustments to restore the proper motion of your neck and spine.

Next Steps:   

Remember, chiropractic care and remedial massage can lead to big changes in your quality of life. Our Chiropractic practice in Lake Macquarie is focused on helping you feel and move better through gentle adjustments and by providing you with the stretches and exercises you can do at home to keep improving.

If neck pain is getting in the way of you enjoying your life, give us a call. Our team is here to help! 

Science Source(s):  

Do You Have a Stiff Neck? Try These Simple Remedies. Cleveland Clinic. 2015. 

chiropractor
By Chris Stathis 0 Comments Therapy

4 Signs that You May Need Chiropractic Treatment

Most people tend to ignore their lower back pain because they think it’s just due to their poor sitting posture, stress, or muscle cramps that will simply go away in time. However, ignoring lower back pain is not good because it may cause more severe problems. While you can treat consistent and intense lower back pain with over-the-counter medications, that solution may only be temporary, and there’s a higher chance that you may experience the pain again. 

The best thing you can do to stop the pain is to consult a chiropractor so that they can give you a safe and more effective treatment method. If you’re unsure if you really need chiropractic treatment for your lower back pain, here are the signs to know that it’s time to have one already: 

1. The Pain Gets Worse If You Sit for a Long Period

You definitely need chiropractic treatment if you’re experiencing lower back pain when you sit for an extended period. Sitting for long is not healthy for your spine, especially when you’re hunched over a desk. If you’re also sitting in misaligned positions, the normal curve of your lower back will gradually alter, resulting in neck and lower back pain. That is because the misalignment leads to stiffening and nerve interference. But, with chiropractic treatment, the chiropractor can detect and correct the imbalances in your body using their specialized technique. This way, you will not feel the same pain again for as long as you maintain your proper posture when sitting. 

2. If You’re an Athlete Experiencing Back Pain

Athletes are more prone to back pain due to intense training, contact sports and constant use of their muscles. If you’re an athlete suffering from back pain, you can surely benefit from visiting a chiropractor. You need to have chiropractic treatment, especially if the pain you’re feeling is coming from your hard muscular tissues. That is because injury to soft muscular tissues can be alleviated with just massage therapy. But, injuries to hard tissues need spinal adjustment or chiropractic treatment. 

3. If You Have a Pinched Nerve

A pinched nerve is also a sign that you need chiropractic treatment. If you’re feeling a sharp pain that worsens with certain movements or there’s a numbness and prickling sensation in your extremities, then you may have a pinched nerve. You should visit a chiropractor to identify the location and the cause of the pinched nerve. They can reposition your bone and muscle so that the tension on the nerve will ease. Once they’re successful, you will not feel pain, and your body can already function properly. 

4. If Other Treatments for Your Back Pain Are Not Working

If you’ve tried treatments like massage therapy, heat therapy, or any other type of treatment and none of them works for easing your lower back pain, then it’s time to have chiropractic treatment. A good thing about chiropractors is that they will develop a specific treatment plan according to your needs. You can expect that their approach is comprehensive and holistic to treating your back pain. 

Conclusion

Don’t endure the back pain you’re feeling. Get your back checked by a chiropractor right away so that they can give you the proper treatment. If at least one of these scenarios applies to you, don’t hesitate to have chiropractic treatment. Just make sure you will get it from a licensed and professional chiropractor. 

If you’re looking for the best chiropractor in Lake Macquarie, you’ve come to the right place! Hunter Back Care has a team of experienced, professional chiropractors, remedial massage therapists, and Bowen therapists dedicated to stopping your pain and making sure you’re moving well. Book your appointment with us today!

back pain
By Chris Stathis 0 Comments Uncategorized

What Causes Back Pain and How Chiropractic Care Can Help You

There are plenty of online articles talking about how chiropractic care can help to solve lower back pain. By now, you would have read a couple of those and have come to the understanding that chiropractic care is one of your go-to back-pain solutions. However, there’s so much more to chiropractic care than simply just healing your lower back. It is much less expensive than other treatments, and there’s also less downtime during treatments. This means that if you’re tight on your budget and need a treatment program to heal your lower back quickly, chiropractic care is your answer.

That being said, if you’re new to the whole idea of chiropractic care and back pain, you’re in luck. Today, we want to tackle two questions: what causes back pain and how chiropractic care can help you.

What is causing my back pain?

While the exact cause of back pain can differ from one person to the other, it is generally caused by the overloading of the body with stress that the body cannot properly cope with. In other words, your lower back was put under physical and even emotional overloading, leading to muscular tension. However, why does this happen in the first place? It is likely to do with the body’s inability to adapt to the pressures placed on it.

As young individuals, our bodies are highly adaptable and resistant. This is why so many young folks do not experience these “old person” pains like back pain, joint pain, and the like. Even if they do experience some form of injury, they can heal within days, while adults may take weeks. This is because, as we get older, the body’s ability to adapt deteriorates, reducing the body’s ability to handle certain amounts of stress. For your back, such stress comes from lifting, pushing, or pulling different objects. 

Unfortunately, while our body’s ability to adapt and recover lessens, we continue to push our bodies. This leads to various injuries, back pain included.

How does chiropractic care solve back pain?

With all of that said, how does chiropractic care deal with back pain? Carefully.

The first thing chiropractors will do before tackling any pain experienced by an individual is to understand the cause and extent of the condition. This is followed by a physical examination of the area in question to confirm the findings. Once the two activities are done, a diagnosis is given to the patient, sharing all the collected data in simplified form.

Now, how a chiropractor goes about solving back pains will highly depend on the information gathered previously. Regardless, the outcome will be the same: restoring spinal function, reducing back pain, and improving quality of life.

Conclusion

If you are experiencing lower back pain at this moment, or any muscle or joint-related pain for that matter, go ahead and visit a chiropractor. With their help, you can live a much-needed pain-free life, allowing you to use your body at its best without having to hold back because of pains and aches. With that said, do take your time to research the chiropractors you want to work with before opting for their services. You want to work with those that have had a positive reputation and history of success. This gives you the best chances of getting help from professionals that know what they’re doing to provide you with the highest chances of recovery!

Hunter Back Care is a team of professional chiropractors, remedial massage therapists, and Bowen therapists dedicated to helping patients live a pain-free life no matter the age. If you are looking for the best chiropractor in Newcastle to treat your lower back, book an appointment with us today!