Your present condition is a mirror of injuries, stresses and indiscretions imposed upon your body. Starting with the birth process, your neck may have been misaligned. The cause of problems such as headaches, sinusitis, allergies, eye problems, neck, shoulder, arm and hand pain may have started even then. Injuries are cumulative and add up to degenerative bodily changes. Each time a part of your body is injured, it becomes weaker, with the exception of bone. Bone is usually stronger at the site of fracture; but soft tissues, ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels become weaker. This is one of he reasons that everything short of surgery should be tried. Surgery further weakens ligaments and muscles, and can further dispose you to spinal weakness and injury.

Poor posture positions assumed over long periods of time, whether at work or play, can have far-reaching spinal and general health effects. (This is called physical stress.) Mental stress serves to tighten your muscles and affects the spine, nerves and blood vessels. This can affect general body and organ functions. The body has wonderful recuperative powers; but, if abused, it will let you know. Rare is the person who does not ultimately pay for abuse of his/her body.

Doctors of chiropractic are the undisputed experts when injuries of a spinal nature are involved. This includes automobile accidents as well as job-related falls and strains.

Even a minor automobile accident can have major ill effects on your health. It may be weeks, months, even years before the problem appears. But, by then, it may be too late to prevent your greatest loss - your health.

Consider for a moment that the average head weighs between 7 and 11 pounds and sits on the most flexible-and fragile-part of the spine: the neck. Although the neck is relatively short, it contains 32 joints and is easily stretched and injured if it is thrown in any direction.

If these joints are stretched or strained beyond their normal limits, they can lose their ability to return to their original length, much like a rubber band that has been stretched too far. This often occurs in so-called "whiplash" injuries.

Lower back pain and "slipped discs" are almost synonymous. To get a general picture of how that area of your back is designed, think of a child's building blocks piled on top of one another with a cushion which is cartilage (shock absorber) in between. There are 24 of these blocks (bones) with cartilage in between. Nerves also come out from between these bones.

Falls, twists, strains, poor posture, excess weight, jumping and just living have degenerative effects on the discs and the bones. A disc can be ruptured or it may slip. Usually, a bone (vertebrae) is displaced along with the disc. When the bone is displaced it is called a subluxation.

Most of the time surgery is not necessary. Even ruptured discs can respond to chiropractic treatment. It makes good sense to consult a chiropractor before submitting yourself to a traumatic procedure like surgery. The back is always weaker once muscles and ligaments have been cut. With chiropractic, you have much to gain and nothing to lose.

As we grow older, the curve in the back may increase, and the bones and discs lose some of their height. This is why we get shorter as we age. some of us, however, show greater wear than our years because we do not take proper care of our spine.

Here are some general instructions to help you with your low back pain until you can get to your chiropractor. It is best to call him or her first if possible.

• Apply cold - not heat
• Use back support if available
• Sit sparingly (sitting increases spinal pressure)
• Do not lie on your stomach
• Sit on car seat and then move your lets inside
• Do not bend from the waist - stoop
• Do not lie on soft bed or sofa
• Avoid stairs
• Do not wear high heels excessively
• Always consult your chiropractor after a fall or strain, even if you do not think you are hurt.

Our bodies have marvelous recuperative powers. This is evidenced by the fact that older people are going to chiropractors more than ever and receiving more than temporary relief from symptoms. Even the more severe degenerative types of conditions often respond amazingly well.

In any chiropractor's office will be found people in their 70s and 80s who attribute their continuing ability to remain active and "feel great" to chiropractic treatment. In this same age group are those who continue to participate in golf, tennis, jobbing, dancing, and other vigorous exercises. The aging process allows for relatively easy misalignment of the bony structure of our body because the ligaments and muscles lose some of their strength. It's amazing what chiropractic can do to stop this process. It's never too late to begin seeing a chiropractor, but the earlier the better.

Gentle adjustments can be the driving force that allows for a active and enjoyable life over a long secure existence. Partial payment through Medicare helps pay the cost.

• Care for Lower Back Pain
• Exercises for the Lower Back