Low back pain affects 70% of United States adults at some time in their lives and up to half of US adults have back pain in a given year. Back pain is one of the most common symptoms for patients seeking professional care with back pain being the most common cause of disability for persons under the age of 45. Many injuries are occupational from bending and twisting on a repetative basis.

Although research is not conclusive, there are prevention strategies that most professionals agree on. As a chiropractic physician, I look at the musculo-skeletal balance with the hips and shoulders being level, leg length even, and the head being in a neutral posture.

Second, I look for flexibility checking for normal range of motion and rotation. Third, I look for stability by muscle testing the leg and trunk muscles for balance.

Usually, if there is a weakness, I will find all three conditions present in which one effects the others. For example, imbalance of the leg length or pelvis will effect lumbar joint movement and decrease range of motion. That leads to muscle imbalance and decreased stability of the trunk allowing for a greater chance of injury and pain.

A common condition of the low back is called a "Lower Cross Syndrome" where the hip flexors, low back muscles, and hamstrings are tight and the gluteal and abdominal muscles are weak.

I see this commonly in metabolic syndrome where the stomach hangs over the belt. One way to check this is to measure your circumference of your stomach and if that measurement is over one half your total height, you probably fit into that category of metabolic syndrome.

Back supports, I use for strains/sprains and disc conditions, but not for preventing back injuries. Research does not support it either.

For most people, improve cardio-vascular fitness, back stretching and hamstring stretching exercises, along with toning the abdominals and gluteal muscles. Chiropractic evaluations for balance, improving spinal motion, improving lifting and ergonomic techniques will help.

Remember to continue with healthy life-style changes by eating better and not smoking. Life is a journey not an event. It is the choices we make on a daily basis that makes the difference.

Dr. Rick Haas

Part of our services at Haas Chiropractic is to evaluate life styles and eating habits of our patients. We put together diet surveys which I evaluate and determine if the patient needs First Line Therapy, which we have two certified Lifestyle Therapists to assist with our patients nutritional needs.

The most common denominator in our patients profile is sugar. Americans have become so dependent upon dietary sugar that many health care professionals are considering it our country's number one addiction.

In the 1980's and 90's, the average American's sugar consumption was 20 pounds annually. Today the annual consumption is 156 pounds annually despite the increase in public awareness of it's harmful effects. Paralleling this increase of sugar rides obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, all related to excess sugar.

Sugar damages the body by creating a rapid release of insulin and a quick rise and fall of blood sugar. Chronic use causes insulin resistance which can lead to higher levels of glucose and insulin.

In addition, consumption of excess dietary carbohydrates can stimulate fat generation, resulting in elevated cholesterol, and increased VAT (visceral adipose tissue) which is linked to cardiovascular disease, increased inflammation and metabolic syndrome.

Excess sugar consumption also effects dental health, immunity (impairs the body's resistance to infections), Candida (yeast overgrowth), and can influence mental and emotional wellbeing such as attention disorders, depression and anxiety.  (pop in schools?)

Realizing that reducing sugar intake could have positive effects all across the health spectrum, the first step would be to identify what the sources are in your diet.

Plain sugar and sweet foods like pastries and candy only contribute about 10% of overall sugar intake. Higher contributers include sweetened beverages like soda and juices as well as sauces and dressings.

So read the lables on processed foods. you may see sugar listed three or four times using different names like fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, sucrose aand cane sugar.

HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) may be especially damaging as clinical research now shows that HFCS may present more health risks than regular cane sugar.

For those of you that take sugar substitutes, (artificial sweeteners) promote weight gain and interfere with appetite control mechanisms causing you to feel hungry and eat more.

In conclusion, people should regulate their intake of food, read labels, and make more meals at home. Use natural varieties of sweetners like stevia, agave, molasses, honey, fruit and cane sugar. Remember portion sizes in relation to your body size. I always remember the example of a father and son going to an ice cream parlor and both ordering the same size ice cream when the father is four times the size of the son.

Dr. Rick Haas