Health News: Ask Dr. Robert Pomahac
Jay Lillie
October 30, 2009
How common is back pain?
80% of people will experience low back pain. The onset of low back pain is just a sign of an underlying concern. There are two reasons for back pain, 1. Some type of trauma, for example a car crash, or an athletic injury or a slip and fall. 2 more common reasons for back pain is accumulated stress i.e. poor posture while standing, sitting, walking, and exercising. Now the trouble with back pain is not the pain itself but why the person is suffering from back pain, and that´s a deeper rooted concern. Ranging from spinal arthritis to increased disc pressure to abnormal spinal nerve function. It is rarely just a muscle problem.
What is the number one cause of back pain?
The number one cause of low back pain is a nervous system that is in a state of dis-ease.
The spine is the window to your health. A proper functioning spine will allow every cell, every tissue, and every muscle to function at an optimal level. If you have a lose in proper spinal biomechanics then you develop into a state of dysfunction and then into a state of dis-ease and then your body has to adjust and it has to tell you something is wrong with a warning signal, or a sign or a symptom – initially muscle symptoms.
What are the latest treatments available?
In order to help correct back pain you need to be able to understand why you are having the back pain. The way to do that is by education. Diagnostic testing is important to solving the cause of the problem and not just merely the pain itself. Useful information like x-rays, MRI, posture testing, neuro-muscular scans is vital pieces in solving the back pain puzzle. In looking at an x-ray it is important to look at the bio-physics of the alignment of the spine. If you were to examine the spine from a frontal view it should be straight, unless you have scoliosis. When you examine the spine x-ray from the side there should be curves, angles to your spine. If there is a decrease or increase in the spinal angles then there is added stress to your nervous system and then eventually your body is unable to manage the stress and signals a response, a signal – pain. Thus in order to solve the cause of the back pain it is vital to correct the changes in the spinal curves and allow your body to function at its optimal potential.
How long have you been a chiropractor?
Well, I grew up playing a high level of hockey and soccer back in Toronto so with that comes the risk of injuries. I had my share of them. What helped me back to the playing field was chiropractic care at an early age. I then attended the University of Waterloo where I was a physical therapist assistant to the football team, the rugby team and the hockey team gaining valuable knowledge in athletic injuries and rehab. I graduated from the Los Angeles college of chiropractic in 2001 and since then I have been implementing a "take responsibility of you own health "approach to spine care. Educating my patients on what they maybe doing to cause the problem and what they can do to help correct the cause of back pain.
What advice can you give back pain sufferers?
My biggest gift I can give to people suffering from the dis-ease of back pain is knowledge. Educate yourself on why you are having back pain and not just the symptoms of back pain. Pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to go away. There is always an underlying cause to the pain and in order to correct the cause of the back pain you should understand the why. Ask you doctor questions and what you maybe doing to increase your risk of making your back pain worse and what you may do to improve the back pain. Medication is an answer but it´s not the only answer. You should have a choice on how you would like to resolve the back pain. Do you just want to get rid of just the pain or do you want to get rid of the pain and the cause of the pain as well. You have a choice. The better you are educated the better choice you can make.
How can readers reach you?
Call me – 323-938-0511. My Maxhealth clinic is located at 6200 Wilshire blvd suite 805, la, ca, 90048. Maxhealth is a 5,000 sq/ft office that incorporates chiropractic, acupuncture, podiatry, massage and physical therapy, nutritional counseling, personal training. We have a fully operational gym and state of the art equipment – decompression tractioning therapy, x-rays, posture testing, neuromuscular testing and spinal structural correction equipment.
Our new website is under construction at maxhealthla.com. We are also on yelp.com