Pain-free does not mean disease- or injury-free

The old “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!!” attitude has proven to cause devastating problems, when it comes to spinal health.

I recently treated a patient who came in for low back pain. During our evaluation, in addition to low back problems, we also found loss of flexibility of his neck and tenderness upon palpation. Additionally, he had weakness of his right arm, and he is right-handed.

Further evaluation revealed that he had a condition called vertebral subluxation of his low back and his neck. The x-ray above showed premature aging of the joints of his neck (now called degenerative disc disease) well beyond his present age. His history consisted of old sports injuries and a fender bender that he thought caused no injury. (It did not cause pain at the time or even until today.)

However, he is suffering from what is known as “Delayed Onset of Whiplash Disorder.” The accidents did not cause pain, even 35 years after the initial injury, but affecting his nervous system in a destructive manner, that he was not aware of until his low back went out. He thought that aging caused his weakness and he is younger than I am.

The sad part is that there are millions of Americans whose lifestyle reflects a wait-and-see, rather than a proactive, lifestyle. Pain is often the final, not the first, sign of a health problem.

We will be discussing several recent research articles relating to our clinical finding, with this and many other patients, at two upcoming workshops. They will be held at Heritage of Peachtree Retirement Community July 14 at 10 a.m. and at the Durden Chiropractic Clinic July 18 at 6 p.m. Call 770-631-7600 to reserve a seat.

— Dr. Marilyn L. Durden