Spine Care

Back pain is something almost everyone will experience in their lifetime. Adventist Health offers an integrated spine care approach to reduce pain, including medication, surgical interventions and physical therapy. Our staff listen to patients and then create a plan of care to fit his or her unique needs.

Types of back pain

There are two major spinal injuries:

• Traumatic injuries from an accident that causes damage to the spinal cord
• Nontraumatic injuries from compression, loss of blood flow or disruption to the spinal cord, which may be caused by tumors, infections or other diseases

Both traumatic and nontraumatic spinal cord injuries can cause weakness, loss of feeling below the injury and/or paralysis.

Regardless of type, spinal cord Injuries can leave you feeling helpless and isolated when you begin to realize a change in your abilities. Our team works with you to reduce pain and help you live your life to the fullest.

Preventing and managing back pain

Your spine experiences a great deal of strain on a daily basis. The bones, joints and cartilage in the spine get weaker over time. You’ve likely experienced back pain before, but when your spine starts wearing down, the pain will get worse and last longer. If you have had problems with back pain in the past, or if a member of your family has had their own problems with back pain, it’s important to take some preventative measures.

To keep your spine and back healthy:

• Maintain good posture when sitting standing or walking and don’t slouch or hunch
• Maintain a healthy weight because obesity puts strain on your spine
• Keep calcium and vitamin D in your diet
• Exercise regularly — yoga and Pilates are shown to help with back pain
• Apply hot or cold packs when you have pain or stiffness in the back
• Stretch before exercising or performing manual chores

You can’t prevent every form of back pain, but so long as you start taking preventative measures from an early age you may be able to prevent ever having to need spinal surgery. Always explore less-invasive treatments to back pain before you agree to back surgery.