In both patient satisfaction and long term recovery, Chiropractic has been repeatedly shown to be the most effective treatment for lower back pain relief. In fact, major studies have shown that chiropractic care is more effective for Lower Back Pain Treatment, less expensive and has better long-term outcomes than any other treatment. This makes sense because chiropractic care is the only method of treatment that serves to reestablish normal vertebral motion and position in the spine. All other treatments, such as muscle relaxants, pain killers and bed rest, only serve to decrease the symptoms of the problem and do not correct the problem itself. Chiropractors may also use adjunctive therapies such as electric muscle stimulation, ultra sound therapy, ice or heat to help treat various back conditions in order to reduce spasm and inflammation so that the spine can be adjusted with more ease.
Did you know that 80% of all people will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives? That makes it the second most common reason for visiting the doctor’s office. In fact, it is estimated that low back pain affects more than half of the adult population each year and more than 10% of all people experience frequent & repeated bouts of low back pain. Each time you injure your back you create more scar tissue, less flexibility and more weakness. The natural progression of back pain is that after each time you are more likely to get another episode. The episodes usually get more frequent and start to last longer and eventually the pain does not go away at all. The biggest risk factor for getting back pain is having had a previous episode and recurrent injuries to the same area is what eventually can cause a disc herniation. Using pain medications over and over again can also give you a false sense of well-being…since you don’t feel the pain, you think the problem is fixed when it is not. Pain killers just mask the pain.
Recent studies showed that when back pain is not treated, it may go away temporarily, but will most likely return. And it is documented that for each repeated bout of back pain, the symptoms are worse and it takes longer to achieve relief. For this reason, it is very important to take low back pain seriously and seek professional chiropractic care.
There are many different specific conditions that can cause low back pain, including: spinal subluxations, sprained ligaments and joints, muscle spasms and trigger points, disc injuries, inflamed joints such as in facet syndrome of sacroiliac syndrome, spinal stenosis and poor bio-mechanics. There can also be groin, hip or leg pain (sciatica) associated with some conditions such as piriformis syndrome, disc injuries, sacroiliac syndrome and spinal stenosis.
Check out what our patients have to say!
I was surprised how quickly my back pain was relieved!
I became a patient of Dr. Hoch’s for pain and stiffness in my lower back. I know my back is not as bad as many people experience but there was always that stiffness and minor pain. When I met Dr. Hoch, I told her I would like relief of the back pain and I also wanted to learn how to improve my flexibility and prevent poor posture. I sit all day at work and I know all that sitting is not good for my spine. Once I started care with Dr. Hoch, I was surprised how quickly my back pain was relieved! I was also given strengthening and stretching exercises specifically to improve my flexibility and protect my back. Dr. Hoch also taught me about the importance of maintenance care for my spine. She explained it this way: Some damage can be reversed, and some cannot, but there are things I can do that can mitigate small problems before they become big ones – like getting adjusted regularly (I get adjusted every 4 weeks) The stretches are also a way to keep my muscles and ligaments flexible and strong. We give maintenance care to all sorts of things in our lives: our teeth, our cars, our homes…so, why would we leave out the most important part of our body, the spine?? ~P.H.
When I first came to see Dr. Hoch I was experiencing lower back and (right) leg pain daily. I’d been dealing with the lower back pain and numbness for about 12 years. Then one day I was sweeping the floor at home and something happened – I don’t know what, but the pain was way worse than normal. Then it was sharp, I could barely move or find a comfortable position. I was in complete agony and couldn’t even sleep. After about a week of feeling like this plus missing work, I had to do something. I found Fort Myers Chiropractic Studio online and called right then. I will say, I was literally terrified at my initial appointment because of a very bad experience with an adjustment about 12 years earlier – I was hurt and in a lot pain afterwards. This made me very uneasy during my 1st appointment with Dr. Hoch, but by the end of this appointment I slowly but surely started to relax and feel more at ease. By my 2nd visit to her office my fear was gone and I started looking forward to each upcoming visit. Dr. Hoch went over her recommendations for care with me and we got started right away. My lower back pain and stiffness was so acute it took about 3 weeks before noticing a real difference in how I felt. But once that happened things moved quickly so only about another 1-2 weeks later we were able to drop physio-therapies, I had received each visit. Then I was only getting adjusted! I couldn’t believe how I felt after Chiropractic care!! In addition, Dr. Hoch and her staff taught me the importance of doing my part to assist in my healing and feeling better by showing me stretches and proper techniques for bending and lifting at work. Also, the best positions for sitting or standing and even reaching over my desk so this doesn’t happen again. As long as, I stick with my maintenance adjustments, I have no doubt, I will be able to enjoy life without limiting myself or being in constant pain like I was for what seemed to be forever before finding Dr. Hoch and her great staff! ~T.H.
How did I not know how amazing Chiropractic care is??
I started at Fort Myers Chiropractic Studio last month, for neck and low back pain. For about 10 years, I’ve had some level of chronic pain and discomfort due to herniation’s in both my cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) spine. I’ve had MRIs showing this, and was told by my neurologist that surgery would be necessary. I already have a numb area on my left thigh and was told it would likely get worse without surgery. I’m a Physician Assistant, and I know how brutal spinal surgery can be and I decided I want nothing to do with having surgery on my spine – I was ready to just deal with the pain forever if need be. Then, about 2 months ago I was getting dressed, and when I bent over to put my pants on, I somehow “jarred” my back. I had immediate lower back pain… more intense than I had ever experienced. I was having a tough time bending over and wasn’t sleeping or able to stay asleep due to the pain. It’s awful when you’re tired to not be able to just lay down and get some rest! Somehow over those two months, I tolerated the pain, until it started affecting other areas of my daily life, like playing with my son. I knew it was time to get help. I saw an ad in a local community paper for Dr. Hoch and decided that I needed to try anything and everything I could …I did not want surgery!
I have now been seeing Dr. Hoch for about 1 month, and can say that by my 4th treatment with her which consisted of spinal adjustments and electric muscle stimulation, my low back pain had already improved at the least 70%. Even my level of pain and range of motion of my neck has improved more than it has in a very long time. As I continued with my care over the next two weeks, I continued to improve. Dr. Hoch was even hopeful that the numb patch on my left leg would improve. She was able to reduce the numbness while working on my back, but it always returned. Frankly, I can live with that as I hardly even notice it, but being pain free has been LIFE changing! I feel fantastic! After only 9 treatments, Dr. Hoch has released me to maintenance care which will consist of only spinal adjustments geared toward keeping my spinal joints mobile and subluxation free. How had I never been to a Chiropractor before this??? How did I not know how amazing Chiropractic care is?? If maintenance care can keep me feeling this good, I am all in! ~M.D.
My wife was the first to find Fort Myers Chiropractic Studio after searching the web for a chiropractor who practices the same principles that we do. After starting care she was absolutely amazed at the work they were doing with her. So when I mentioned to her some of the chronic issues and pain that I’d actually dealt with for years seemed to be intensifying she scheduled my initial exam and consultation with Dr. Hoch at her very next appointment. I started seeing Dr. Hoch in January with pain in my right elbow (golfers elbow) and arm that had been hurting for a about 1 year, which contributed to my hands becoming shaky and painful when lifting a coffee pot or a gallon of milk. I had chronic neck and low back pain for many years but then I started to notice after riding in a car for no longer than 30 min, that the pain would radiate down my right leg into my mid-thigh. Once I went over my symptoms with Dr. Hoch and she completed her exam she sent me for x-rays to see what was really going on with my neck and low back. At my 2nd visit I reviewed my x-rays with Dr. Hoch. It turns out my spine was way more crooked than I ever thought. The subluxations in my back were causing my back and leg pain. Subluxations and lack of a normal curve in my neck were causing my chronic neck and upper back pain. I started care by receiving spinal adjustments to correct the subluxations along with therapeutic ultrasound therapy to reduce inflammation in my elbow. By my 4th visit my elbow pain was practically resolved and my neck and low back pain was more than 50% better. As visits continued all my symptoms have resolved. Now I am receiving corrective adjustments to correct my spinal alignment so that I can be fixed once and for all. Maintenance care is in my near future! ~J. S.