Unfortunately, chronic pain of all kinds has become more commonplace than ever here in the United States, with the data only backing up this claim. In fact, as many as 31 million people in this one country alone deal with low back pain at any point in time. And even on a global scale, serious and prolonged lower back pain is considered to be the leading cause of disability. While some people experience low back pain to a relatively minor extent, it is often very much debilitating, especially when it goes one for more than 12 weeks (a distinction that labels something as chronic pain when crossing this benchmark).
Chronic pain can be incredibly difficult to live with, of this there is no doubt. For the up to one and a half billion people dealing with chronic pain throughout the world, there is just no denying that chronic pain can interrupt life in big and small ways alike. For many people, chronic pain, when painful and persistent enough, can ultimately bring life to a grinding halt, taking away many of the pleasures that it once had. And chronic pain can, unfortunately, be difficult to treat, especially since many types of chronic pain stem from largely unknown sources.
Fortunately, however, there are a number of therapies and tools that can be utilized for many different types of chronic pain. For one thing, making simple lifestyle changes can sometimes play a huge role. After all, chronic back pain is, in particular, caused by a lack of movement or by sitting in an uncomfortable or unhealthy position for far too long a period of time. This can be remedied – or at least mitigated – by incorporating more exercise into the course of one’s day. In recently conducted research into the subject, it has even been found that improving mobility and even living longer can be accomplished with a mere 10 minutes of additional exercise on a daily basis.
Going to see a physical therapist is also an option for many people. Fortunately, there are many physical therapists currently working in the United States – and their numbers are only growing. By the time that we reach the year of 2026, the number of physical therapists found in the United States will have grown by more than one full quarter (by around 28%, to be just a bit more exact) since the year of 2016. That means that there are actually as many as 200,000 newly employed physical therapists already working all throughout the country, a number that is, again, likely to grow in the coming years – some projections even say by as much as a full 60,000.
Physical therapists can help patients in many ways, often aided by tools like a manual muscle testing device and tools used for range of motion testing. Having even just a manual muscle testing device can make a world of difference. Fortunately, physical therapists have more tools than just the manual muscle testing device, with a whole arsenal of rehab tools and systems to make their jobs all the easier. For many therapists, the use of tools like a manual muscle testing device can be critical for helping them determine the best possible course to take when treating and assessing a patient, particularly a new one.
And still there are other tools out there aside from the manual muscle testing device. For instance, the average chiropractic adjusting tool has become more widespread than ever here in the United States, something that can be attributed to the fact that more people are simply going to the chiropractor than ever before. In fact, now up to 40% of the American population has said that they would be willing to go to the chiropractor for lower back pain, something that has only become more and more prevalent over the course of recent years. And in the years that are ahead of us, even more people are likely to become interested in chiropractic care.
At the end of the day, there is just no denying that chronic pain can be immensely difficult and debilitating to live with. Fortunately, there are methods and therapies for treatment.