Back pain is hands down the most common ailment in the country.

Virtually everyone has experienced some form of back pain at one point or another in their lives.

At the end of the day, almost all back pain manifests because there’s too much pressure on your spine.

Standing for extended periods, walking or running can all lead to or exacerbate such pain.

Sometimes, it’s a simple matter of poor posture that stresses your muscles, forcing them to move in ways they’re not accustomed to, or not meant to.

This can lead to small tears, or sprains, which can cause pain.

In other cases, the pain stems from compressed discs in your spine. The compression causes the nerves there to become pinched, resulting in that sharp, sudden pain you may be all too familiar with.

Finally, there are more serious problems such as ruptured discs, which can not only cause severe back pain, but also lead to problems with your legs and numbness over large portions of your body.

The first thing you should do if you experience pain caused by any of the above, is, of course, stop what you’re doing and take it easy for a few days.

Either heat or cold compresses can be used to help alleviate the pain in the short term. If the problem persists long term, a visit to your chiropractor can put you on the path to saying goodbye to back pain once and for all.

Your chiropractor can work with you to identify the root causes of the pain you’re experiencing and design a program that’s custom-tailored to your specific needs.

While that approach isn’t instantaneous, you’ll start feeling better a lot faster than you think, and it won’t be long before your pain is but a memory.