Oxidative Stress and Lower Back Pain: Here's What You Need to Know

Chronic lower back pain causes physical and mental stress. This irritation in turn produces increased oxidative stress.  And that?  Well, it reduces our ability to heal and increases joint pain—allowing a vicious cycle to begin.

​Unless you stop breathing, you won’t be able to avoid oxidative stress (and we certainly don’t recommend attempting that!). As we breathe in oxygen and our cells produce energy, free radicals are created. Antioxidants and exercise play a key role in removing free radicals from our body, helping to maintain a healthy balance.

When too many free radicals build up they prevent healing, damage cells, and even harm our DNA. The good news is we can use exercise as well as nutritional and chiropractic treatments to reduce oxidative stress and the associated symptoms like joint inflammation and body aches.
 
Let's explore the symptoms of oxidative stress and how chiropractic therapy brings long-term relief from chronic back pain by directly reducing oxidative stress.
 
What Are the Symptoms of Oxidative Stress?
 
The symptoms of oxidative stress usually build up slowly over time. When we ignore early discomfort and develop a higher pain threshold without seeking back pain treatment, the damage continues until we experience symptoms throughout the body. Some of these include:

• Joint pain and sore muscles
• Headaches, mental fog, and memory loss
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Vision loss
• Higher susceptibility to infection
  
• Gray hair and wrinkles

How Does Chiropractic Treatment Reduce Oxidative Stress?
 
Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to reduce the key chemical markers of oxidative stress and relieve the pain associated with it.1 Chiropractic  back pain treatment corrects the causative misalignments and related muscle pain, . The good news? The research showed that with twice weekly adjustments over a 5-week period, measurable increases in a key antioxidant level are achieved. 
 
The great news? Patients under wellness care in the longer term (one year and more) showed a statistically significant increase in another key antioxidant.  This antioxidant, called serum thiol, plays an important role in cellular and DNA repair. By increasing serum thiol and keeping it at optimal levels, regular chiropractic care can help reverse some of the DNA damage caused by oxidative stress.
 
Chiropractic Care Promotes Whole Body Wellness
 
A holistic approach to wellness includes regular chiropractic care. At McCann Family Chiropractic we understand the relationship between chronic lower back pain and oxidative stress.
 
With a wide array of chiropractic techniques at his fingertips, Dr. Matt can provide the right type of adjustment to correct your alignment and begin the care that will help increase your antioxidant levels and reverse the effects of oxidative stress.
 
Your optimal wellness is the best prevention for stress-related diseases. By reducing your physical, chemical, and mental stress levels you can experience true vitality and well-being every day. We can provide recommendations for nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and other steps you can take alongside your chiropractic treatments to promote whole body wellness and healing.
 
Sources:
 
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161475414002449
2. https://www.vertebralsubluxationresearch.com/2017/09/06/surrogate-indication-of-dna-repair-in-serum-after-long-term-chiropractic-intervention-a-retrospective-study/