 | Dr. Kevin Darden graduated Cum Laude from the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City in 1999 and began his practice in Derby, later moving to Wichita. His primary emphasis is Sacral/Iliac, upper cervical, lumbar disc thinning, and mid-thoracic. In addition, Dr. Darden has a major focus on education for pain prevention. Well known as the "Teaching Doctor", he believes the only way for lasting relief from chronic pain is patient education. He has practiced this concept for the last six years, becoming proficient at determining the causes of specific pain from treating thousands of patients through: Thompson Technique, Diversified, Gonstead, and Acupuncture. Currently, the Director of the Sedgwick County Kansas Chiropractic Association, Dr. Darden can be seen hosting his television program FEEL BETTER, LIVE BETTER, PLAY BETTER, found on channel 49. In addition, Dr. Darden gives lectures at his office location @ 5119 E. Kellogg Dr. and scheduling may be obtained by calling 316-685-0020 . |
Chiropractic Care
2005-04-01 10:50:00
Low back pain woes
: I have experienced "low back pain" for many years, is there anything I can do for it?
ANSWER: Many people such as you experience chronic low back pain. It is estimated that the annual cost in the United States for treatment of low back pain is approximately $100 billion dollars. Whether working in the garden, climbing a ladder, exercising, or picking up the baby, we are all susceptible to having low back pain. Low back pain can be caused by many things. Usually low back pain can be attributed to performing a movement such as bending or reaching in an incorrect manner. We have habits that cause us harm (the way we sleep, stand, sit, work, etc). This time of year we often see a rise in complaints of low back pain. We have set in our lazy-boys all winter watching Reality T.V. Our bodies are not ready for the rapid onset of physical activities such as mowing, gardening, or even horse back riding. Over the winter months our muscles have become accustomed to little or reduced physical activities.Mild stretching exercises can help our backs get ready for spring time activities. Just a few minutes a day of stretching exercise can mean the difference between some productive gardening and a weekend spent "down and out". It's a fact that, after we begin moving more, we tend to have more energy. This extra energy allows us to better enjoy life. Walking is a good way to re-acclimate our bodies to summer time physical activities. In addition, go to your favorite store and purchase a video of stretching exercises. If you're more adventurous-try a Yoga or Tai-Chi class. Remember-start any activity slowly, gradually increasing range of motion, distance, and time the activity is preformed. Warm up and stretch before any physical activity, including all sports, raking, gardening, etc. Be aware of your body form and technique; stand as erect as possible and let your legs and arms do the work, not your back. Allow your body and muscles time to cool down after such an activity. If you currently suffer from low back pain I recommend Chiropractic care. A good teaching Chiropractor can show you very important stretching exercises to do and evaluate your current and past symptoms to rule out other possible medical problems. Regular Chiropractic care not only helps reduce low back pain and disability associated with low back pain, but following the treatment phase, assists in keeping pain from reoccurring. Remember, most simple back and neck pain can be associated with a muscles moving in an incorrect manner. Many of us, over the years, have trained our muscles to move in an incorrect manner. Although we cannot change this "muscle memory" overnight, with proper re-education of our muscles we can greatly reduce the chance of neck and back injuries and pain. Remember, regular Chiropractic care can reduce the on-set and reoccurrence of low back pain.
