Page 128 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2015

HEALTHY LIVING ouch
ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM
128 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2015
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BACK
story by Susan Ruddiman photos courtesy of Jeremy Jernigan, D.C., Eric Wolfson, M.D. and Steven Miller, D.C.
PAIN?
A
As many as 31 million Americans suffer lower back pain every year. This
can result in an economic burden to businesses of $50 billion annually because
of muscular skeleton disorders, said Jeremy Jernigan, D.C., of Jernigan Chiropractic
Clinic in Gulfport.
The spine is complex, protecting the spinal
cord that runs from the neck to the tailbone. It is divided into five sections — cervical,
thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx — that make up 24 small bones called vertebrae. The spine supports the head and a majority of the
body’s weight, allows the body to move, and protects the nervous system.
n aching back
is a condition
about 80 percent
of the population experiences some time during their lives.