You don’t think about espresso when your back hurts?

You should!

 

I recently purchased a really nice espresso machine. One of my favorite things about traveling to Europe is the coffee.  I drink espresso all day long.  The coffee that comes out of vending machines at gas stations is often better than what we get in cafe’s here in Portland, Maine.

 

I love the art of espresso though, so I bought a manual machine that is very “tampermental”.  Tamping is when you use a round coffee press to compress the grounds in the portafilter.  This is done manually and you are supposed to use 30 lbs of pressure.  Depending on the humidity, the coarseness of the grounds, the temperature of the water, the pressure of the tamp or any combination of a dozen or so factors, the espresso comes out great or terrible.  It’s complicated and there are many things that you can focus on and tweak to get the best results.

 

I have the beans I like, the coarseness of the grind and all those other factors that I mentioned above.  The tamp eludes me though.  I’ve got this to where the pressure of the tamp makes or breaks my espresso.  My espresso quality is all in the pressure.

 

Pressure on nerves may lead not only to pain but also and more frequently dysfunction neurologically.  When nerves have pressure on them, signals from the brain don’t get through the nerve properly and messages from what the nerve controls, don’t get back up to the brain.  It can turn into a vicious cycle of dysfunction and pain. Why should you think of espresso when you have back pain?  Because you need to remember that pressure is everything.  Pressure on nerves makes you vulnerable to injury.  Pressure on nerves may lead to pain.  Pressure on nerves leads to abnormal communication from brain to body. Pressure on nerves leads to bad responses in your body to things in your environment.  Pressure on nerves can lead to weakness, bad reflexes and poor posture.  Pressure on nerves compromises healing.

 

Here’s the clincher.  You really ought to be thinking about pressure BEFORE problems arise. Why? Because pressure may exist on nerves before you feel pain.  Only 10% of nerve fibers feel pain.  This pressure that you may not feel puts you at risk for injury and body dysfunction.  It makes you vulnerable, predisposes you to a flare up when you get up off the couch or reach for a toothbrush.  The good news is  that there are tests that can be performed to see if you are vulnerable to a back melt down.  If you are at risk of a flare up and you catch it before it causes problems, there are things you can do to improve your nerve function and move out of the “risk zone” and into a state of more optimal function.  Chiropractors work to remove pressure on nerves in an effort to allow your innate intelligence to run through your body freely, allowing your body to function at it’s optimal level – often eliminating or preventing pain and dysfunction.

 

Espresso and back pain.  Got the concept?!

Espresso And Back Pain.  The connection in Portland, Maine.

Espresso And Back Pain. The connection in Portland, Maine.