Is It Normal To Feel Worse After A Chiropractor
Sometimes your back may hurt worse after visiting a chiropractor. Back pain can ruin your plans for the day, or make you call off of work.
When you visit a chiropractor for Back Pain Relief, you never think that you will still experience any pain after your visits.
But you do.
Why?
In this blog, we take a look at a few reasons why you are still in pain after your trip to the chiropractor, and how to adjust to chiropractic care.
Nothing is more debilitating than having a back thats out of whack.
From picking up your child to bending over and grabbing the newspaper, your back is integral to everything that you do.
A sore back just makes life harder!
The natural solution to curing a back that isnt feeling quite up to par is to visit a quality chiropractor.
What if you use that correct logic but after your adjustment, your back still hurts just as much, if not more?
This could include:
- Pain sufficient enough to deter otherwise easy daily tasks
How Long Before Improvement
When I treat my patients I expect andtell them they should feel improvement within 2-4 weeks. They willmost likely need further ongoing care to achieve maximum improvement.But improvement should, none the less, be noticed.
However, after one to two months ofcare with no improvement, it is probably safe to assume that a changeis in order. Talk to your doctor and express your concern.
She wantsto know if treatment is not working and has your best interest as herpriority.
Always follow your doctorsrecommendations. He or she is well trained and wants you to getbetter as quickly and affordable as possible. They have a reputationthey need to build and maintain so they are most likely recommendingthe care and frequency they believe is best for you.
She will probably do one or more of thefollowing:
- Re-exam and re-evaluate.
- Refer.
How Effective Is Chiropractic For Lower Back Pain
Many people who look for chiropractic care, do it for the treatment of lower back pain. In fact, neck pain and back pain are known to be two of chiropractic cares specialties.
According to a 2018 study from the World Health Organization, patients who chose to try chiropractic treatments reported less pain intensity, less disability and improvement in functionality. They also reported high satisfaction with their treatment and needed less pain medicine.
Also, unlike pain medications, chiropractic treatments rarely cause side effects. That makes chiropractic care a great alternative for people who have already taken heavy medications but still experience persistent pain.
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Can A Chiropractor Help With Lower Back Pain
Back pain is often chronic and it may range from mild to debilitating. Whether its from an acute injury, poor posture, work-related strain, or aging, lower back pain can reduce your quality of life and make even basic daily tasks difficult and painful. Many people who have no sign of spinal abnormalities on X-rays still suffer from excruciating pain that may include sensitivity to pressure, pain after prolonged activity, stiffness, cramping, muscle spasms, and pain that gets progressively worse and lasts longer.
Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek out chiropractic care, a holistic approach that can target the cause of your pain instead of the symptom for safe and natural pain relief.
What Are Some Of The Pain Conditions For Which Spinal Manipulation Has Been Used
For Sciatica
- Sciatica is pain associated with the sciatic nerve, which controls muscles in the back of the knee and the lower leg it also provides feeling to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg, and the sole of the foot.
- Manipulation isnât widely used to treat sciatica but it may help, a 2015 research review of a variety of sciatica treatments suggests. However, the studies had many limitations, the authors noted.
- In a 2014 study of 192 people with leg pain associated with back pain, participants who received spinal manipulation, personal instruction, and exercises had less pain after 12 weeks and used less medication a year later than participants who received only personal instruction and exercises. However, leg pain was the same for both groups after 1 year.
For Low-Back Pain
Many noninvasive treatments are available for low-back pain, and these include drugs and nondrug options. In its 2017 clinical guidelines, the American College of Physicians suggests that spinal manipulation is one of a number of therapeutic options that may help people with acute or chronic low-back pain .
For Neck Pain
For Headache
For Other Conditions
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You Sit For Extended Periods Of Time
Lower back pain doesnt just stem from a traumatic physical injury. Sometimes, sitting for extended periods of time, especially hunched over a desk, can take a toll on a persons spine. Sitting for too long in misaligned positions can gradually alter the normal curve of the lower back. This misalignment leads to stiffness and nerve interference which can cause neck and lower back pain. A chiropractor can detect imbalances in the body and correct them with specialized techniques.
What Is Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments. The theory is that proper alignment of the body’s musculoskeletal structure, particularly the spine, will enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication. Manipulation is used to restore mobility to joints restricted by tissue injury caused by a traumatic event, such as falling, or repetitive stress, such as sitting without proper back support.
Chiropractic treatment is primarily used as a pain relief alternative for muscles, joints, bones, and connective tissue, such as cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. It is sometimes used in conjunction with conventional medical treatment.
The initials “DC” identify a chiropractor, whose education typically includes an undergraduate degree plus four years of chiropractic college.
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Does A Chiropractor Help With Lower Back Strain
Chiropractors make use of natural therapies in order to provide you relief from all types of lower back, upper back and neck pain. The approach is to use hands on manipulation techniques that clear the misalignments in the spine, so the nerves have improved mind-body connection. This increases the bodys endurance and overall mobility.
When pain appears, even though it may be debilitating, chances are that the cause of the problem had started a long time before.
Chiropractic For Lower Back Pain:
At Urban Wellness Clinic, our approach to chiropractic treatment for back pain centers on aligning the spine and joints for a healthy network of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. In turn, we ease pressure on slipped discs and nerves, improve flexibility, and reduce muscle tension. Being movement specialists we also focus on what joints are not moving enough or are stuck and which joints are too mobile leading to instability.
First, we perform a physical evaluation to assess lower back pain symptoms and determine the cause of back aches or chronic back pain. Then we use chiropractic adjustments and massage, specifically Active Release Technique, to treat lower back pain.
We may use the osseous adjustment, which involves gentle manipulation of the spine to relieve muscle tension and restore range of motion of the joint. This chiropractic treatment for lower back pain addresses misaligned and contracted muscles and connective tissue. The high velocity, low amplitude adjustment gives a quick stretch to the ligaments and the joint capsule creating a neurologic reflex that helps temporarily relax the muscles in the area. We always end with rehabilitation exercises and create stability so the joints that were just treated dont get pulled out of alignment.
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Back Spasms: Can Chiropractic Help
By Moses Jacob, DCCategories: Back Spasms, Lower Back Pain, Upper Back Pain
Oxford Dictionary: A sudden involuntary muscular contraction or convulsive movement.
A good explanation for back spasm is the involuntary contraction or tensing of the muscles in the back. Spasms may be mild and short lived or longer lasting including severe reactions sometimes due to an underlying spinal condition or pathologic.
Back spasms may have a sudden onset due to a triggering event. Spasms occur when the muscles of the back or spine contract due to:
- OVERUSE: E.g. physical over work, sports activity, or and underlying mechanical spinal joint disorder
- FATIGUE: Over exertion from prolonged or repetitive activities
- INJURY : Falls, Incorrect lifting,
- ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE: separate topic
TREATMENT FOR BACK SPASMS: Self Care, Conservative Care and Chiropractic Care.
Self Care: The simplest form of spasms or acute muscle contraction is short lived which self resolves and requires no active treatment. Avoiding the precipitating activity or applying good body mechanics, including warm up exercises before engaging in sports or gardening is recommended. Proper lifting techniques methods are readily available on line.
Eg. http://ergo-plus.com/wp-content/uploads/WA-Handout-Proper-Lifting-Techniques.pdf
R.I.C.E is an acronym for: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Chiropractic Treatments include:
With rare exception Conservative Chiropractic care for back spasm is safe and effective.
Stretching And Middle Back Pain
Chiropractic is more than just spinal adjustments. You will talk with your chiropractor about stretching techniques to help improve flexibility and reduce pain. When your muscles are tight, the blood flow to the muscles is limited. By stretching your muscles, blood flow to the area resumes. Your muscle tissue is able to heal once you stretch the muscles well, allowing you to improve your overall posture and pain level.
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Just How Effective Is Seeing A Chiropractor
As Rothwell DM, Bondy SJ and Williams SJ note in their study on chiropractic manipulation
the anatomic explanation of how spinal manipulative therapy could cause a stroke is well documented.
Furthermore, because early to mid-stage osteoporosis is not always straight forward to diagnose with a standard x-ray, a number of patients end up being mistreated with vigorous manipulation that severely risks fracturing their increasingly brittle bones. This is especially likely if the Chiropractor did not spot the early onset of osteoporosis.
There should be little doubt however that were it to be successfully diagnosed, osteoporosis should be contraindicated .
However because it is fairly rare and chiropractic care is still fairly new, there is no official threshold at which treatment should not be given or guidance on what steps to rule out osteoporosis must be taken before treatment.
Then just to top it all off, there is the noted increase in cerebrovascular injuries as a result of chiropractors treating the upper back and accidentally damaging the vertebral artery.
This is the artery that runs up the spine and changes from a vertical route to a horizontal route just before it becomes the basilar artery and heads up to the brain.
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The Final Word
Treating Lower Back Pain
When you see a chiropractor for lower back pain, you can rest assured that you will not be prescribed any medications or undergo and risky surgical procedures. In fact, chiropractors use all-natural, non-invasive treatments and techniques so you dont have to worry about side effects or lengthy recovery times. Chiropractic care uses gentle adjustments, massage, stretches, and more to help your body naturally experience healing and recovery. Here are a few ways chiropractic can help to treat lower back pain:
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Interesting Lower Back And Upper Leg Pain Case
A 63-year old woman developed pain in the right groin some four months prior to the first consultation. Then, three months later, pain began in the right upper lower back and flank, progressing to the right lower quadrant of the abdomen.
She had pain all day, a deep ache, and pain at night too. Having a history of malignant cancer, theworst was presumed, but all tests proved negative.
On examination, internal rotation and adduction of the right hip was markedly painful in the groin, with limited range of motion: early hip arthritis OR Femero Acetabular Impingement syndrome? Or both. The X-ray revealed all: Both. Untreated FAIS becomes arthritic in many cases.
Radiologist’s report: A prominent bony bump is noted at the head neck junction of the femur. The appearance on the x-ray is that of acetabulum femoral neck impingement.
What If My Neck Or Back Pain Doesn’t Go Away
Many times, acute symptoms resolve within the first trial a 4-week period. However, it is also possible the pain can become chronicthat is, lasting longer than 12 weeks.Some patients simply may reach a plateau in their recovery process, referred to as MTB . A chiropractor would want to see if withdrawing from chiropractic treatments has a residual effect, exacerbates the pain, and/or reduces function and activity performance. If so, a management regimen may be necessary.For example, if mild to severe chronic pain is exacerbated, a patient may have 1 to 6 more visits per episode, at 2 to 3 weekly treatments for 2 to 4 weeks. Rarely, patients may need ongoing care of 1 to 4 visits per month.
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When Can A Chiropractor Help With Back Pain
People often want to try the kind of conservative approaches that chiropractors provide first. In fact, this is what many clinical care guidelines recommend. So before trying treatments like injections or surgery for back pain, they may want to consider things like chiropractic care, physical therapy, or acupuncture. Much of the time, back pain resolves with those kinds of treatments.
Know Which Tests And Treatments Can Help
Licensed chiropractors adjust the body to improve alignment, ease pain, and restore movement in the spine or joints. This is called spinal adjustment. Recent research shows that it can work as well to relieve pain and discomfort as drugs and surgery, and it is also safer.
The chiropractor gives the patient exercises to help improve alignment and prevent injury. He or she also promotes healthy behaviors such as quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.
Chiropractors offer a variety of tests and treatments. The American Chiropractic Association urges patients to talk with their healthcare provider to make sure they are getting the tests and treatments they need.
Most people with lower-back pain dont need imaging tests.
X-rays and other imaging tests usually dont help your doctor diagnose and treat back pain. In fact, back pain usually goes away on its own in a matter of weeks.These tests also:
- Use radiation, which can build up over time and increase your risk of cancer.
- May lead to unnecessary treatments, such as opioid pain-killers or surgery. These can increase your risks and costs.
When imaging tests might help.
In some cases, chiropractors need to use imaging to make sure their adjustments will not harm you. For example, it may be important to check for a problem, such as a fracture or osteoporosis. A history of cancer may also justify imaging.
Avoid passive therapies unless you have them along with other treatments.
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How Chiropractors Treat Back Pain
A chiropractor uses spinal manipulation and other techniques to help ease back pain. Therapy generally takes a number of visits for it to be effective.
One option for people who are seeking back pain treatment is to seek the help of a chiropractor. This specially trained health professional believes that alignment of the spine is related to the overall health and wellbeing of the individual.
By incorporating that belief into treatment, with particular attention to the spine, chiropractic care may be able to provide pain management for back pain patients using a variety of methods to achieve that goal.
Close to 18 million adults and 2 million children receive chiropractic treatments for pain therapy and other conditions every year.
Chiropractic methods have been shown to be effective in reducing pain among people with back pain. For example, a study of 42 patients who visited chiropractors for pain management over a period of two months found that low force spinal adjustments successfully helped ease lower back pain.
How Chiropractic Treatment Works
Regular chiropractic treatments usually focus on spinal manipulation and alignment to aid pain management and stimulate the bodys self-healing abilities. Realignment of the spine is thought to reduce pressure on the central nervous system. Headaches and lower back pain are among the most common conditions treated by a chiropractor.
You may also be given:
- Nutritional supplements
- Electrical stimulation
Signs You Should See A Chiropractor
Office Manager, Sharon Health Center
Seeing a chiropractor can yield many benefits that dramatically improve ones physical and emotional well-being. Yet many people think to see a chiropractor only when something has gone wrong, or when they can no longer tolerate their pain symptoms. A chiropractor can help prevent something from going wrong in the first place.
While most people know it is time to see a chiropractor if they are experiencing back pain, there are other clues to keep in mind. Here are 10 signs you should see a chiropractor:
Headaches can be caused by a number of factors, including dehydration, malnutrition, oxygen deprivation, or a misalignment in the neck or spine. A chiropractor can help to relieve headaches and improve blood flow, which will increase the amount of oxygen that is supplied to the brain.
Your chiropractor also may recommend a change to your diet to help you improve your overall health.
If you are experiencing pain in your muscles and joints, your first reaction should not be to get the aspirin out of your medicine cabinet. Your pain could be due to problems with musculoskeletal alignment.
A chiropractor is trained to make sure your body is functioning as optimally as possible by using spinal manipulations to relieve pain in your joints and muscles. These spinal adjustments will increase blood flow and nerve conductivity to the joints and muscles that are experiencing pain.
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