Well I will be completely up front, as a chiropractor in Colorado Springs, I think everyone would benefit from seeing a chiropractor! But to simply tell you that is not the purpose of this blog. I wanted to share five specific things that you can look for that are good signs that you should give the chiropractor a visit to receive chiropractic treatment. These are things that show there may be an underlying problem with your spine that is limiting what you can do and the enjoyment you get out of life.
1. Back or Neck Pain
Now this probably does not come as a surprise to most people. This is typically why people think they should go to a chiropractor. And it is true that chiropractic is great at helping to relieve back and neck pain but it can also help with so much more.
Back or neck pain can be caused by many different things, but most cases of back or neck pain are from what is termed ‘mechanical pain.’ This simply means that the pain is due to some physical stress on the spine or surrounding tissues. This can be from repeated motions, poor posture, increased stress on the spinal joints, etc. An often overlooked cause of back or neck pain is subtle misalignments of the bones of the spine because chiropractors are one of the only health professionals that are even looking for it!
2. Stiff or Limited Motion
This can be of any joint in the body, not just the spine. Chiropractors have the knowledge and skills to adjust every joint in the body. Often stiff or limited motion of the shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, hands or feet can be improved with a chiropractic adjustment in those areas. When joints become misaligned there are muscle spasms that can go along with it which can make you feel stiff and limit motion. When you correct the misalignment the muscles often will balance again, or if not completely resolved by an adjustment, there are many soft tissue techniques that a chiropractor can use to help.
3. Shoes Wear Out Unevenly
Now you may be surprised by this! What does my shoes wearing out have anything to do with chiropractic you may ask. Well if your shoes are wearing out unevenly there is probably some imbalances in the biomechanics of the body. This can again be from misaligned or restricted motion of the pelvis, hips, knees, feet, or even other areas of the body. A chiropractor can evaluate your posture and motion and find the areas that are causing uneven stress not only on your shoes but the joints in the legs and feet. When these imbalances are corrected they not only save your shoes but your joints as well making it less likely to develop arthritis in those joints.
4. Headaches
There are many different causes of headaches, but something interesting is that not all headaches originate in the head itself. Research has shown that there is an area of the brainstem that extends down into the spinal cord of the upper neck where pain receptors from the head and upper neck connect with other nerves. Sometimes a pain receptor from one area (say the neck) can be interpreted as coming from somewhere else (say the head). This referred pain can be a cause of headache and the source is not even within the head. I actually see this a lot in my chiropractic practice. Headaches, even migraines respond well to chiropractic adjustments as well as working on relaxing and balancing the muscles in the neck.
5. Poor Sleep
What causes poor sleep? There can be many causes – pain so you can’t get comfortable, stimulants are keeping you awake, or stress doesn’t allow you to adequately relax to name a few. But one thing to think about is if you have difficulty sleeping and you take a sleeping pill: does that do anything to address the underlying problem? Poor sleep actually can be helped through chiropractic treatment. I learned this more so from experience than anything else when patients would just mention it as extra benefit of their care. While for some of them it may be from the pain relief allowing them to be more comfortable to sleep, that is not the cause in every case. Besides just the pain relief, chiropractic also helps the body to relax. I have patients every day tell me that they feel more relaxed after the chiropractic adjustment and many make a comment like “I am ready for a nap.” This is because when the spine is misaligned or not moving properly it puts extra stress on the nerves and shifts the body towards the ‘fight or flight’ mode. After an adjustment the body is shifted away from the ‘fight or flight’ response more towards rest, relaxation, and repair.
I hope you found this post to be useful and informative. I love to hear your stories of how chiropractic has helped you. So if you have a chiropractic story that relates to one of these five things or even something else, please share below in the comments. Also if you know someone that could benefit from this information please pass it along!
