Are you in pain? Do you very carefully balance between managing your own pain vs. giving up and crying – “It is too much?” If this is you, read on for insightful information to help you understand and choose your best pain solution options from the experts in treatments of headaches, back pain, neck pain and other musculoskeletal conditions.
Deciding When and How To Address Different Pains
No one wants to constantly worry. We certainly don’t want to visit our chiropractor or family doctor for every ache and pain. But eventually we all experience physical problems and it may be difficult to know how to solve them. Some problems are immediate and serious. For instance, if you suddenly experience crushing chest pain and radiating pain down your left arm, possibly with nausea, profuse perspiration, and a feeling of impending doom, you know you have to call “911” immediately; or if you awaken in the middle of the night with an intense, deep, sharp pain in your lower right abdomen, accompanied by vomiting and a fever, you also know that you need to go to the Emergency Room right away. In these exceptional cases most people know which steps to take. But what should you do when your pain is not clear-cut and dramatic, as it is in a heart attack or acute appendicitis?
Overall, pain is a warning sign, but many problems that cause pain can resolve on their own. For example, you may twist an ankle on your daily walk. It may hurt to put weight on that ankle and there may even be a bit of swelling but within two days your ankle is much better. There was initial pain attributing to a soft tissue injury, possibly involving muscles, tendons, and/or ligaments; however, the injury was not so severe that your body’s ability to self-heal could not manage the situation. In the case of a greater degree of initial pain and more swelling, or if improvement was not being obtained within 48 hours, a visit to your chiropractor would be appropriate. In borderline situations involving musculoskeletal pain, for instance back, neck, shoulder, or knee pain, your intuition and level of pain tolerance will be the deciding factor on when to seek professional assistance. But better to error on the side of caution and not lose the quality of life you desire by living and masking the pain.
Expert Opinion Action Steps
When you suffer with debilitating neck and back pain you should consider an evaluation first by a qualified chiropractor. The majority of these spinal complaints are caused by irritation and inflammation of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that not only help create the structure of the spinal column but provide for the full mobility of the spinal vertebrae. By locating regions of your spine where mobility is decreased, your chiropractor is able identify the areas that are in need of treatment. The treatment includes not only restoring mobility to the spinal joints, but the reduction of of pressure and irritation on spinal nerves. By reducing the irritation and inflammation of the spinal soft tissues the pain will reduce along with the adverse affects to the normal function of the spinal nerves. The result of non-treatment for spinal nerve compression may include a wide range of other health problems. By addressing the source of many of these problems, chiropractic care and rehabilitation, which may include physical therapy and exercises, will help eliminate your neck and back pain and help contribute to your overall health and well-being.
If you are experiencing repetitive episodes of spinal pain or headaches which may include symptoms of persistent radiating pain into an arm or a leg possibly accompanied by numbness and tingling pain, or pain that you can’t clearly explain to yourself the best thing to do is to make an appointment for an in depth examination and consultation by your chiropractor and their expert team who specialize in natural physical medicine.
Ready to Help!
Are you or a loved one suffering from so much pain that it is left you in a state of pain paralysis? Action steps to relieve the pain are just to difficult for you to make for you feel like you have tried everything and are just to tired from the pain to make a clear decision.
Let us help you make informed and solution based decisions. Our expert team is ready and waiting to help you begin to take the steps towards your next best day – pain free!
For Your Health,
Dr. Scott Van Dam