by Dr. Bruce Miron, 10/01/07
No one likes to have back pain. Many cope with it by using ice, getting more rest and avoiding anything that worsens the pain. This makes sense if you have suffered an acute episode of back pain caused by minor sprains and strains. Not everyone knows that chiropractic care along with proper exercise is often the best way to help back pain.
Actually, the more you avoid activity, the more likely you are to experience continued pain or disability. Keep in mind that you must be careful with the type and amount of exercise you do if you are in pain. In most cases, walking is considered safe and is usually recommended – but if you are in doubt you should check with a health professional to be sure.
Don’t ignore pain – it is your body’s alert system telling you that something needs attention. You can usually distinguish a “normal muscle ache from overdoing it” from the “uh-oh – I think this is going to be a problem.” Delayed onset muscle soreness can occur anywhere from hours to 2 days after a harder than usual workout or a battle with the yard work. It typically comes on gradually and can take several days to resolve on its own. Muscle or joint injury usually comes on and progresses much more rapidly and may be more specific in nature. It typically takes longer to “feel better” if it resolves on its own, but it is usually best to have it examined by a health professional.
We often think of rehabilitation as something that older people need after having strokes or radical surgery or really bad injuries. Here’s a little secret that will keep you moving well and keep you able to stay active as you age: you must keep moving well in order to keep moving well. This may sound simple and redundant but here’s what it really means: When we get injured, no matter how minimally, our body compensates for the injury by moving in a different way to avoid pain and further injury. The body then typically adapts this new pattern of motion as its new “normal” motion even though it is not really normal - it is restricted and usually asymmetrical to some degree. This little compensation causes other parts of the body to change from their normal motions in a chain reaction to help balance and compensate for the injury. Over time, we tend to lose our flexibility and we may become even more prone to injury because we are not as balanced or stable as we used to be!
What should you do now? See a posture and exercise specialist for an evaluation and recommendations to help your posture and movement. Chiropractors are doctors that specialize in restoring balance and motion to the spine and the rest of the body. They can assess your condition and discuss what it will take in terms of restoring and optimizing your physical condition with chiropractic care, proper posture, exercise, and lifestyle modifications as necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask for a consultation to see if they can help you feel and function better.
Not injured? Go exercise and enjoy! Make it a regular part of your life. You may still want to consider an evaluation to make sure you are in good shape and not harboring an “injury waiting to happen.”
Dr. Bruce Miron practices chiropractic in his office on Jones Bridge Rd. in Alpharetta. For 16 years he has seen patients of all ages and he specializes in Activator Methods chiropractic technique, a low-force painless chiropractic method. He also uses the BodyZone posture analysis, exercise and muscle rehabilitation techniques to help patients recover. |