Dealing with back pain can really leave you struggling to make it through the day sometimes. Back pain can come and go, or it can be so chronic that it leaves you struggling to maintain day to day activities and obligations. If you have pain that does not want to relent and give you the option of having a normal life, then it is time that you go in and see your chiropractor or your doctor. They can help you figure out the cause of your back pain based on the symptoms and they can help you come up with a treatment plan.
Characteristics of Back Pain
There is no one set of symptoms that will be there 100% of the time with back pain because it can encompass anything from your neck to your arms, legs, buttocks, and even your hands and feet. Back pain doesn’t even always mean that your back is what hurts, but it can be the area connected to your back, which puts it under the same blanket symptom that causes you to get checked out. You could even end up with a headache that comes from something being wrong with your back.
What you should do is write down all of the symptoms of your pain and keep track of what is going on at the time when the pain appears. It could be that only one specific position causes the pain, or even just one activity, like standing for too long. You should also write down any type of remedy that you use to alleviate your pain and the results that you get from it. If you are using medication, write down the type and the amount that you took, and how often you took it before you stopped if it was not giving you any relief. This is all information that is good to show your chiropractor when you go in to see them.
There are many different types of back pain, but these types typically fall under one of two categories: you can have acute pain that usually shows up out of nowhere and lasts up to about two weeks, or you can have chronic pain which typically lasts more than three weeks. The pain you feel can be sharp or stabbing, piercing pain, it can be tingling and numbness, or it can be waves of pain that come and go. Sometimes your pain may even feel as though the sore area is on fire. Certain positions may cause the pain to be more intense, so make sure to take note of any that you notice. Also, the pain may be located anywhere in your neck or back, or it could radiate out to your extremities.
Short Term Back Pain Relief is Often All You Will Need
The vast majority of the time, your back pain is going to resolve itself in a short amount of time. You may need to take some pain relievers or apply ice and heat to the sore area to get a bit of relief. Some rest or getting an alignment from your chiropractor can also make the back pain go away. Stretching out your upper, middle, and lower back can help your pain decrease and give you more mobility while you are recovering from your ailment or injury. When you notice that your back pain does not go away in a relatively short amount of time on your own, it is time to seek out help from someone else. Should your back pain be accompanied by weakness that is progressively getting worse in your legs, or a loss of bladder or bowel control, make sure you seek out immediate medical attention as those are signs of much larger problems.
Head Over to a Chiropractor If Your Back Pain is Minor or Related to How You Moved
When you know that it was a movement that caused your back pain, the first appointment you should make is with a professional chiropractor. He or she can help realign your back and put things back in balance within your body. Many times, back pain is related just to a movement that pinched a nerve somewhere, and when that is the case, moving things back into the right position can be all you need to experience relief. It may take a few times of seeing them to get everything put back in place, but each small movement that your chiropractor is able to offer will bring you a bit more relief from your back pain.
