When you go in to see a chiropractor, he or she is going to want to do an examination and listen to whatever is ailing you prior to coming up with a treatment plan that is designed to alleviate your pain. It should be something with a bit of flexibility to it so that as things change, so can your treatment plan. This is not something that should be done totally for you, but instead, along with you, so that you know what each step of the process is for and how it is meant to help.
Seeing Your Chiropractor to Help Your Back Can Decrease Your Overall Pain
Your chiropractor is going to want to look over your back, along with a few other body parts, the first time you come in. This is going to give your chiropractor the best insight as to what is going on with your body and how the things that they can do could help you begin to feel better. They will have a few goals in mind, ranging from seeing what range of motion you have to discerning if they believe ergonomics are going to be able to help you feel better during your daily activities. The first visit may only be the exam, or it may be the exam plus the first step of the treatment plan your chiropractor thinks is going to be in your best interest.
During that first exam, your chiropractor is also going to speak with you about what you can expect in the near future, and what it is that they believe will help you best long term. Up front, you should be able to expect some reduction in your pain levels and a bit more mobility, but long-term, your chiropractor should be aiming to restore normal function to your body and a balance of the muscles and joints. This can help you get back the quality of life that you deserve as time and treatment progress.
Options Your Chiropractor Has at Their Disposal
When you go in to see your chiropractor, there are many different options that he or she can turn to for your treatment. The most common form of treatment is the manipulation of the spine, but that is not the only option they can use in your treatment. You also have the option of physical treatments that go beyond what is done in their office, like traction, or other options that would be done when you are in your chiropractor’s office. These options include slight electrical stimulation to help rush healing to the part of your back that is the most painful, or even doing an ultrasound technique where heat is rushed to the sore area of your back, allowing your muscles to loosen up and work with less discomfort.
Your chiropractor is also likely to include a bunch of exercises that you should be doing both in their office and at home to help stretch out the muscles in the neck, back, and core. The more those muscles get stretched and used, the more mobility you are likely to have, and the less pain you should experience when going about normal daily tasks. Some of these exercises will be simple and require you to just reach up or out to help loosen up specific muscle groups, while others will be more complicated and could even require you to have help to do them. It all depends on what your chiropractor determines is wrong with your back as to how he or she will treat the problem.
Education is Also a Major Goal for Your Chiropractor
Education is something that you are going to get a lot of when you visit a chiropractor. They are going to want to educate you on what caused the problem in the first place so you know what to avoid, and they are going to want to educate you on ways that you can avoid making those same mistakes in the future. The more you can avoid those same problems down the line, the less likely you will be to need to return to your chiropractor in the future for the same issue. Your chiropractor is going to want to explain to you how proper positions and nutrition can help the pain you are going through now, because improper nutrition or posture can cause problems that will continue to affect you for the rest of your life when left untreated. They are also going to want to educate you on some of the things you can do at home if you have a flare-up of pain, such as taking a warm bath or shower, putting ice or heat on the area that hurts, or even having someone gently massage the area.
Your Chiropractor Could Be the Key to Finally Feeling Better
Living with back pain is not something that anyone wants to do, but when you allow your chiropractor to help you, the pain can be a thing of the past. Listen to what your chiropractor has to say and make sure you apply as many of the techniques you are taught as you possibly can.
