5 Reason Your Pain Keeps Coming Back!

Chiropractic care has been proven to be an most effective treatment for various musculoskeletal pain issues such as: low back & neck pain, shoulder pain, whiplash injuries and many other syndromes.

However, there is an unfortunate small percentage of people who find their pain continues to return, resulting in the common question: “Why does my pain keep coming back?” While this is a significant issue for this small percentage of people, there is not a simple answer.

The following is a list of some of the common reasons their pain may keep returning.

1. Continuing The Problem Activity

Continuing to do the activity that caused the problem to begin with. For some, there is no choice, it is part of their regular work activities. For these people, our approach is to help them evaluate and modify the problem action or posture. For some, it is slightly shifting their work station lay out. For others it might be specific warm up exercises.

2. Problems With Muscle Strength

Lack of muscle balance and exercise follow through. Out side of an injury, most patient’s conditions involve significant imbalance of the muscles supporting the low back or neck. These imbalances have developed over a lifetime of repetitive activities, such as sitting at a desk or computer usage.

Part of our care is to prescribe specific exercises to help counter this imbalance.   Unfortunately, some do not continue with the exercises or fail to do them consistently.

3. Stopping Care Too Soon

Discontinuing care too soon. We offer our patients a couple of options with their care: symptomatic treatment vs strengthening/stabilization.

Symptomatic care involves getting just enough care to diminish the pain and does not really help in “fixing” the cause. Unfortunately, these patients will eventually experience a flare up of their pain.

On the other hand, Strengthening/stabilization care, is treatment that goes past symptom relief and works to strengthen the faulty spinal structure that is the cause of the pain.

4. Degenerative Arthritic Changes

Degenerative changes. Unfortunately, some patient’s wait too long to seek our help and when they do arrive, part of their problem is due to degenerative discs or joints. While we may be able to help them find relief, once the degeneration is there, it cannot be reversed. The best means of preventing future flare ups is to get adjustment on a regular basis.

5. Poor Lifestyle Actions

Not making the proper lifestyle changes. For many of these individuals, their lifestyle plays a key factor in the cause of their pain. Poor sitting or sleeping postures. Prolonged computer usage, gaming or texting with the head bent forward. Weight issues stressing the low back.

These are a few of the more common reasons that patient’s may experience a reoccurring problem. The best solution is consistent follow through with chiropractic care and recommendations.

If your pain continues to return, give us a call at (314) 731-4383 and set up a time to discuss what how you can get more lasting relief.