How Do I Know If I Need a Chiropractor?
Many people aren’t sure when it is time to seek chiropractic care. However, a few easy red flags can indicate it’s time to see a chiropractor. Millions of people visit chiropractors each year for a variety of injuries and ailments. Despite this, most of us fail to recognize the obvious signs that a visit to a chiropractor is necessary.
1. You Have Poor Posture
Poor posture isn’t just a matter of occasionally slumping in your chair or letting your shoulders sag when you stand. It can change the natural curves of your spine, neck, and hips over time.
If you’ve been slouching for years, it can lead to an “S”-shaped spine, also known as a postural kyphosis. When this happens, you may feel pain or stiffness in your upper back and shoulder blades.
This problem is often caused by tight chest and shoulder muscles, which can be exacerbated by a desk job or pregnancy. Over time, it can cause shortness of breath, poor cognitive function, and heart and vascular problems.
Good posture will help you to look and feel even better than you already do, prevent back aches and muscle pains, decrease wear and tear on your joints, use less energy for daily tasks, and increase your spine’s flexibility and resilience.
The Canadian Chiropractic Association has a Straighten Up App that is free and helps promote proper posture. https://chiropractic.ca/straighten-up-canada-app/
2. You Have Frequent Muscle and Joint Pains
If you notice frequent aches, pains, and stiffness around your joints, it may be time to see a chiropractor. Chiropractors use spinal manipulations to improve blood flow and nerve conductivity to your muscles and joints.
Aches and pains are normal after intense physical activity or overuse of your muscles, but if you experience more than one ache, you may want to seek out the services of a physician. A medical professional will perform a full physical exam and order X-rays or other diagnostic tests to determine the cause of your chronic symptoms.
Your doctor will likely prescribe over-the-counter medicine (acetaminophen or ibuprofen) and perhaps a few topical treatments. If the pain is caused by a condition such as gout, arthritis, or an autoimmune disease like multiple sclerosis, your doctors may also prescribe medicines to alleviate the underlying problem.
3. You Have Persistent Neck Pain
If you are experiencing persistent neck pain, then it’s time to talk to a chiropractor. This is because you’ve likely been suffering from neck pain for more than a few months and it may indicate something more serious, like a herniated disc or a pinched nerve.
Your doctor will perform a thorough physical and neurological exam, noting your posture, range of motion, and how the movement causes pain. They’ll also feel for muscle spasms and check your shoulder area.
If you are experiencing neck pain with numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arms and hands, then it’s likely that you have a pinched nerve. The numbness, tingling, or pain might radiate to your head, shoulder, and trunk.
4. You’re Always Tired
If you are constantly tired, it may be time to see a healthcare professional. You can make some lifestyle changes to combat fatigue, but if you are constantly feeling sluggish, it could be something more serious.
Having chronic back pain is one of the most common reasons people see a chiropractor. The back is an extremely complex part of the body and has many different factors that can cause it to hurt. Subluxations of the spine cause an interruption between the central nervous system and the rest of our body, which leads to other systems in the body functioning improperly. This can lead to feelings of fatigue and a myriad of other health problems. A chiropractic adjustment may remove these subluxations and reduce nerve interferences to allow your brain to communicate properly with your body, restoring proper balance between the body’s systems. Spinal alignment is key to battling fatigue and promoting overall health and wellness.
If this is the case, you may need to talk with a chiropractor. Chiropractic care can help get to the root of your tiredness and improve your quality of life.
Common symptom of receiving chiropractic care is that some people experience minor side effects for a few days after a chiropractic adjustment. These may include headaches, fatigue or pain in the parts of the body that were treated.. However, these symptoms are usually temporary and resolve within a day or two.