Sometimes your back may hurt worse after visiting a chiropractor. Back pain can ruin your plans for the day, or make you call off of work.
When you visit a chiropractor for Back Pain Relief, you never think that you will still experience any pain after your visits.
But you do.
Why?
In this blog, we take a look at a few reasons why you are still in pain after your trip to the chiropractor, and how to adjust to chiropractic care.
Nothing is more debilitating than having a back that’s out of whack.
From picking up your child to bending over and grabbing the newspaper, your back is integral to everything that you do.
A sore back just makes life harder!
The natural solution to curing a back that isn’t feeling quite up to par is to visit a quality chiropractor.
Related post: What happens when you crack your back?
What if you use that correct logic but after your adjustment, your back still hurts just as much, if not more?
Should patients feel more pain in your back after receiving chiropractic care? When it comes to the spine, and back specifically, the goal of a successful chiropractic session is to eradicate inflammation and reduce overall pain.
The areas of relief mainly focus on joints, ligaments, and muscles.
The intention is to achieve this well-being through the use of:
It’s important to note that common side effects of chiropractic adjustments are tiredness, minor headaches, and slight discomfort in adjusted locations.
Your body may be used to being out of alignment. So, when your spine is back in alignment, it will take some getting used to, which may cause you to feel sore.
So what else has occurred to hinder the success of your chiropractic visit and leave you in a significant amount of pain?
If the annulus fibrosus, basically the tough, outer layer of your discs that compose your spine, is torn or stretched too far you have a disc herniation.
Once the annulus fibrosus has torn the softer, interior part of the disc can seep out and negatively affect surrounding nerves.
There are multiple common names for a disc herniation that may be more familiar, such as a pinched nerve or slipped disc.
Symptoms of a disc herniation can create pain and numbness that you may actually feel more in areas surrounding your back like neck or legs, however, the root of the problem is located in your lower back.
Important note: a disc herniation is not caused by getting a chiropractic adjustment.
Common causes that lead to a herniated disc are repetitive lifting, improper lifting techniques, and contact sports.
Also, it is believed that when informed of the herniated disc your chiropractor is able to create an individualized treatment using heat and ice therapy and manipulation to reduce pain and discomfort.
However, if you or your chiropractor were unaware of the pinched nerve, during a massage or other spinal manipulation technique it is likely the disc herniation was heavily aggravated.
This could easily lead to aches and pains that affect more than just your back.
What if it is less serious, despite still being an unpleasant pain, than a herniated disc?
Remember, the focus and goal of a chiropractor is to heal painful joints, muscles, and ligaments with noninvasive methods.
Through massage and manipulation of the spine, chiropractors try to realign and straighten your body and alleviate curvature imbalances.
The problem arises when the chiropractor attempts to perfectly straighten the spine and meets heavy resistance from your body.
Once a person has reached adulthood, it is very likely that any sort of curvature that has developed over time is as good as permanent.
At this point, even the greatest of efforts provided by your chiropractor will bring minimal long-lasting results without the use of passive traction devices like these.
What is happening in return is your muscles and ligaments are being shifted in ways that have become unnatural, despite being considered “aligned.”
This could result in greater pain than initially described or even pain in areas of the body that had otherwise felt perfectly fine.
There are a few actions you can take if you notice extra pain in your back after seeing your chiropractor.
Perhaps your chiropractor accidentally skipped the procedure of telling you step by step what to expect following your most recent adjustment.
A very common side effect that causes soreness and potential is inflammation naturally caused by the chiropractic adjustment.
Consider the last time you hit the gym after taking a few months (or years) off. Or think of braces working on teeth.
In both examples, you have the body existing in one way, yet something – the exercising and tightening of the braces – pushing it from its idle state. Therefore, discomfort is likely to occur.
For more information on common side effects of spinal manipulation, check out The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
An easy and healthy way to help battle inflammation you feel in your back is by using an ice pack.
The ice acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by slowly the blood circulation around the sore area.
The most important intention of the chiropractor is to heal you and make you feel better.
Whether or not the increase in pain was an oversight on their part, it is still important to consult them for further information.
Most patients are not experts, and likely you were not the chiropractor’s first patient.
During your next visit, make sure to ask your chiropractor the following two questions:
As imperative as it is to understand the benefits of chiropractic care, you should also understand common risks and side effects that can occur during your chiropractic treatment.
But there is still plenty of reasons to see a chiropractor.
A good, caring chiropractor will have no problem hashing out the details to best optimize your visit for all future adjustments. It’s sometimes normal to experience pain after seeing a chiropractor, but there are simple solutions and remedies.
Talk to one of our expert Chiropractors at Arrowhead Clinic by clicking the banner below to schedule a Free Chiropractic Consultation appointment.
Founder and doctor Dr. Harry W. Brown, D.C., a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic opened his first chiropractic office in Savannah, Georgia, in 1977. The local community instantly recognized his commitment and caring dedication to his patients. In 1979, Dr. Harry W. Brown, D.C. moved back to his home in Atlanta and opened his second chiropractic office in Jonesboro, Georgia. With a commitment to the highest levels of patient care, Arrowhead quickly became the largest chiropractic facility in Georgia. Today, Arrowhead has 17 chiropractic clinics in the Atlanta, Savannah, Brunswick, Albany, and Hinesville areas. Arrowhead Clinic has treated over 400,000 accident victims in the last 48+ Years and leads in the chiropractic industry. Arrowhead’s facilities have in-house X-ray machines to help diagnose injuries. After determining the full extent of a patient’s injuries, Arrowhead’s team of medical doctors, chiropractors, and injury treatment specialists build a custom treatment plan to get the patient back to living their best life! Motor vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of ER and hospital visits in the United States. Arrowhead Clinic specializes in car accident injuries, as these injuries profoundly impact many people’s lives, causing significant pain and reduced mobility. It is with the same caring attitude and dedication for people that led to Arrowhead Clinics’ success that is found in every one of Dr. Harry W. Brown’s chiropractic clinics today.
Dr. Toney graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BA in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Business Management. He then finished up his education at Life University, where he received a Masters in Exercise Science/Sports Chiropractic with an emphasis in Sports Injury, and a Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine.
“You never know where life is going to take you, so enjoy the journey.” -Dr. James E. Toney Jr., DC
Dr. Zellweger is the only health care professional in the surrounding area to be certified by the Titleist Performance Institute. With this certification, he is able to properly assess all golfers for proper biomechanics and functional movements specifically related to the golf swing. These assessments will allow golfers to not only maximize their potential on the course but also prevent unwanted injuries.
Dr. Zellweger also has advanced training in pediatrics and pregnancy. He is a true believer that everyone can greatly benefit from chiropractic care, regardless of age, since treatment is tailored to each individual.
Dr. Darris Gentry has been a practicing chiropractor for over 20 years. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and Life University, one of the country’s top chiropractic schools.
He enjoys treating patients who have back pain, neck pain, sciatica pain, and spinal trauma from all sorts of accidents. His main goal is to help his patients physically improve and reduce and manage their pain.
Dr. Weldon is a distinguished chiropractor based in the Greater Atlanta Area with over twenty years plus with dedicated experience in the field.
Dr. Weldon’s approach is designed to enhance his patient’s overall health and optimize their physical performance. He specializes in several techniques but not limited to Gonstead, Full Spine, Thompson, Extremity Adjusting, Myofascial Release, Sports Rehabilitation, Strength Training, Rock Taping and Cupping.
Dr. Calvin Erhabor graduated with a Bachelors in Biological Sciences from Alcon State University in 2007.
Dr. Erhabor is board certified by the National Board of Chiropractors Association and is a member of the Mississippi Chiropractic Association and the Georgia Chiropractic Association.
Dr. Erhabor believes that his primary purpose is to truly understand his patients and the situation they are facing. He believes that every patient should be treated with respect, dignity, and above all else, be seen as a whole person and not as the condition or ailment they suffer from. Dr. Erhabor’s mission is to restore health and help community members reach their potential.
