4 Signs You’re Waiting Too Long to See a Chiropractor for Back Pain

In the American healthcare system, it’s far too common to see patients wait until the last second to seek medical help for their ailments. Instead of getting relief sooner, they suffer through pain and all kinds of unpleasant symptoms until they can’t stand it anymore, but this approach not only prolongs your agony unnecessarily; it can also make the issue worse or make you regress. A typical timeline you can go with when it comes to back pain is a single week. If you find the following statements are true after one week, it’s time to contact your chiropractor about fixing it.

Your Pain Won’t Go Away or Gets Worse.

With a typical, mild back injury, discomfort should work its way out by the end of one week. However, if you find that you still walk with a limp, have to take pain reliever multiple times per day, or still use a heat pad and ice pack to get through after a week, you should schedule an appointment with your chiropractor as soon as you can.

More Than Just Your Back Hurts.

Not always but often, nearby or related injuries can occur simultaneously as back injuries. For instance, you may also feel pain or stiffness in your neck, your shoulders, or even your legs or arms. Your back houses the spine, which is the body’s main nerve connecting to other nerves in the body. If your spine has shaky or interrupted communication with these other areas, they can feel tingly, numb, stiff, or in pain on top of your back injury.

You Can’t Do Everyday Functions.

Do you find even simple tasks painful or difficult to complete? Depending on the intensity and physicality of your job, your back injury may involve a few days off to recuperate, but you should be getting better. After several days, should you still find it hard to carry weight, move, sit, operate machinery, or any other number of important job responsibilities, your injury may have been more serious than you thought and needs to be treated quickly.

You Don’t Go to the Chiropractor Right Away.

In all honesty, anytime you spend with back pain can feel too much. In fact, you don’t have to currently experience pain at all to visit your chiropractor! Many professionals, including personal and auto injury lawyers, will encourage you to begin treatment if you have been hurt in a work or car accident. The longer you wait to start visiting one, the easier the responsible party can argue that your injuries came from another source.

You don’t get a prize for not treating back pain. You may not wish to look “weak” or dependent on others, but your chiropractor can give you the adjustment you need to get your spine and nervous system back in proper alignment, relieving your pain and restoring function.

About the Author

Dr. Zinovy Chukhman, or Dr. Z as his patients like to call him, has more than 20 years of rehabilitation clinical experience and consistently works with patients who have endured accidents and injuries. After diagnosing your problem, he spends time with you to put together a treatment plan for long-term relief and wellness using various methods, including Gonstead, Thompson, flexion-distraction, and more. To schedule an appointment at AlignRight Injury & Rehab in Dallas, contact our team online or call us at 972-907-2800.