It’s safe to say that at Express Chiropractic in Keller, we have at least one patient a week make the following statement on their initial visit: “I wasn’t sure if I should come here or go to my medical doctor
first.”
When it comes to headaches, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, sciatic pain and other similar issues, knowing where to start can be a tricky proposition and especially if the pain is acute or severe.
You only know one thing for sure… you need to get this pain to stop as soon as possible.
In this short article we will address ‘pain’ and give some tips that can help guide you on where and who to see when the pain comes on.
PAIN LEVEL
When you have acute or severe pain, let it help you determine if you should go to the chiropractor verses going to the medical doctor.
If you have ever seen a chiropractor then you know what they do. They try to pinpoint the cause of your pain and begin correcting it by re-aligning any misaligned spinal bones.
If the pain is so severe you can’t imagine someone pushing or prodding or rubbing on it, then you may not be ready for the chiropractor. You may be in need of a medical doctor to ensure there is nothing more ‘medical’ in nature going on and to get you some relief through the power of medications.
The warning I would extend to you is that once you do have the pain under control, you need to get in to your chiropractor to begin working on fixing any underlying cause of the pain. While pain medication are awesome for getting quick relief, they are not going to fix an issue.
PAIN LOCATION
If you go to the nearby chiropractor, chances are he or she is going to need you to lay face down on the table to get much work done. While we, as chiropractors, can do some work with you sitting, working on your spine in a laying down position is much easier. This is especially true if it is your lower back that is the problem.
If your issue is any area other than the lower or middle back, chances are the chiropractor can work on it with you sitting or on your back. In my experience as a chiropractor with more than 25 years of experience, the areas that respond best to chiropractic care are the neck, back, ankles, shoulders and feet.
While any area of your body could have an alignment issue, the above listed seem to respond well to chiropractic care. More challenging areas, in my experience, are knees and elbows because they are often times more ‘soft tissue’ in nature verses alignment issues.
Another consideration is pain that might be an obvious indicator you should get medical issues ruled out first. This would include pain into the chest, abdomen and head just name a few regions, or any pain coupled with shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, nausea, visual disturbances or dizziness. If you have not experienced these types of issues in the past (i.e. already know what the ’cause’ is) then you should have your nearby medical doctor check them out before visiting your local chiropractor.
PAIN ONSET
If your pain comes on suddenly, this could indicate a more serious issue.
Any time we see a patient at Express Chiropractic Keller, we are asking about the ‘onset’ of their pain.
Pain that a patient has never had and that comes on suddenly is more cause for concern than pain that is chronic, or pain that has been previously diagnosed and treated. If you have a sudden onset of a problem, and especially if that problem has symptoms such as a severe headache, changes in vision or speech, or pain referring into your arms or legs, you might need a quick medical checkup before heading into the local chiropractic office.
If your pain is the result of significant trauma, you must always be concerned about a fracture or other damage to surrounding tissues. This type of medical emergency is best suited for the medical office. But, remember this important fact: If you had trauma bad enough to need an ER, then you likely also created an alignment issue in the injured region or regions. So, once you are stable, getting in to see the chiropractor is an important next step.
Overall, chiropractic care is extremely safe and effective; however there are occasions where a condition needs the expertise of a medical practitioner before the expertise of a chiropractor.