Over the past 35 years of my chiropractic practice, I have been asked many times, “Is my neck and back pain due to tight muscles, or could it be something else?” This article will discuss muscle pain and other sources of discomfort and how neck and back pain relief can be achieved.
Recently, a patient in her 30s came to my office with a complaint of chronic low back pain. Her job required her to perform rigorous physical activities installing flooring and carpet. She told me that her discomfort interfered with her ability to perform her job duties. She was afraid that she would have to discontinue that line of work and take up another vocation because of her condition.
When I asked him what he had done in the past to help with the problem, he told me that he had seen orthopedic specialists who gave him steroid medications and muscle relaxants. She had also seen physical therapists who gave her stretching exercises. She noted that these measures gave her temporary relief but did not completely resolve her pain.
When I examined her, we found that she definitely had muscle spasms in her lower back. However, her examination revealed a deeper and more significant problem. Her muscles were tense and in spasm because they were trying to protect deeper misalignments of the spinal joints.
I told him that the body will always work to protect an injured area. In his case, his muscles were chronically tight and spasming because they were doing what they were supposed to do to keep his condition from getting worse.
Let’s take a moment to explain the difference between muscle soreness and pain from other sources. If we overuse our muscles, they can ache and go into spasm to some degree; it can be mild or it can be severe. This muscle soreness usually eases over several days as the body heals itself. This is a completely normal type of healing.
However, if the origin of the condition stems from a deeper problem, such as a misalignment of the spinal joints, the superficial muscle pain will be continuous and become chronic. If this is the case, treating the muscles will only result in temporary and minimal pain relief at best. To correct the problem, we must address the deepest source of the pain. Pain relief can only occur if we fix what is causing the problem.
In my patient’s case, treatment consisted of using chiropractic and gentle spinal adjustments to correct the misalignment of the spinal bones in her back. After his first treatment, he immediately felt the muscle spasm relax and loosen. She said, “Wow, I feel looser already!” It took a few more treatments of safe chiropractic adjustments to fully correct the deeper alignment problem so she could perform her work without pain.
Chiropractors are specialized health care providers when it comes to relieving neck pain and lower spinal pain. Chiropractors are trained to diagnose and treat mechanical and physical alignment problems of spinal pain. Most patients who see chiropractors find chiropractic treatment to be a safe and pleasant experience because it relieves muscle tension and spasms by correcting deeper spinal misalignment.
Remember, sore muscles should normally heal after a few days of rest. However, if chronic muscle tension, stiffness, or spasms persist, it is most likely due to a deeper misalignment problem in the spine. In this case, it is prudent to seek gentle and safe chiropractic care to relieve muscle pain.
