We all think it, ‘Aahh, if I do nothing, maybe it will go away. I don’t need to see anyone for this little ache or pain. I can just take an aspirin and it will feel better in the morning.’ Then, one day you wake up, unable to move or get out of bed, and you wonder, ‘What happened?’
“Maybe it will go away” are five of the most dangerous words you can say to yourself when you have neck or back pain. Your body may compensate, and the pain may temporarily go away, but the underlying problem continues to destroy your spine and ultimately your health. Finally, your neck or back has had enough and it fails. You end up in the doctor’s office being told you need surgery to fix a problem you did not even know you had.
How and why does this happen? If your spine loses its normal shape and the joints in your neck and back are abnormally compressed, locked or misaligned, the discs between the bones may have already started to decay. At this point, it may be time to find out if chiropractic treatment can reduce your pain and improve your health.
Chiropractic treatment can be thought of as orthodontics for the spine – without the braces. The spine, made of moveable bones that house the central nervous system, allows for pain-free movement. Degeneration of the spine leads to years of misery and poor health. The extra time, money and effort you spend now may help to avoid an early road to disc herniations, spinal stenosis, arthritis, and potential spinal surgery.
A herniated disc is a chronic weakening of the outer layer of the disc, allowing the soft center portion of the disc to bulge, pinching the nerve. This can cause severe arm or leg pain. Over time, a degenerated disc becomes weak and thin, no longer providing the proper separation or shock absorbing effect between the vertebrae. The resulting disk degeneration causes bone spurs to develop. These spurs can close the openings in the spine, causing stenosis and pinched nerves. These arthritic changes weaken spinal ligaments and tendons, causing structural instability and making you susceptible to improper and painful bone misalignments.
Chiropractic treatment is aimed at realigning your spinal bones back into their normal position. Normal spinal mechanics leads to healthier tissues and normal nervous system function. Healthy joints mean less suffering and pain from disc herniations, stenosis and arthritis.
Unfortunately, many people allow their spines to deteriorate to the point of no return. Premature aging of the neck and back will always occur when spinal subluxations are left uncorrected. All too often, I see chronic spinal degeneration that could have been prevented. Most people use painkillers and muscle relaxants to mask their problems until it’s too late.
In what stage of deterioration are you? Don’t wait until it’s too late, thinking, ‘Maybe it will go away!’ Research says no other treatment works better, faster or is more cost effective than chiropractic!
Rodney D. Helgeson, D.C., practices at Family Care Chiropractic, 2950 Yorkshire Blvd., off Taylorsville Road near Hikes Point. The office can be reached at (502) 451-2885.