Pain Relief

Pain is one of the leading causes that people go see a doctor or health care professional.  For instance, lower back pain accounts for over $50 billion dollars a year in health care costs.  About 85% of the US population will experience disabling lower back pain at least one time during the course of their life.  In recent years the use of opioids for chronic pain has become an epidemic in it’s self.  There is no doubt that the medical profession has contributed to this problem by not looking for solutions to fix the source of the pain but just cover up the symptoms with medications.  Some of this is due to the lack of education in terms of musculoskeletal complaints like back and neck pain.

Most primary care physicians are not schooled in how to manage these cases so they just prescribe medication and hope that the body will heal its self.  Unfortunately, if the underlying isuue is not addressed the pain persists and people then become addicted to the opioid medications.  Here at Reed Chiropractic, we have a better solution with natural pain relief.  Our doctors have extensive training in musculoskeletal problems that ultimately result in chronic pain.  We understand that the spine and nervous system is where pain originates from in most cases.

The research tells us that when a joint, whether a spinal joint or a extremity joint is not moving through its normal range of motion then we will have a condition called disafferentation.  In laymen terms this means that the injured joint will send the wrong message back to the brain signalling the brain that their is a problem in that area.  The brain will then send a host of signals (including pain) out to that area to splint the joint further to prevent an further injury.

Most people feel this sensation as a “muscle spasm” or “trigger point”.  Another term that is often used is proprioception, this term is describing the nerves that signal where the joint is in space so that the brain and nervous system can send the appropriate messages back to the muscles.  These muscles hold specific postures, support ligaments, support other soft tissues like muscle and tendons, and intimately allow you to move in the proper movement patterns that are required for your activities of daily lives or sport.   Proper mechanics of the joints is not only important to the prevention of chronic pain but it is also important in getting pain relief and preventing injury in the first place.  We know that if we have better posture and move correctly then our joints will be supported more effectively resulting in fewer injuries.

As chiropractors, we understand this process very well as this is the foundation to what we do.  We are trained to identify any areas of the spine or extremities that are not moving through a normal range of motion and evaluated how long the issue has been present.  We do this by looking, feeling, and taking x-rays to see if there are any signs of joint decay.  Joint decay AKA degenerative joint disease, arthritis, or subluxation degeneration are a few of the terms that you may have herd of describing the process of a joint wearing out.  The more decay seen tells us that this problem is more chronic than acute.

We can help in both cases by restoring the normal motion of the joint but in the chronic case the treatment plan will take much longer to restore function.  It is never too late to restore the motion in the spine to see a reduction of pain, however the sooner you start the better.

If you are in need of pain relief, or better yet want to prevent pain, call our office and schedule an appointment with one of our doctors to see if we can help.

Call us today at 480.785.1355 or email us to schedule your appointment!