Often, when someone thinks about the ailments that chiropractic care can help with, the first thought becomes, low back pain.
Yes, this is the proverbial, “bread and butter” for most of a chiropractor’s career, so why is it that we frequently get asked the question, “What more can I do to help this low back pain go away?” Maybe you are in the same boat, having thoughts of, “Why does the pain go away after getting adjusted, but then come back days/weeks/months later?” And if you’re having these thoughts, you’re probably wondering how you can get a more lasting effect.
To get to this answer, we must first address why this pain comes back in the first place. Pain, in itself, is your body’s natural way of telling you that something is wrong. It isn’t a bad thing, even though it is unpleasant. In fact, there are people who have a condition that doesn’t allow them to feel pain, which puts them at risk for serious injuries since their body is unable to avoid certain behaviours. (Imagine putting your hand on a hot stove and not feeling that it was hot, you would have a terrible burn, compared to if you can feel pain and you pull away your hand quick enough to not get hurt).
Knowing now why the pain comes back, let’s talk about why an adjustment gives you relief. You already know that we don’t treat pain, yet the pain is reduced after an adjustment…so how does this happen? When getting adjusted by a skilled chiropractor, the intention is to restore function by getting the joints to move as they should and to remove the nerve interference from a joint not moving properly (called a subluxation).
When the dysfunction that was causing your body to send a pain signal is removed, then the pain subsides as well. Going back to your daily life and habits causes stress on the body. The common triad of stressors; physical, mental/emotional, and environmental, are always attacking your body and eventually the body breaks down as that stress causes dysfunction. This dysfunction, left untreated, results in your body having to send a pain signal to get your attention again.
For a lot of people, this is addressed by getting routine adjustments just like you get routine dental checks. However, you spend much more of your life outside of a chiropractic office than in it, so stretches and exercises that support the adjustments can help them hold longer. To get you started, here are a few to choose from:
1. Child’s Pose
• How to do it: Start on your hands and knees. Sit back on your heels while reaching your arms forward and lowering your chest towards the floor. Hold for 15-30 seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat 2-3 times daily.
2. Cat-Cow Stretch
• How to do it: Start on your hands and knees (tabletop position) with your wrists directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Inhale as you arch your back, dropping your belly towards the floor (Cow Pose). Exhale as you round your spine and tuck your chin to your chest (Cat Pose). If it helps, imagine a string is pulling your belly button up or down. Repeat 10-15 times at least 1x/day.
3. Supine Spinal Twist
• How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Drop your knees to one side while keeping your shoulders on the ground. Extend your arms out to the sides and turn your head in the opposite direction. Hold for 15-30 seconds, then switch sides. Repeat 2-3 times, twice daily.
4. Pelvic Tilts
• How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and flatten your lower back against the floor by tilting your pelvis upward. Hold for 5-8 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times. Perform 1x/day.