Do You Take Your Body For Granted?

Isn’t the human body amazing? We push it every day. Some of us drink and some of us smoke. Most of us rarely exercise and still our bodies carry on pulling us through each and every day, often without a twinge of complaint.

But then, one day we do something very simple such as bending down to tie our shoe laces, opening a drawer or picking up a coin and … boom! It goes. Our back says, ‘No more, you are going nowhere.’ It locks up in a spasm.

When we see new patients we very often hear a similar story, ‘I was only bending down to … ’ This is where that old saying, ‘It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,’ is rather appropriate. It’s a good way of saying that it wasn’t the fact that you bent down to open a drawer or tie your shoe laces that caused your back to go into spasm. It was a long build up of neglect, bad posture and often bad lifting technique that caused the problem. The bending down was just the last straw.

What is good lifting technique? The answer is always to keep the back as straight as possible and bend at the knees to get down to the item you wish to lift. Then stand up by bringing the knees back up to the standing position. Never get down to the item and back up again by bending the back – it’s a recipe for disaster and your back will eventually suffer if you use this dangerous technique.

But your back is in spasm now – what do you do? Firstly, take it easy, don’t try to force anything. Putting some ice on the painful area may help but be careful not to burn the skin. A pillow between the knees can also help while you rest in the foetal position.

It is possible that after a week or so the pain may wear off. However, if you do not seek immediate treatment by a specialist you are likely to have a long term weakness and a probable re-occurrence of the problem in the future.

If the spine has been neglected for many years it is likely to take some time to correct.

Your doctor of chiropractic will recommend a schedule of care that is likely to be split into three phases. The initial intensive care phase, the corrective phase and then the stabilising and maintenance phase.

Whether you take up chiropractic care or not is always up to you – it is your own choice but consider this. Most people do not hesitate to have their car gearbox fixed if it develops a problem. They may regret the expense but they need their car so they just get the job done. It is ironic that some of those same people are far more reluctant to spend a similar amount (or probably lower amount in the case of chiropractic care) on keeping their own body in good condition! They sometimes adopt the same approach until their condition makes them unable to walk to their precious and well maintained car in order to use it!

A colleague told me a story about a woman who was listening to her Report of Findings with her husband. This woman was suffering and seriously needed help. When my colleague recommended an appropriate schedule of care she replied, ‘That’s a lot of money. You could get a nice carpet for that.’ My colleague was rather surprised at her reaction. He turned to her husband and asked, ‘What do you think sir?’ To his further surprise the husband replied, ‘Yes, I think you could get a very nice carpet for that kind of money.’

The lady never did take up care but my colleague wished them both the best of luck. Unfortunately, if they continue to take their bodies for granted by neglecting their health for the sake of a carpet, they will need lots of luck.

Please do not take your body for granted. Keep yourself fit and healthy and enjoy life more as a result.

If you wish to make an appointment please call us TODAY on the number below and speak to our front desk.