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Make a bookingWhy does cracking my own back help for a short time?
When you crack your own back, joint sensors in the spine (mechanoreceptors) fire a sudden impulse which neurologically ‘resets’ the muscle tone in the area next to the joints. Local endorphins will be released, the joint will be looser, and the muscles relaxed.
All a good thing, unless the joint you are cracking wasn’t the real joint that needed cracking!
If that is the case, the muscles tighten, the joint gets pulled into a different position, pressure builds, and the joint stiffens, and it feels like it needs to crack again.
Stop cracking your own spine and get the Chiro to check it for you – we’ll get the right ones!
Chiropractic
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When you crack your own back, joint sensors in the spine (mechanoreceptors) fire a sudden impulse which neurologically ‘resets’ the muscle tone in the area next to the joints. Local endorphins will be released, the joint will be looser, and the muscles relaxed.
All a good thing, unless the joint you are cracking wasn’t the real joint that needed cracking!
If that is the case, the muscles tighten, the joint gets pulled into a different position, pressure builds, and the joint stiffens, and it feels like it needs to crack again.
Stop cracking your own spine and get the Chiro to check it for you – we’ll get the right ones!
Chiropractic Make a booking
Should I take pain medications for back pain?
Whether you should be taking medications for back pain depends on lots of things. Pain severity, length of time, type of injury etc. In general though there are some advantages to taking pain medications for back pain:
- Reduced pain levels can help you get up and moving, which will in turn help your recovery
- Reducing too much inflammation can speed up the recovery time
- Getting a good nights sleep can boost your tolerance levels and help you recover more comfortably
And some down sides:
- Potential side effects
- The problem being ‘masked’
- Pain medication adaptation – you adapt to the current pain medication and then you need to up your dose to achieve the same results.
For an answer you should have a chat with your GP or Chiropractor about the situation, however our main focus is on prevention and correction – so we offer a solution for back pain without relying on drugs and medication.
Chiropractic
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Whether you should be taking medications for back pain depends on lots of things. Pain severity, length of time, type of injury etc. In general though there are some advantages to taking pain medications for back pain:
- Reduced pain levels can help you get up and moving, which will in turn help your recovery
- Reducing too much inflammation can speed up the recovery time
- Getting a good nights sleep can boost your tolerance levels and help you recover more comfortably
And some down sides:
- Potential side effects
- The problem being ‘masked’
- Pain medication adaptation – you adapt to the current pain medication and then you need to up your dose to achieve the same results.
For an answer you should have a chat with your GP or Chiropractor about the situation, however our main focus is on prevention and correction – so we offer a solution for back pain without relying on drugs and medication.
Chiropractic Make a bookingWhich is best, ice or heat for neck pain?
If you have pulled your neck and there is intense pain, or it came on with a ‘click’, then you have probably caused a sprain – ice will be best. 10 minutes with a tea towel over the skin to avoid ice burns please. If it’s for general stiffness and tightness then heat will work better to loosen the muscles up.
I remember it like this: if my wife has a busy week at work and is getting tight muscles I will be in big trouble if I run an ice bath for her – heat to loosen the muscles up here is best! Whereas Ice is for Injuries which are often Inflamed (heat will just be like putting fuel on a fire)
Maybe think about your posture as this can be a big underlying cause for neck problems.
Posture
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If you have pulled your neck and there is intense pain, or it came on with a ‘click’, then you have probably caused a sprain – ice will be best. 10 minutes with a tea towel over the skin to avoid ice burns please. If it’s for general stiffness and tightness then heat will work better to loosen the muscles up.
I remember it like this: if my wife has a busy week at work and is getting tight muscles I will be in big trouble if I run an ice bath for her – heat to loosen the muscles up here is best! Whereas Ice is for Injuries which are often Inflamed (heat will just be like putting fuel on a fire)
Maybe think about your posture as this can be a big underlying cause for neck problems.
Posture Make a bookingWhy does my back crack?
Cracking of the joints in the back can happen when there are mis-alignments in the spine, or areas which are not moving properly. This causes some joints to move more than the ones above and below, and when that happens they can move too much resulting in a stretch.
When stretched you can feel and hear a quick and sudden ‘click’ sound.
If it happens again and again these areas can start to move too much and even become sprained, causing muscles to tighten.
We need to address the imbalances and get the stiffest joints in the spine moving again to restore balance.
Chiropractic
Make a booking
Cracking of the joints in the back can happen when there are mis-alignments in the spine, or areas which are not moving properly. This causes some joints to move more than the ones above and below, and when that happens they can move too much resulting in a stretch.
When stretched you can feel and hear a quick and sudden ‘click’ sound.
If it happens again and again these areas can start to move too much and even become sprained, causing muscles to tighten.
We need to address the imbalances and get the stiffest joints in the spine moving again to restore balance.
Chiropractic Make a booking
My muscles are really tight
Tension in muscles is a common issue and can come from many sources such as postural strains, repeated tasks, over training muscles with exercise, and even through muscle weakness (yes, weak muscles can actually get tighter as the remaining muscle fibres try to work even harder to catch up),
Some good options for improving are:
- Book in for a sports massage to relieve the knots and tension
- Stretch the joints and muscles
- Exercise more
- Make some postural changes
- See a Chiropractor
Sports Massage
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Tension in muscles is a common issue and can come from many sources such as postural strains, repeated tasks, over training muscles with exercise, and even through muscle weakness (yes, weak muscles can actually get tighter as the remaining muscle fibres try to work even harder to catch up),
Some good options for improving are:
- Book in for a sports massage to relieve the knots and tension
- Stretch the joints and muscles
- Exercise more
- Make some postural changes
- See a Chiropractor
Should I use ice or heat for back pain?
There’s always exceptions, however in general remember Ice is for Injuries which are often Inflamed (heat will just be like putting fuel on a fire.)
If you have strained your back and there is intense pain, just like a sports injury, ice will be best. 10 minutes with a tea towel over the skin to avoid ice burns please.
If it’s for general stiffness and tightness then heat will work best to loosen the muscles up. I think of it like this: if my wife has a busy week at work and is getting tight muscles I will be in big trouble if I run an ice bath for her – heat to loosen the muscles up here is best!
Book in for a Chiropractic session if you need it resolving if the above hasn’t sorted it.
Chiropractic
Make a booking
There’s always exceptions, however in general remember Ice is for Injuries which are often Inflamed (heat will just be like putting fuel on a fire.)
If you have strained your back and there is intense pain, just like a sports injury, ice will be best. 10 minutes with a tea towel over the skin to avoid ice burns please.
If it’s for general stiffness and tightness then heat will work best to loosen the muscles up. I think of it like this: if my wife has a busy week at work and is getting tight muscles I will be in big trouble if I run an ice bath for her – heat to loosen the muscles up here is best!
Book in for a Chiropractic session if you need it resolving if the above hasn’t sorted it.
Chiropractic Make a bookingI can't find the answer to my question
We have seen thousands of patients with all kinds of problems – and each week we will see something slightly different still so there are always new problems to solve!
If your question isn’t on this list please get in touch via email or on our contact form and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Contact
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We have seen thousands of patients with all kinds of problems – and each week we will see something slightly different still so there are always new problems to solve!
If your question isn’t on this list please get in touch via email or on our contact form and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Contact Make a bookingWill I be sore after treatment?
You may experience some increase in pain or soreness after the treatment – this may be due to the treatment itself, or the joints moving differently after we made any corrections.
If you have a more active injury there may be existing inflammation there which needs time to ‘shift’. Ice and keeping active are generally recommended.
Any soreness will be temporary, and in general the relief is much greater than the soreness and treatment is very effective. Alternatively if you do nothing, then you will be sore anyway so it’s always worth having it treated in my opinion.
What to Expect
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You may experience some increase in pain or soreness after the treatment – this may be due to the treatment itself, or the joints moving differently after we made any corrections.
If you have a more active injury there may be existing inflammation there which needs time to ‘shift’. Ice and keeping active are generally recommended.
Any soreness will be temporary, and in general the relief is much greater than the soreness and treatment is very effective. Alternatively if you do nothing, then you will be sore anyway so it’s always worth having it treated in my opinion.
What to Expect Make a booking