Finding the Underlying Problem to Back and Joint Pain

Many times a patient will visit a chiropractor with a specific complaint. Perhaps he has a sore wrist or achy knees. Although sometimes the area of complaint is also the cause, many times it’s something other than the wrist or knee itself that is causing the pain.

Remember that our bodies are intricately connected, so while your wrist may be hurting, your doctor won’t be too quick to diagnose it as carpel tunnel syndrome. There’s a chance that there is a dysfunction in your upper neck that is causing the pain. Other times, an issue in your foot could be causing you to walk with an altered gait, causing problems with your knees. While there is no obvious problem with the foot, you visit your doctor or chiropractor specifically with complaints about your knees. That is why your chiropractor will always perform a full body adjustment. Treating only the area of the complaint will not fix the underlying problem.

The most common reason patients will visit the doctor is because of hip and back pain. Since your hip and your lower back are close neighbors, often only one or the other is diagnosed and treated. However, if your lower back is being treated, but it was your hip causing the problem, the treatment will be inadequate. This leaves the patient with unnecessary costs and they are left with prolonged pain, disabilities, and even mental distress.

If this is a scenario that you’d like to avoid, it is especially necessary to visit a chiropractor. Chiropractors examine the patient from head to toe when they complain of hip or back pain. They usually will start by considering the patient’s history and review questions with the patient such as the location of the pain, the patient’s medical history, how long the patient has experienced the symptom, what other symptoms have emerged, what provokes the pain, and the severity of the pain. Without the answers to those questions, the problem cannot be properly diagnosed.

The examination will also include the patient being observed as they walk and move around. The chiropractor will take into consideration their posture and whether or not the condition is all-consuming. They will check range of motion and as well as strength, reflexes, and sensations.

Your chiropractor wants you to be on the road to overall better health, not just treat your symptoms. That’s why it’s important to make an appointment today and find relief quicker to your pain and discomfort.