Why Chiropractic Made My Back Pain Worse

Are you considering visiting a chiropractor for your lower back pain? In this article, I explain how chiropractic made my back pain WORSE and what I'd recommend instead for lasting pain relief.

My Experience with Seeing a Chiropractor for Lower Back Pain

I first visited a chiropractor for my back pain when I was 11 years old. After the initial 2 visits, I was unable to afford regular treatments so I began adjusting myself about a dozen or so times per day.

After the first crack of the day it would get a bit more difficult to get the next crack, so I’d end up pulling harder on my neck and twisting my back as hard as I could to get one more crack. Chiropractic neurosis is the compulsion to have the joint “pop” and is addictive and harmful. Believing that I needed the "crack" to re-align my spine was the lie chiropractic taught me.

One day my grandpa saw me cracking my back and said, “When you crack your back, you’re teaching your body to tighten up in the same way, then you’re cracking your spine in the same spot. What do you think this will do to you in the long run?”

My grandpa was not a doctor, but he made me think.

The Problem with Chiropractic

The problem with chiropractic is it never addresses the underlying cause for why your spine is tightening-up in the first place. Chiropractic relies on complete dependence on the chiropractor - someone outside of yourself - for life! For most people, back pain can be a lifelong problem, which means that we need a lifelong solution!

Chiropractic manipulation can be beneficial for acute short-term troubles, while exercise appears to be better for chronic conditions (Skargren, Carlsson and Oberg, 1998). If you find a good chiropractor, they can significantly help you by providing temporary pain relief so you can begin addressing the underlying cause of your pain. Chiropractic adjustments by themselves do not change how the body functions, and within a few days or just a few hours, your habitual patterns will put you in the same spot again.

“... thrust manipulation should not be repeated at short intervals (less than 1-2 weeks).” (Manipulative Therapy in Rehabilitation of the Locomotor System, Karel Lewit, pp. 149)

Be wary of the chiropractor who recommends multiple adjustments per week without teaching you how to improve on your own. If you decide to work with a chiropractor, find one who provides “active care” by coaching you to improve how you use your body. Long term relief comes from avoiding pain triggers and improving your habits, not with chiropractic manipulation.

The Better Way to Fix Lower Back Pain

What if you could fix your back yourself? What if there were a way to address the underlying cause of your tight back or neck? Did you know muscles are most often the cause of chronic pain (The Janda Approach, pp. 44)?

The solution to lifelong pain management is in education and empowerment! Teaching someone about the cause of their pain - mainly posture and sedentary lifestyle - can completely empower them because now they know they are in control of their pain!

Most people who experience back pain have more pain after sitting for long periods. Awareness around how to sit better is an invaluable resource if your pain increases with prolonged sitting.

There are 4 primary functional causes of back pain: flexion intolerance, extension intolerance, extension with rotation intolerance, and load intolerance. Learning about your body through a functional diagnosis will empower you to understand the cause so that you can take the steps necessary for long term pain-relief.

If you want to learn more about treating your own back pain, check out my free online book "What's Wrong with My Back?" by entering your information into the website pop-up.

You can also get a copy of "Back Mechanic" by Dr. Stuart McGill to better understand your back pain.

Conclusion

You can think of chiropractic as a tool, similar to pain medication, that provides temporary pain relief so that you can begin to address the underlying cause. For most people dealing with chronic back pain, chiropractic by itself is not enough to create long term pain relief.

If you want help on your journey to pain-free living, schedule a consultation to work with me directly.

Hope this helps! - Tom