Quite often when I see a new patient for the first time, they comment that “I do not know what I did to cause this back pain” or “I never had back pain before”. I might be hard for most people to understand that when you have any type of health problem that the symptom is often the last thing to show up. Take a heart attack for example. Very often there are no warning signs and the actual event is the symptom that there was a problem. You do not have a healthy heart one day and the next day a heart attack. There is a process going on silently for may years that you may not be aware of that leads up to the heart attack. The same is true for back pain. You just don’t get if for no reason. The problem starts at some point in time and you may notice an occasional “twinge” that goes away and then one day all the sudden you have severe back pain.
This why it is important to get regular checkups with your family physician and your Chiropractor. Doctors can run simple tests such as blood work, take your blood pressure, a spinal exam, etc. that can detect problems before they become symptomatic. Once you have the symptom, it is already too late. We all need to take our health into our own hands and be proactive. I find that most people are reactive in nature. They wait until there is a problem and then take action to do something about it. In the case of the heart attack, it may be too late since it can be fatal. When it comes to back pain, it is usually a series of small events over time that leads to the case of acute back pain. It is often the last thing you remember, such as “all I did was bend over to pick up a pencil” . That is the proverbial “straw that broke tha camels back”.
If this all makes perfect sense to you, then there is no reason for you not to get a spinal checkup on a regular basis. It is no different that going to the dentist and having your teeth cleaned, brushing and flossing. It is preventative. Spinal care is no different. For the month of February, we are offering complimentary spinal exams. Contact our office and mention this blog post to receive this offer.