What You Can Do Between Chiropractic Visits

While chiropractic medicine is highly concerned with providing people with treatment even when they are well, it is no huge surprise that most people do not consider making a trip to the chiropractor unless they have some sort of pain plaguing them. If this describes your situation, you may find that the frequency of your visits can't provide all of the pain relief you would want. No one in the profession claims to be a miracle worker. While proper alignment and an efficient nervous system can contribute to better health, they aren't necessarily going to take away your pain instantly. There are some things you can do to reduce pain in between visits.

Ice Packs

Many times, pain in the back and neck is aggravated because of swelling. Swelling is your body's natural response to injury. However, it can exacerbate the discomfort. Veins and vessels restrict when exposed to ice, so this can be a perfect way to bring down swelling and give yourself some relief. A bag of frozen peas, a frozen gel pack, or an old-fashioned ice bag can do the trick. Apply it to the area for a half hour or so. Not only will it bring down some of the swelling, just making the area numb to sensation will help temporarily.

Be Cautious

While it usually takes some kind of traumatic incident to introduce injury (even something as seemingly non-traumatic as sleeping the wrong way), you can easily aggravate an injury just by failing to use caution. Take your time when moving from place to place. Any chiropractic practitioner will tell you to try to be more aware of what your body is telling you. Too many people try to force their recovery. This doesn't work. Not only does it not work, but trying to do too much activity too soon can and will impede your progress.

Watch Your Posture

Chiropractic practitioners often tell their patients to be careful about the way they sit. Because couches and soft chairs are in almost every home, people get very lazy about their posture. While it may feel good to slouch in a soft couch, it can put your spine in an undesirable position. This type of pressure can increase its effect over time and cause a lot of problems. Talk to someone in the industry about proper posture and learn to emulate what you learn in your every day life. It could make the path to recovery (and the prevention of future incidents) much easier.