by Dr. Mark Halpern
Anyone who sits at a desk studying or using a computer, has probably had student syndrome. Sitting in any position for a prolonged period of time can cause neck, midback, or lower back pain. Most people however, suffer through and wait for it to disappear, which it eventually will, that is, until the next time. To understand how to treat these aches and pains it is important to understand what is actually happening.
Just as in a sprained ankle, the joints swell up and there is a very active inflammatory process that occurs. The surrounding muscles sense that there is an injury, and they contract to protect the area from any further damage. Now there are two problems, the tight muscles and the strained joints.
If no treatment is done, and the area is left to rest, the pain will eventually go away, but the area is not healed. When inflammation settles it becomes scar tissue. Scar tissue can restrict the motion of joints, as well as reduce the amount of blood flow,oxygen and nutrients to the area. Scar tissue is also much weaker than healthy muscle or ligamentous tissue. So, you can see how important it is to get rid of any scar tissue to allow the body to heal properly.
Treatment goals would be to reduce pain, regain motion and strengthen the stabilizing muscles of your spine. Reducing pain and increasing motion can be accomplished with spinal adjustments. An adjustment releases endorphins which help kill the pain, but it will also help reduce the scar tissue, by regaining the range of motion and natural mobility. This enables the body to heal naturally. When sufficient healing has occurred, exercises are added and proper stretching should be done throughout the entire course of treatment. Eventually, stretching should become a daily habit.
As a chiropractor I have to be realistic. I know that patients are leaving my office to go home and do the same type of things that caused the problem in the first place. Most patients, after a series of treatments, realize that they can use chiropractic care as a tool. In busy times they will come weekly, or every other week to help them get through the tough times. As long as the same stimulus is there, it is hard to cure the problem, but in most cases it is controllable. One last hint: Have an icepack handy, it will help reduce the inflammation and pain.