It Hurts When I do This
Patient: “Doctor, Doctor, it hurts when I do this”
Doctor: “Don’t do it”
Have you ever had this happen to you? Although in the back of your mind you want to say, “Thanks Captain Obvious”, but unfortunately the saying has a lot of truth to it.
As a chiropractor I encourage all of my patients to stay as active as they can. The more motion you have in your spine, the better your body moves. But sometimes your body won’t want to move. This is especially true in cases of acute injuries.
Technically, an acute injury is an injury of less than 6 months. For this discussion we will assume an acute injury happened within the past week. As a patient enters my office and explains their symptoms, I listen, do an exam, possibly x-rays, then start treating the patient. I want you to be healthy and pain-free as soon as possible. I also want you to get active as soon as possible.
Unfortunately in the early stages of care there will be some activities that still cause pain and discomfort. So I tell my patients to do whatever they want to do, and whatever they can, but use pain as a limiting factor. In other words, if it hurts, don’t do it.
Pain is there for a reason, it tells us that something is wrong. This is a subtle check that our body tells us that we do not have the green light just yet, and to proceed with caution. Eventually the pain goes away and the patient is able to resume their normal lifestyle, but try not to push through the pain until after you consult a chiropractor or your family physician. Pushing through the pain sometimes causes more harm than good.
Dr Spencer Charlet
Chiropractor in Mooresville, NC
704-663-7625
