Why do we suffer for months, sometimes years, for something that can be treated? Why do we convince ourselves to live with the pain we are in because that’s just the way it is? We believe that we won’t get better and that there is nothing out there that can help.

I talk to people about this every day. I actually can’t believe how many of us walk around day after day with some sort of pain or chronic injury that we just don’t get fixed. Is it fear? Is it that we don’t want to admit that we are hurt and need help? At the end of the day, we are humans. We hate to be vulnerable.

But let’s put things into perspective. Aren’t we more vulnerable if we are hurt and can’t perform, physically or mentally, like we used to? Aren’t we more vulnerable if we can’t play with our kids like we used to? Aren’t we more vulnerable if we can’t work or have fun like we used to? We are more vulnerable if we don’t address issues that are going on with us and our bodies, and allow ourselves to become weaker and weaker.

My advice – do something about it. Don’t just sit back and let pain take over your life! Take charge of your health and be proactive. Understand that there are options out there that will help you with your pain and get you functioning again. Start looking.

Is Chiropractic care the answer for you? I don’t know. You need to figure that one out for yourself. But isn’t it worth finding out?

I want to clear something up. Chiropractors are not all the same. Chiropractic varies between different practitioners – we have different philosophies and use different treatment methods.

I believe in movement and muscular balance. If we aren’t moving properly, our body starts to compensate to try to move properly, over working certain muscles (resulting in weakness of other muscles) which can eventually result in a break down. This break down is felt by us as pain. Our bodies cheat… It’s just what they do. They will always find the easiest way to do something, the path of least resistance, which means bypassing muscles that aren’t working and over-using others that are.

I want to just take a moment and explain why we experience pain in these situations, how our bodies respond to these injuries and why it is important to address the issue.

The injury/pain cycle explains it below. The injury can be any repetitive movement, whether from work, sitting at a desk all day, any physical activity or even inactivity. Take a look:

INJURY! —> your body lays down scar tissue (thick, sticky, fibrotic tissue that binds to muscle fibers) —> muscles become weak & tight —> friction, pressure & tension builds up —> reduced circulation, swelling & pain result —> your body lays down more scar tissue —> muscles become weak & tight —> etc.

This cycle will continue… and continue… until an intervention is introduced.

As a runner, I experienced an overuse injury in my hip that brought me to my knees on multiple occasions. It would hit me like a train, then go away for weeks, and then come back. I thought it would go away eventually but it just kept getting worse. Finally I decided to do something about it. The treatment that worked for me was Active Release Techniques® combined with chiropractic adjustments and specific exercises to stretch and strengthen certain muscles. I haven’t had the same hip pain for years and it was that injury that inspired me to do what I do.

I believe that adjustments are powerful tools but are not always necessary. I use Active Release Techniques®, other evidence-based soft tissue techniques and rehabilitation exercises to achieve great results with my patients. And since I am a science geek, it satisfies me to know that this combination has been proven effective through scientific research.

So what are you waiting for?