September 04, 2012

Have you ever wondered how soon after you develop Richmond back pain you should seek care? If you haven't yet, you surely will at some point in your life. 80% of us will have back pain at some point in our lives. So, what does the medical literature say about when to seek care for lower back pain, neck pain, arm pain, or leg pain?

Not too surprising, the sooner the better. The success of relieving your pain is increased with early intervention by a back pain specialist like your Richmond chiropractor who offers spinal manipulation.

Image of woman relieved of back painWhy? A new study found that patients who initially sought care for acute lower back pain still experienced some pain and disability at one year, but it was minimal. The typical improvement in pain intensity was about 90%. In contrast, those who initially presented with persistent lower back pain experienced moderate levels of pain and disability at one year. The typical improvement in their pain was about 50%. (1)

So from this study, you can see that the earlier your back pain is treated, the less the chance of it becoming long-standing, or chronic. This is the goal! You don't want to deal with chronic back pain. The longer you wait to seek care, the chance of having pain at the end of one year from the onset of your pain which is 50% to 80%. (1,2) Also remember that one spine problem invites another. For example, if you have lower back pain, you may well develop neck pain as well as degeneration is systemic, not isolated. (4)

So trust the back pain specialist at Johnson Chiropractic with your Richmond back pain sooner than later!  Your Richmond chiropractor is trained in the earlier detection and correction of potential spine pain conditions long before they have the opportunity to become chronic and embedded in your health care condition. And with primary care physicians being least likely to feel confident in managing musculoskeletal pain and neuropathic pain (3), you are doing yourself a great service by choosing care with your Richmond chiropractor!

Contact Johnson Chiropractic today for your Richmond chiropractic treatment plan.