All right friends, it’s myth-slaying time.
Pain makes it harder to move and so it becomes easy to assume that movement is the culprit and the solution is to move less and less.
If it hurts your low back to bend forward or lean back you end up avoiding those movements and over time you become more and more restricted. The less you move the less you are able to move.
I’ve seen too many toxic myths about movement, ones that all beginners must break away from in order to overcome chronic pain. Because with anything you do, your mindset is what will set you up for success.
“Movement is life”
Time to get straight with the importance of joint mobility in treating chronic neck and back pain!
Chronic Neck and Back Pain Myth #1: Mobility Doesn’t Matter
This is sooo not true. In fact, it burns me up every time I hear it.
When you experience pain it makes it painful to move. So, what’s the natural thing to do? If you move less you experience less pain….for a short while.
It’s easy to assume that the problem is the movement. So, over time we move less and less. For a while the pain is less but eventually it increases. When it increases you naturally pull back on your motion in an effort to move less.
It’s natural to associate movement with pain and to attempt to not trigger the pain by moving less. But, over time you end up with progressively less motion and more pain.
So don’t let anyone tell you that it’s fine not to move.
The exact opposite is true. In order to control pain naturally you have to be able to move your joints. The more your joints move the less pain you will tend to have.
The truth:
In order to overcome chronic pain you must restore as much motion to the joints of the pelvis and spine. And, you want good alignment of those joints. By improving both motion and alignment you will experience an improvement in your ability to navigate your day with less pain.
Chronic Neck and Back Pain Myth #2: Stretching is an Effective Way to Increase Motion
This one may be surprising. If you have ever done an exercise class, stretching was something done at the beginning or end of class, or both.
However, not only will stretching not prevent injuries, it cannot restore motion to most pelvic and spinal joints.
When you stretch you are going to move the joints that are already moving. The joints that are stuck are not likely to move with stretching. Your overall motion will increase but you are only increasing motion in the joints that are already moving.
Why do people still believe this? Mostly, it’s because wherever it hurts is tight and they instinctively want to loosen the tight area.
At least 9 out of every 10 new clients that come to my office, Life Chiropractic in Grass Valley, CA have been stretching in an effort to solve their neck or back pain. It didn’t work and never really does. Yes, it can temporarily reduce the pain but it never corrects the problem.
The truth:
Stretching is something that should be done as you warm up or cool down. More dynamic stretching is more effective.
If the spinal and pelvic joints are tight, it will irritate nerves that tell the muscles to tighten in an effort to protect the joints. The solution is not to stretch but to restore motion and alignment to the joints of the neck and back.
Chronic Neck and Back Pain Myth #3: Traditional Chiropractic is the same as Corrective Chiropractic
I can totally understand why someone would believe this, especially if you’ve been to a traditional chiropractor and got some short term relief but your pain came back.
I’ve been there myself, and I can tell you that there is a tremendous difference.
Traditional chiropractic has the focus of moving joints. Often, this is done where it hurts. There is less emphasis on identifying the cause of the problem or restoring balance and alignment.
Consequently, people assume that is the limit to the benefit of chiropractic.
This is highly inaccurate if they have not been to a corrective chiropractor.
The truth:
Corrective Chiropractic has much more focused intention. We want to do a number of things that are all important such as:
- Restore motion to restricted joints of the pelvis and spine.
- Restore alignment to the pelvis and spine.
- Activate the inhibited muscles of posture called the Posterior Chain.
Why is it misleading to believe these 3 myths?
Believing in these myths can keep you from exploring other treatment approaches that have the potential to greatly reduce or even eliminate your pain.
And I absolutely know it is possible for the vast vast majority of people to significantly reduce or even eliminate your chronic pain. You just need the right guidance to succeed in correcting the imbalances that are driving that pain. Otherwise, you risk a progressive worsening over time.
Whatever you do, don’t give up!
I’ve seen thousands of clients achieve pain relief beyond what they expected. There’s nothing mysterious or special about them.
They did it by following a simple program that addresses the core imbalances. I call it the Life Chiropractic Corrective Rebalancing Program.
If you are ready to schedule your first visit you can do that here: Schedule Here