I want to address a common and frustrating comment I often hear: “I just have to live with my back pain.”
This statement frustrates me because, when I dive deep and get to the nuts and bolts of people’s problems, they often haven’t done enough to help themselves. Whether it’s leaving it too long, finding it too much effort or money to fix, or taking advice from someone like Karen on Facebook rather than a health professional, many are suffering unnecessarily.
The Problem with Ignoring Back Pain
The issue is exacerbated by some health professionals who still cling to outdated opinions, thinking they can help everyone or using personal opinions rather than scientific knowledge to guide their referrals. Often, I get new patients who come to see me as a last resort, having been advised by other professionals not to see a chiropractor. Yet, when they do come in, they often find pain relief relatively quickly.
It saddens me that we can’t all work together. My commitment to you is that if I can’t help you, I’ll let you know and direct you to someone who can. But today, I’d like to try to convince you why you shouldn’t give up on your back pain.
Understanding the Impact of Back Pain
Back pain isn’t just a physical issue; it can significantly affect your quality of life. It can interfere with daily activities like house cleaning, impact your job performance, and even limit your holiday choices due to the inability to sit on a plane. Worst of all, it can strain relationships.
Ignoring back pain can decrease your life enjoyment, and we only get one chance at this life. It’s crucial to make every effort possible to ensure it’s a good one. Poor posture, a sedentary lifestyle, and untreated injuries can have not only physical but also emotional repercussions.
Dispelling Myths About Back Pain and Aging
Another excuse I often hear is, “It’s just old age.” I love asking, “How old is your other knee?” when someone tells me their knee pain is due to aging. This usually gets them thinking. It’s important to dispel the myth that you have to live with back pain as you get older. I have many patients in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s who are living vibrant, active lives.
The difference between these individuals and others is their proactive approach to health. They don’t have to live with back pain because they’ve invested in maintaining their health through regular exercise, healthy living, and treating their health naturally instead of masking problems with pain medications.
These older patients are usually extremely positive people. Perhaps they are positive because they don’t have back pain, or maybe their positivity helps them stay pain-free. It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario.
The Consequences of Ignoring Back Pain
Ignoring your back pain means it will likely get worse, but only if you do nothing. If you’ve been dealing with back pain for a long time, don’t give up. You need to take action and do so regularly. Just like brushing your teeth, spinal health requires maintenance, regardless of whether you’re in pain or not.
Taking the First Step
The first step is to get a professional diagnosis. At Robina Chiropractic Wellness Centre, we always start with a thorough assessment before beginning any treatment. From there, we can decide how to treat you better and address the root cause of your back problem. If you’ve had pain for many years, you need to be patient and motivated because without these qualities, you’re unlikely to achieve the results you want.
It’s essential to do the right things at home, such as performing prescribed exercises, changing your sleeping patterns, improving your posture, and making lifestyle modifications to minimize your problems.
Conclusion
At Robina Chiropractic Wellness Centre, we are more than happy to investigate your problem. We’ve helped many patients turn their lives around, even those who’ve had problems for decades. These people wouldn’t have known how to improve their lives if they hadn’t taken the first step of getting things properly assessed.
If you or someone you know has long-term back pain and feels like giving up, don’t. The consequences of ignoring your problems are too high. I hope you found this interesting and that it sparks a desire in you to get things fixed. Remember, it’s never too late to start.