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Achy back? Tight neck? Endless pain with joint motion? Numerous individuals would advise a visit to a chiropractor. It’s true that visiting a chiropractor is a great means to alleviate neck and joint pain. A trained chiropractor is capable to manipulate and restructure the vertebrae that have become misaligned due to poor posture, overuse, or prolonged stress to the area. Most patients feel evident relief after 1 - 3 visits.
Chiropractors recommend that patients come back, sometimes on a monthly basis to continue their treatment. Why is this? Because work done by
chiropractors provides only temporary relief from the problem. After a few months,
the vertebrae or joints once again fall out of alignment. In order to have long-lasting relief from the pain, you have to solve the true problem. What causes vertebrae or joints to become misaligned in the first place?

When a person has horrible posture or uses the same muscles on a regular basis, this causes certain muscles to become stronger and tighten then others. These muscles then pull at the vertebrae, bones, and joints causing misalignment. This condition of the muscles is known as a muscle imbalance. When a person sees a chiropractor, he or she does what they can to realign the vertebrae or joints. But if these muscles imbalances still exist, then it is only a matter of time before they literally pull the bones out of alignment again. This is why seeing a chiropractor only provides short-lived relief.

The only long term resolution rests within correcting the muscle imbalances that are present. Properly operating muscles should function in conjunction with one another. Contract / relax or relax / contract. If any muscle within a muscle group is in a never-ending state of relaxation or contraction, then a muscle imbalance occurs. In order to remedy this, the weaker muscles in the group must be strengthened. This involves proper exercising and strength training, focused specifically on the weaker muscles.

How do you know which muscles to focus on or what exercises to do? When it comes to the matter of exercise, a person with back, neck, joint problems must be highly restrained. Doing the wrong kind of exercise or applying improper form can severely hurt the body. That is why in situations like this it is key to first consult your doctor and to have a trained professional help you on your journey.

The best solution to correct your muscle imbalances is to employ a certified personal trainer who is a corrective exercise specialist. He / She will work with you to strengthen those weak muscles and work out any knots in the tight ones. Once your muscle imbalances are corrected, the muscles will no longer pull the vertebrae and joints out of alignment - thus eradicating back or joint pain.

If you have back, neck, or joint pain, seeing a chiropractor will relieve your pain for now. But if you want long term relief, contact Total Body Solutions.