Many patients contact Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine when back pain strikes, but it's not the only issue that warrants chiropractic care.
Chiropractic treatments can benefit your entire body from top to bottom and even boost mental health. Unfortunately, many people postpone these therapeutic visits because they aren't sure a chiropractor can help them recover. Sometimes this belief makes minor issues worse and triggers spinal issues that could have been prevented.
Don't wait until symptoms get worse if you suspect you might need a spinal adjustment, decompression therapy, or other chiropractic techniques. Schedule chiropractic care ASAP if you recognize any of the five signs below, even if they aren't severe.
1) Your Head Hurts
Some adults associate head pain with a stressful day at work and treat this issue with over-the-counter remedies. However, head pain is often a sign you need chiropractic treatment. This is true even if your head pain is mild or sporadic, as it may stem from a misaligned neck.
Head pain presents itself differently in each patient, but here are some common symptoms you may notice:
- Tingling in your face or scalp
- Tightness around your jaw, forehead, or scalp
- Burning or stabbing sensations in the back of your head
- Pain when turning your head up, down, or from side to side
- Pain when sleeping
- Headache, including migraines with or without aura
Sometimes these symptoms stem from dehydration or malnutrition. If that's the case, our team can help you revamp your diet. You may also experience head pain if the discs in your neck are out of whack. Bulging discs can cause nerve pain or muscle tension, and they can also make it difficult to rotate your head.
When you schedule an appointment with Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine for head pain, we carefully examine your neck for signs of disc herniation and other common issues. After performing a physical examination, we may recommend imaging tests such as an X-ray or CT scan. This helps us pinpoint the cause of your pain so we can treat it appropriately.
2) Your Legs Ache
You might assume your aching calves or thighs stem from your fitness routine, but exercise isn't always the culprit. Issues with your mid or lower back, including sciatica, can cause leg pain. Left untreated, this pain may eventually become unbearable and radiate into your hips, buttocks, and feet.
Many home remedies for sciatica fail, but patients often get great results from chiropractic care at Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine. We check for herniated discs in your back because these often trigger episodes of sciatic pain, from there we work with you to create a beneficial treatment plan. Depending on the severity of your condition, this plan may include spinal decompression, laser therapy, ice, heat, or spinal manipulation. Spinal manipulation is a popular choice for patients with sciatic pain because it helps gently move herniated discs back into their designated spots. This helps reduce pain from compressed or damaged nerves.
If we determine other factors play a role in your leg pain, we may also recommend non-chiropractic treatments performed by our skilled team, including physical therapy or solutions for varicose veins. That way you can get the care you need without visiting multiple locations. Contact us today if you experience tingling, burning, sharp aches, heaviness, cramps, weakness, or paralysis in your legs.
3) You Feel Dizzy or Nauseous
The occasional bout of dizziness or nausea may not warrant a visit to one of our offices, especially if you suspect you have a stomach virus or the flu. However, repeated instances of these symptoms can often indicate a spinal misalignment. When your neck becomes misaligned, you may feel dizzy, nauseous, or light-headed. Some patients report that the room feels like it's spinning even when they sit completely still.
These unpleasant symptoms can significantly impact your daily life. You may find it difficult or impossible to work, drive, or maintain your home. Frequent dizziness and nausea also interfere with sleep, especially if symptoms get worse when you lay in bed.
Patients with these symptoms aren't just being overly cautious. Neck issues can impact your balance and coordination, increasing your risk of further injuring yourself or others. That's because a misaligned neck sometimes reduces blood flow to the brain, so your body can't function properly. It's important to treat issues with the cervical spine promptly so you don't jeopardize your safety or comfort.
4) You're Physically Active
We love hearing when our patients exercise regularly or participate in sports, especially since physical movement helps reduce your risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, there are some potential drawbacks of physical activity. This is true whether you're a dedicated athlete, or you follow a sporadic exercise routine a few times a month.
When you participate in physical activities, especially contact sports, you can't always predict how a game might progress. You may practice good posture and other spine-safe techniques the majority of the game only to end up crashing into the ground at the end. Fitness-related falls are a common trigger for spinal issues, but here are some other situations where you may damage your spine's alignment:
- Yoga routines where you contour your body in positions it cannot handle
- Basketball or soccer games where you get hit in the head with a ball, knocking your neck out of alignment
- Running on uneven payment, bouncing your back into an unwanted position
- Lifting heavy weights without utilizing proper form
- Wearing the wrong type of shoes for your body or your preferred activity
- Performing any physical activity without stretching first
- Ignoring your body when you feel tired or dizzy
These issues can occur at any time, even if you're a seasoned athlete or a self-declared fitness buff. Visit our caring team throughout your fitness journey so you can monitor how movement impacts your health.
5) Digital Devices Are an Essential Part of Your Day
Technology plays a vital role in today's world. It's not uncommon to spend hours on digital devices each day, whether you use them to keep in touch with friends or complete business-related tasks. Unfortunately, logging too much screen time puts you at risk for a number of problems, including:
- Text neck
- Herniated discs in your neck or back
- Spinal misalignment
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendonitis
- Back pain
- Excess weight gain
- Leg pain
- Foot pain
- Headaches
The good news is, we can treat all of these issues at Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine. It's beneficial to schedule an appointment if you rack up lots of screen time, even if you don't have any ailments yet. Your spine can begin shifting out of alignment long before symptoms occur, so we can help tackle issues right away. This may prevent long-term complications that are difficult to treat.
Patients often ask if kids also need help for tech-induced ailments, and the answer is yes, they do. We treat patients of all ages, including toddlers, elementary school students, and teens. Staring chiropractic care at a young age helps your kids develop healthy habits that may follow them into the adult years.
Pain is an obvious sign that something is wrong with your body, but sometimes your body provides subtle signals that require attention. Contact the experienced chiropractic team at Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine right away if any of the signs above sound familiar, even if you aren't in major pain. We can help you manage your symptoms before they progress, whether you've got sore feet or a tight neck. Our providers are available at multiple locations in the New Jersey area, including Ocean and Monmouth Counties. We also offer sports medicine, physical therapy, and interventional pain management, so we can help with ailments that impact your well-being.
