Latest / Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung / When Should You See a Chiropractor? Warning Signs to Watch For

Transcript

When Should You See a Chiropractor? Warning Signs to Watch For · Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung

• 0:00
  Hey there and welcome back. I'm Dr. Hartung and
• 0:02
  you're listening to the Family Chiropractic Center
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  podcast coming to you from right here in Robinson
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  Township. Today we're talking about something
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  I get asked about all the time. When should you
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  actually see a chiropractor and what are the
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  warning signs that something might be going on
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  with your spine or your nervous system that you
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  really shouldn't ignore? Here's the thing. A
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  lot of people wait way too long. They think,
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  oh, it'll go away on its own. And sometimes it
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  does. But sometimes that little ache or that
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  stiff neck in the morning is your body trying
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  to tell you something. And the sooner you listen,
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  the easier it is to help you. So let's walk through
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  some of the big ones. The signs that, in my experience,
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  really do mean it's time to come in and get checked
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  out. First up, and this is probably the most
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  common one I see, is pain that just keeps coming
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  back. You tweak your back, you rest for a few
• 0:58
  days, it feels better, then a few weeks later
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  it's back again, then again. That cycle is really
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  important to pay attention to. Recurring pain
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  usually means there's an underlying issue with
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  how your spine is moving or how it's aligned
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  that isn't getting addressed. Resting helps the
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  inflammation calm down. but it doesn't fix the
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  root cause. That's where chiropractic care comes
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  in. Now here's something a lot of people don't
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  connect to their spine. Headaches. Especially
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  headaches that start at the base of your skull
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  and work their way up, or headaches that seem
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  to come on after a long day at a desk. A significant
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  number of headaches are actually linked to tension
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  and restriction in the neck. The joints up there,
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  when they're not moving the way they should,
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  can refer pain right into your head. I've had
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  so many patients come in for neck pain and mention,
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  almost as an afterthought, that their headaches
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  went away too. It's one of those things that
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  genuinely surprises people. Another big one,
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  and please don't brush this off, is any kind
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  of tingling, numbness, or weakness going down
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  your arm or your leg. That kind of symptom can
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  mean a nerve is being compressed or irritated
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  somewhere along the spine. It doesn't always
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  mean something serious, but it absolutely means
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  you need to get evaluated. Don't wait on that
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  one. Get it checked. And then there's posture.
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  I know. I know. You've heard it before. But here's
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  what's interesting. When your posture starts
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  to change, when your head drifts forward, when
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  one shoulder sits higher than the other, when
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  you notice you're leaning to one side without
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  realizing it, That's often a sign that your spine
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  is compensating for something. Your body is incredibly
• 2:51
  smart. It'll adapt and shift to protect itself.
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  But over time, those compensations create their
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  own problems. And that's when people start feeling
• 3:01
  pain in places they didn't expect. One more,
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  and this one catches people off guard. If you
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  feel like you just can't get comfortable, standing
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  hurts, sitting hurts, lying down hurts. or if
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  you notice that you're moving differently to
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  avoid pain like favoring one side when you walk
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  or turning your whole body instead of just your
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  neck. Those movement patterns are worth paying
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  attention to. So what can you do right now today?
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  start paying attention to your body. Notice if
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  your pain is getting better, staying the same,
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  or getting worse over time. Notice if it's showing
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  up more often. Gentle movement, staying hydrated,
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  and not sitting for hours without getting up
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  are all simple things that support a healthier
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  spine. But if any of what I described today sounds
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  familiar, I really want to encourage you to come
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  in and let us take a look. Getting evaluated
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  doesn't mean you're committing to anything. It
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  just means you'll have a clearer picture of what's
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  going on and what your options are. That's always
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  a good thing. We are here for you at Family Chiropractic
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  Center in Robinson Township. Give us a call,
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  stop by, or visit our website to schedule a time
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  to come in. My team and I would love to meet
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  you and help you feel your best. Thanks so much
• 4:23
  for listening today and we'll talk again soon.