For most people dealing with back pain for months if not years, it’s only a matter of time before they begin to acclimate to it. They experience stiffness in the morning. They avoid certain movements. That ever-present pain becomes less of an acute issue and more of a background part of their day to day.
Eventually, however, something shifts. The pain becomes more pronounced. The person finally has enough of having to plan every single day around what their back is going to be able to handle. Whatever the impetus, finally seeking treatment after having lived with a long-term issue has effects that go well beyond simply alleviating one prominent source of discomfort.
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In The First Few Weeks, You Feel Different
The first set of changes is often surprising to people who have lived with pain and discomfort for so long. Within the first few weeks of treatment, many people find themselves remarking upon the fact that they are moving differently without having to think about it. Bending down to pick things up is no longer a project. Getting out of bed feels different. Those types of changes come quickly.
It’s the right kind of treatment that leads to these results, especially when it aims to correct the actual issue instead of just treating the symptoms. Working with a qualified Houston chiropractor who focuses on hands-on treatment is often the avenue that opens a person’s eyes to restrictions in their spinal column that have limited them for months or years. The hands-on technique proves effective in ways that set the stage for this rapid change.
The pain also subsides during this initial phase, though how it subsides looks different each day. Some days feel better than others as the body acclimates to the new alignment and begins the process of healing tissue that has suffered from negative patterns for so long. This is a positive development; it signals that the body is correcting itself rather than simply being numbed by pain relief.
Your Body Has To Learn How To Move Again
Here’s where things become interesting in ways that most people do not expect: the body has to relearn how to move properly. After favoring one side or another for two years, a person’s body learns how to make things work asymmetrically. This leads to movement patterns that have to be re-trained even after the initial issue has been corrected.
This still feels great because it indicates that the original issue has improved enough to allow for these changes. People find themselves able to do physical things again that they never thought would be possible. The person who couldn’t even stand in a grocery store for longer than 20 minutes finds themselves completing a full grocery shop without even thinking about their back. The parent who was unable to be on the floor with their kids for a year suddenly finds themselves building with blocks next to their kids again.
The increased range of motion expands in ways that impact daily life. Reaching overhead for a plate is once again possible, which makes unloading the dishwasher and putting away dishes feel safe. People find themselves able to turn while driving instead of having to shift their entire torso to avoid pain. These changes are not measurable, but they have a massive impact on quality of life.
Energy Levels Get A Boost In Ways You Don’t Expect
Chronic pain takes a toll in ways that many people do not realize until the pain levels drop. The slow drain of the energy levels over the course of each and every day becomes ever so slightly more bearable once that drain is removed. When someone’s energy levels are liberated, many people report feeling stronger and less fatigued during tasks that once drained every ounce of strength.
This also compounds due to changes during sleep. Many people have to play pain Tetris at night to find a comfortable position. The body no longer feels like it’s resting on a rock every single time it wakes up. People can finally recuperate while sleeping instead of physically dreading sleep, which creates a surprisingly efficient healing process.
Improvements also extend to mental clarity. It’s almost impossible to focus on work, relationships, and hobbies while also monitoring a persistent low-level discomfort from something that should be treated. As pain decreases, concentration increases and moods lift sharply.
Long Term Changes Really Change Your Existence
The most visible changes take place over the course of several months as tissues stabilize, and muscles supporting the spine heal. Muscles that have atrophied due to compensatory movements undergo a rebuild process. Ligaments and tendons that have been abused due to almost continually being in use finally receive the care they’ve been begging for. The entire skeletal system thanks you for your support.
Those who stick with treatment long enough to get to this phase feel great again. People describe getting their life back. They once again feel capable of doing everything they were capable of before their back pain took over their lives. The fear of injuring themselves by engaging in physical activities is no longer there.
Maintenance is actually easier than recovery at this phase. Instead of needing someone to work extensively on the body in order to reverse years of damage, someone only needs periodic adjustments here and there to keep their spine healthy without major issues in the future.
The Mental Aspects Are Just As Important
In addition to all of these physical changes, finally addressing a chronic issue also alleviates a mental one that is just as exhausting. Chronic pain engenders a mindset that constantly looks at what you can and can’t do with certain restrictions in mind. Every plan you make has to account for whether your back can handle it or not. Some activities are declined and others left unchecked.
Successfully treating an underlying condition reinforces what is possible. It reinstates faith in the human form. The notion that one’s body is broken no longer exists. A new normal develops that shifts not just what is physically possible but also opens up emotional bandwidth for actually living instead of merely surviving.
Taking the first step toward properly addressing long term back pain after months or years of suffering isn’t easy, but it’s one of the best things people can do for themselves in terms of how it improves the experience of life and many moments within it over time.
