When should I expect pain relief?

Not yet feeling 100% and worried that pain relief isn't happening fast enough? These are natural thoughts when you begin treatment - after all, aches, spasms and stiffness are not nice and can stop us from enjoying life.

The human body takes time to heal. Think about a broken leg; a plaster can take another month for the bone to harden. Then, the fracture keeps re-modelling itself over months, even years. The person who broke their leg doesn't feel these changes.

The ligaments, joints, muscles and nerves also require time to heal. Plus, different parts of the body repair at different speeds. Muscles have a great blood supply so they recover quickly from injury. Ligaments, like those in the spine, have a poor blood supply so are slower to heal and cartilage which lines the joints, takes even longer. So, different tissues can cause pain, even while they're getting better.

Many problems also appear over time. This is often the case with our spines: wear and tear can exist for years before it hurts. Poor posture develops slowly - if you have rounded shoulders, try going one day without hunching. It's hard, right? Your body has adapted to this and it takes time to resolve.

There are other factors that slow healing too. These include: being older, illness, stress, obesity, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and having a poor diet. There is nothing you can do to lower your age, but lifestyle improvements can be made. The rights steps will help you recover faster.

Chiropractic care is like increasing your fitness, you need enough sessions, good advice, and to take the right steps at home. Pain relief may or may not happen in the first few treatments, but either way it's not the best sign of progress.

If you are concerned about your recovery please talk to Dr McCann.