Many people think that chiropractic treatment is painful and it is precisely because of this pain that they put it off: they "dare not" go, preferring to try to relieve their existing pain somehow - with creams, medicines, alternative solutions. Don't be afraid of pain, read the article!
Fear of pain: how to avoid the chiropractor
It is a psychological fact that people are afraid of the unknown. And a chiropractor is not only unfamiliar, but also fundamentally frightening: a (usually) big man who will twist you into all sorts of positions, obviously causing you pain - you think. So you try to avoid him somehow. Everyone has different tactics for this.
Imagine that your shoulder hurts. Every day it gets worse. Most of us immediately reach for the medication (the easiest avoidance tactic) and try to relieve the problem with some kind of pain relief cream, pill or poultice. What you achieve with painkillers is that - for a time - the area will not hurt and then, as soon as the effect wears off, the pain will return. You do nothing but procrastinate.
A common delaying tactic is "it will pass". We hope that the pain or discomfort will "go away" and play the waiting game. For example, if you have a shoulder pain, you do nothing about it, you wait for it to go away. In the meantime, your movement is often restricted (it doesn't hurt if you don't use it, or just enough not to hurt) which will lead to much more pain.
Avoidance tactics include the use of various remedies and magics: you wouldn't believe how many different and (usually non-functional) techniques I have heard of in my life for chronic headaches, for example. From the idea of "sit in warm water quickly" to "take medicine as soon as it starts" to homeopathic remedies to "less stress" to "take a long walk".
We do all of these things because we prefer to endure the current pain rather than face it and come to me, for example.
Don't be afraid, it won't hurt
We can't say that chiropractic care is completely painless, because it isn't, and it's not bad. But don't imagine, like in the movies, that you sit in a weird chair with a huge man and he's about to wring your arms and neck so much that you scream in fear and pain.
I'm not making a film, I'm helping you.
Before I do anything, let's talk about what hurts, what you're feeling, how much pain you're in and how long you've been in this situation. After that, I'll tap you (professionally I should say I do manual therapy) to find out exactly what the problem is and where it is.
Treatment will only start after.
I'm going to ask you, how much does it hurt from 1 to 10?
No, don't panic and close the website, here comes the best part. Throughout the session, I'm not only listening to your body's signals (for example, if you involuntarily resist what I'm doing, your muscles tense) but I'm also communicating with you constantly because I need to know your limits.
Let's say I have to press you somewhere: I'll immediately ask you how much pain you're feeling between 1 and 10. Usually 4-5 is "still pleasant", and 6-7 is a good pain.
You should know my method is that I will never (even on request) go above your pain point 8, I will suggest multiple appointments if I have to, but I don't want to and won't cause you pain.
Overall, my advice is not to be afraid of the chiropractor. Obviously you're not coming to me for a featherbed massage, but you're not coming to me to torture you or cause you pain. Besides, we talk all the time, you can tell me immediately if any part of the treatment is unpleasant.
