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Is It Normal to Feel Worse after Seeing Fairfax Chiropractor?

Before Chiropractic Treatment

People decide to schedule an appointment to see a chiropractor to manage pain affecting their movement and quality of life. Once the appointment is scheduled with a trusted Fairfax chiropractor, it’s natural to have high expectations and believe everything will go smoothly from now on. But at the same time, it’s impossible not to wonder about the possibility of feeling worse after your appointment. Is that possible? If so, is it normal? Read on to see the answers. 

Is it normal to feel worse after seeing a chiropractor?

The answer to this question may surprise you, but many patients describe feeling worse before they feel better after an appointment. Here, feeling worse refers to discomfort after the adjustment.

Therefore, feeling worse after seeing a chiropractor is normal. But keep in mind that we’re talking about discomfort here, not worsening of your problem.

Typical symptoms after an adjustment

During a chiropractic adjustment, a chiropractor uses hands or a small instrument to correct irregularities and help relieve pain, improve range of motion, and support general health and wellbeing. After the treatment session, which may last up to 30 minutes, it’s normal to experience headache, fatigue, or pain in the treated parts of the body.

Why are these symptoms normal, you’re probably wondering? The muscles in your body are used to support poor posture, or they have been weakened by injury. Spinal manipulation aims to correct these problems to allow the body to return to the proper form. Since the body sees this process as an interruption, it’s normal to experience mild discomfort after the treatment. 

Symptoms of discomfort after an adjustment go away quickly as the body adjusts. They usually do not last longer than 24 hours, and most patients would compare them to the feeling after a good, strenuous workout.

It’s also helpful to mention that many people don’t experience these symptoms at all. Instead, they feel better immediately, without experiencing pain and discomfort.

What causes pain?

Pain, or discomfort, results from the fact your body is being restored. Many patients have problems with their spine, so they schedule an appointment in the first place. In many cases, these problems have been present for a long time, i.e., chronic or long-term. The body got used to that condition, and chiropractic adjustment aims to correct it. That’s why your body’s reaction to the whole process may be uncomfortable at first. 

The release of toxins is yet another potential cause of pain. Chiropractic adjustment of the spine may cause the breaking up of toxins released into the body, which then needs to flush them out.

Relieving pain faster

The easiest way to alleviate pain and discomfort is to apply an ice pack to the painful area. Instead of being sedentary, you may want to stay active, make gentle movements, or do low-impact exercises. Keeping the spine and muscles aligned and healthy is the best strategy for preventing pain. 

Feel free to contact us to learn more about chiropractic adjustments and get the most out of them.

After the procedure

A regular chiropractic visit lasts about less than 30 minutes, in most cases. You may experience mild fatigue after the procedure, but most people feel better. Since chiropractic adjustments are noninvasive, you get to go home right after the treatment. After the procedure, your chiropractor will make recommendations for follow-up care. Many chiropractors also remind patients about the importance of a well-balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle for good health and wellbeing. 

References

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Content Reviewed by
Dr. Gregory Lee, Doctor of Chiropractic Fairfax
Doctor Of Chiropractic

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