WILL MY SPINE GET BETTER ON ITS OWN?

You may already know the answer to this yourself!

After all, if you've had a pain episode many times, then you may expect a current episode to settle, but you will be realistic in thinking - all other things being equal - that you will have another one at some point. Or, if you are in the middle of your first episode, but it is has lasted over 2-3 weeks already, the chances are that something is wrong and you need treatment.

But what if you are having your first episode, and it's been less than a week? How do you know then whether you should have treatment?

The best way to understand this is to realise that there are two ways in which the spine can help itself get rid of pain ...

In the first way, the spine has suffered a sprained or strained muscle, joint tendon or ligament, but otherwise the spine is actually working properly. You may not feel like it is working properly, especially if pain is stopping you moving easily. But, in this situation, the pain will eventually subside as inflammation reduces and as damaged structures heal, and then - fingers crossed - you are back to normal.

The second way (the much more common way) is that the spine is no longer working in the same way as it was before the injury. The clearest example of this would be where a spinal joint has become stuck and stiff. In this situation, even after pains and aches have settled, the spine works in a sub-optimal way and this - along with the weakness of muscles that can develop following a spinal pain episode - sets the scene for possible future episodes.

A good example of this second way of 'going wrong' occurs when you hurt your back, but initial pain settles over a couple of days, but then some time later (perhaps a week or so) pain and aches in other areas of the spine starts to develop. This would be because the badly working 'stuck' spinal joint is leading to overworking of other areas.

So the best solution is to see your osteopath who will assess your injury and fix any problems that have developed. Don't forget that, though the osteopaths primary job is to make sure your spine is working properly, he or she will also help to reduce symptoms faster than your body can manage on its own. In addition, pertinent advice and suggestions on do's and don'ts will speed up your recovery substantially.