In the 35 years that I’ve been practicing chiropractic, many people have asked me “Are my back and neck pains caused by tight muscles? Or could there be another cause?” In this article, we will talk about muscle pain and discomfort. We’ll also discuss how to relieve neck and back problems.

A patient who was in her 30’s recently came into my office complaining of lower back pain. She was required to do physical work such as installing carpet and flooring. Her discomfort interfered with her job duties, she told me. Her condition made her fear that she might have to change careers and leave that particular line of work.

She told me that she has seen an orthopedic specialist who prescribed her muscle relaxers and steroid medications. Her physical therapist also gave her stretches. These measures provided her with temporary relief, but did not completely eliminate her pain.

We found out that her lower back was definitely tense. Her examination, however revealed that there was a deeper issue. Her muscles spasmed and were in a tightening state because they tried to cover up the deeper misalignment of her spinal joints.

She was told that her body would always protect an area which is injured. Her muscles, in her case were tight and spasming because they were doing their job to prevent her condition worsening.

We’ll take a minute to clarify the differences between muscle pain and other types of pain. Overusing our muscles can cause them to be sore, and they may even go into spasms. This could be mild or severe. This muscle pain usually subsides after a few days, as the body begins to heal itself. It is completely normal for the body to heal itself in this way.

If the cause of your condition is a more serious problem such as misalignment in the spinal joints, the pain you feel will continue and eventually become chronic. In this case, treating the muscles may only provide temporary pain relief. We must find the source of the pain to correct the issue. We can’t relieve pain unless we fix the problem.

My patient was treated with gentle chiropractic adjustments that corrected the misalignment in her spine. She immediately experienced the muscle spasms relaxing and releasing after her first treatment. She exclaimed: “Wow! I already feel more loose!” She needed a few more chiropractic treatments to correct her deeper alignment issue.

Chiropractors have a specialization in treating neck and lower back pain. Chiropractors have been trained to treat spine problems caused by mechanical, physical alignment issues. Chiropractic treatment can be a pleasant and safe experience for most patients. It relieves muscle spasms, tightness, and tension by correcting deeper spinal misalignments.

Resting sore muscles will usually heal them after a couple of days. However, if chronic muscle tightness, spasms or stiffness persist, the problem is likely to be a spinal misalignment. It is wise to consult a chiropractor for safe, gentle treatment of muscle pain.