Question
I have been seeing a chiropractor now for a few mths as some low left back pain started back in november. I have now had an mri scan of the lumbar region and the neck but all my discs looked ok and there appeared to be no probs. I was told by my back specialist to exercise and that was it! Well it's been a few weeks now and at first i thought things were improving but i started to feel very tight on my lower left side of my back around monday and its got worse since. I dont know is its down to the exercise, whish is gym equipment and pilates but i didnt think i was overdoing it. I went to the gym last on fri and the tightness started tues properly. I wanted it checked out so went to the chiropractor today and she said i had a locked joint in that area. I am concerned about this and to why it is locking. will it always happen? The other thing that worried me is i asked her if it wud have corrected itself if i hadnt have been to see her to which she said no! What about the people who dont see chiropractors or those who cant afford to! Is this correct that it wudnt have got better?

I still have the tightness and tenderness there afer seeing her today. Is this right too?

Thankyou so much for listening

Answer
Nicola,

Muscles can get conditioned to stay too tight and that can cause pain and joint locking.

Exercise can make tight muscles tighter, and sometimes chiropractic adjustments cause muscles to tighten reflexively.

There is a way to bring muscles back to the normal range of tension.  It's not by deciding to relax, since that doesn't work, but by reconditioning the muscles through a kind of training process to be more supple and responsive.

May I invite you to read articles I have written on the subject, with advice for help.

See somatics.com/page4.htm.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold