Question
Two days ago i had went to a chiropractor regarding some discomfort in my back because of a chair message that was too vigorous. The pain witch was bearable always got worse after car trips and sitting for periods of time. After some elec. stem. and heat the chiropractor tried adjusting and said he could not because the muscles around the problem area have tightened so much that he couldn't do it. also he showed me my x-ray witch showed that i have what looks like (to me anyway) a twist in my spine at my shoulder blades and it jogs over maybe 2-3 cm then up to my neck. the twist looks like 4 or five degree turn Guessing. i am not sure if i should try to go back to him again or concalt with my family doctor. i have a very physically demanding job i can't afford to be off work for any period of time. any suggestions would be helpful

Answer
Jeremy,

Your situation is not uncommon.   Some folks have spines that are very stiff, and for a variety of reasons.   First off, totally disregard any x-ray discussion about what seems to be out of alignment.   It is no longer a valid concept.  In other words, everyone has a little misalignment as seen on x-ray and it has no correlation with pain.   Any chiropractor, PT, or MD that holds up x-rays and talks about this or that out of line is, themselves, out of line with current research and guidelines.   If your spine cannot relax enought with heat and e-stim to allow a DC to perform high velocity manipulation, then you may have an arthritic spine, or your DC has poor hands-on skills, or you need a totally different treatment.   I've seen stiff spines ease up after a few acupuncture sessions.  Also, the muscular stiffness may be a result of a deeper spine issue.  For example, the muscles in the lower neck and across the shoulders (and/or between the shoulder blades) can become very tight if you have a herniated intervertebral disc.  If a disc in your neck bulges, herniates, or becomes irritated or obstructive, then one of your body's responses to this situation is to tighten everything up.   You can heat/stim/pound-on the spine all you want, but the spine is going to remain in a protected state of muscular tension.   This situation involves MRI evaluation to see if there are any discs or bone spurs encroaching the spinal cord or nerves.  Then it would involve medical treatment such as epidural steriod injection, or conservative treatment such as manual traction to the neck.   Most primary care doctors (often they are doctors of internal medicine) have difficulty assessing these musculoskeletal conditions.   You can seek MD-Physiatrists for a better evaluation.  You also could find a DC that has different or better skills in addressing your spine.  Try: www.westhartfordgroup.com   and www.grastontechnique.com     

'Hope this helps.

Dr. G