Question
For about 2 years, I've had a dull pain in my back on the upper-mid left side that gets more intense as the day goes on. And when I lie down at night, if I lie on my back, the pain is so bad, I can't breathe so I've learned to stay sleeping on my side. Recently, it's been getting worse during the day so I decided to go to a chiropractor. By feeling along my spine and pressure points on my back, he came to the conclusion that something happened to cause me to have limited mobility in my ribcage in that area, so it was becoming inflamed and that is what was causing the pain. I told him I used to cashier and a lot of times would have to lift  50lb bags from right to left in a twisting motion. He said that could cause the problem and that he could have me fixed in a week or 2 at the most. I've been going in for manual adjustments 3 times/wk for 3-4 wks now and am noticing very little improvement. Should I get a second opinion or should I give it more time?

Answer
Hello Kaylyn,

   2 years is a long time to have that pain.  Often the longer you are in pain, the more treatments it takes to resolve the pain.  Initial treatment of 4-6 weeks is normal with chiropractic care to see if there is improvement.  If no improvement is made a x-ray or MRI of the painful region may help see what exactly is causing your pain.  You may want to suggest the aforementioned or have a second opinion.  Also make sure you are have soft tissue work performed on the affected area (you may have adhesions or scar tissue that is affecting your mobility).

Have a great day,
Dr. Brendon O'Brien D.C.