How Your Job Is Hurting Your Neck And Back And How A Chiropractor Can Help

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There are somewhere around seven million construction workers in the United States, sacrificing their bodies for a job well done. If you're among them, you likely deal with back and neck pain on a regular basis, but do you really have to? Is it just par for the course for your industry? Can someone help you feel fewer aches and less pain? A chiropractor is quite possibly the professional who can help you out most.

Why Your Work Is Causing You Neck And Back Pain

Unless you've sustained an actual injury (in which case, it's best to inform your employer and see your Primary Care Physician right away), the job you do every day can beat up on your body, little by little, leading to constant pain and discomfort. While any job, especially a physical one, can leave a person in such a state, your's is particularly hard on the back, neck, shoulders, and feet for a number of reasons:

• The long hours worked (usually without much interruption for rest)
• The continuous twisting, turning, and reaching, especially with heavy objects involved
• Repetitive movements
• Awkward and cumbersome equipment and conditions
• Heavy lifting
• New tasks added regularly to compound the physical impact of an already demanding job
• Rough terrain, including for your lunch break, which may take place on a large rock or the back of a pickup truck
• Working through any weather

As rewarding and worthwhile your daily grind may be, it can take a lot out of your body, even if you're young and relatively strong.

How A Chiropractor Can Help You

Sessions with a chiropractor can be once or twice a week, as needed; however, your initial consultation is very important in determining how your neck, back, and maybe more are being negatively affected by construction work and what should be done about it. Keep track of the specific activities that cause you the most pain as you plan your first encounter with a chiropractic specialist. Among some of the ways they can help you to start feeling better and stronger are:

• Relieving stiffness in your neck and back through traditional adjustments
• Alleviating pain all over, including the worst lower back pain, sciatica, or even degenerative disc disease, with decompression techniques
• Increase your range of motion and flexibility
• Restore physical balance through pain and tension relief, which you most likely depend on to keep you safe on the job
• Applying cold laser therapy directly to the joints and muscles that are causing the most trouble
• Recommend better footwear, the most effective back brace and posture support, as well as possible weight loss and nutritional advice

With a job like yours, you may need a combination of therapies to address all of your physical needs. Although you should feel relief soon after starting, long-term treatment could also be in order to maintain your physical condition and the feeling of wellness.

Ways You Can Make Your Work A Little Less Destructive On Your Body

In addition to the relief a chiropractor can offer, there are a few things you can do on your own to support healing:

• Strengthen specific areas of your body needed for the specific tasks you undertake, such as weight-training for upper body power
• Sleep well on a supportive mattress
• Add some type of helpful device to the seat in your vehicle to ease the strain of a long commute after a hard day
• Actually rest on your days off
• Apply cold to tired and inflamed muscles and warmth to those that are taught
• Follow the recommendations of your chiropractor in terms of smart shoes, supportive devices, and pre-work stretching

If you're under stress in your life, it's also important to address that in some positive way, too. Anything you can do to make your emotional and physical self stronger and well-equipped for what you do each day will lead to improvements all around.

If you're comfortable in your construction position but discomforted by the destructive tendencies it has on your body, talk to a chiropractor about relief. There are so many ways in which they can make your job a little easier, and your life a lot less painful. 

To learn more, contact a professional like Eric Schmetterling DC today.

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21 February 2020