Why prevention is the best cure.

I often get asked by patients, ‘why has this happened’ when it comes to their back or neck issues. This can be easy to answer if pain started after a one-off episode of gardening, lifting or a gym workout. What we often don’t realise is that symptoms such as pain or even lack of mobility are usually one of the last things to come. Usually, an issue has been under the surface for some time.

Think about a car, if it is well looked after, serviced, oil changed regularly it runs smoothly and is much less likely to break down. Now think of a car that hasn’t been looked after, oil not changed in a while, probably still running ok maybe with a few funny noises. Which car is more likely to breakdown on that long trip? Spines are much like this, often things manifest slowly, maybe less movement, maybe quick twinges, maybe just subconsciously not doing certain activities.

The question after ‘why did this happen’ is often ‘how do we stop it happening again’, the answer is similar to the car scenario. How often do you do proactive things to look after your spine when it doesn’t hurt? Regular pilates or yoga, practice good lifting techniques or even preventative visits to the Chiropractor to eliminate issues before they become issues?

This is where prevention comes in. Doing good things for your spine occasionally, when you aren’t experiencing issues, will prevent the need to do good things much more regularly when you are experiencing problems.

A good portion of the patients we see day to day at The Spine Centre are not in immediate pain when they visit. That’s because we are working to both keep the improvements they have seen through initial more intensive treatment, preventing a recurrence and also to keep their spine in the best possible shape too.

If you are having any pain or just want to be at your best, drop us a message at The Guildford Spine Centre.