Milwaukee Board Certified Chiropractic Orthopedist and Herniated Disc Doctor writes: Summertime. Seems like everybody is going on vacation.... somewhere. It should be fun. Well, it should be. But it's sometimes one of the most stressful times of the year.
Along with Christmas and tax day in April more people come in with back complaints during the summer vacation season that most other times of the year.
But it's not because they overdid their vacation. Most of the time it happens before they even leave.
It's not uncommon for people to come in with back pain and say that they're leaving for vacation in three days and want the miracle cure. I used to think it was just a coincidence, but it happens too frequently around holidays and special events for it to be just coincidence.
The trigger in many cases is stress. One benefit of vacation is to unwind from the stress of work. But when an already stressed body is over-loaded with the increased anxiety of planning and preparing for a trip, it can be just too much for the adrenal glands and the sympathetic nerve system to handle.
Then the muscles can weaken, the pain threshold lowers and the natural anti-inflammatory chemicals aren't produced as well. Weaknesses in the spine then become magnified. That old arthritis flares up, the bulging or herniated disc that used to give you leg pain starts to become a problem again. And you end up in my office with back pain even before your vacation starts.
Don't wait until just before your vacation to come for a check-up. You'll enjoy your vacation more if you are painfree when you leave instead of having to nurse a bad back while driving halfway across the country. And you won't be needing the miracle cure.
If you or someone you know has lower back pain, sciatica or a herniated disc, call us at (414) 355-0433 to schedule a Complimentary Consultation with Dr. Donaldson to find out if you qualify for one of our StandUpRight Spinal Disc Decompression programs or request an appointment online.
