Let's finally answer the big question: What is mechanical pain? We talked about the 5 ways to irritate a nerve. Compression, Tension, Chemical (inflammation), Thermal, and Behavioral.
In its simplest terms, mechanical pain is anything that comes from those first two types of irritation: Compression or Tension. A physical, or mechanical, force is being applied to a tissue with nerve receptors capable of telling the brain they are being squeezed or stretched to the point of potential damage. As high as 83% of back pain, and likely a similar percentage of joint aches and pains, fall into this category.
Part of the reason chiropractors have stuck around so long and are effective at treating back pain, neck pain, headaches, even shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, and other problems, is because they address mechanical issues. An adjustment helps you move, and moving is one of the best ways to decrease compression and tension. In fact, Bed rest is now considered bad advice for back pain treatment.
However, the best chiropractors don't stop at an adjustment. They include other ways to manage mechanical problems. The Mckenzie method is one of the best systems for diagnosing and treating mechanical pains (The "Cert MDT" title that comes with Mckenzie coursework stands for certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy)
If 83% of low back pain is mechanical in nature, treatment should focus on those mechanics first and aim to apply anti-inflammatories only when appropriate. When a doctor prescribes an anti-inflammatory medication for pain, it does not address any mechanical issues that may be causing, or at the very least, contributing to your symptoms.
The McKenzie method is wonderful because it is a reliable system to determine what mechanical problems are present, and the best ways to resolve them. Tune in for our next post to learn more about why we think the MDT system is the best approach for treating Musculoskeletal problems.
You Might Also Enjoy...
We've established that we don't love prescribing long term treatment plans for back or neck pain patients. In this post, we go over what is happening in your body as you heal from an injury to your joints and how we treat through each phase of healing.
“Loss of cervical curvature” is one of the most common findings chiropractors use to explain neck pain and warn you of bad things to come. Come read this post to find out why that is not actually the case.
What have you been told is the source of your pain? A bone out of place? A short leg? A straight curve? Arthritis? A tear in a tendon? In this post we discuss what really causes your pain and how inaccurate labels for pain can be a barrier to recovery.
We’ve had a lot of questions from potential patients recently about what to expect on the first day they come into the office, so this blog post is here to lay out what happens during a new patient visit.
Understanding your insurance plan isn’t easy, but it will help save you a lot of grief and surprise medical bills. In this post we go over the basic need to know facts about health insurance and chiropractic care.
The McKenzie method, or Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (AKA MDT) is a method we use to assess every patient who walks in our doors with joint or body pain. In this post, we go over reasons why we think it is the best approach for patients in pain.
