Having worked for a chiropractor in the past and getting regular adjustments for almost 6 years, if what your current chiro is doing isn’t working for you, it’s time for a new chiro. Also, NEVER use heat, but use cold instead. Keep it on for 10-15 minutes, then take it off, then apply it again. Heat can cause excess inflammation, which is the last thing you need. Is your chiro giving you manual adjustments (twisting/turning you all over the place/popping) or does he use a drop table? Does he use an activator (looks like a big syringe and makes a clicking noise)? Does he check your leg lengths? Muscle test? Does he consider himself a relief care doctor or a corrective and wellness care doc? These are all questions you should ask, as the answers will greatly affect your care. Not all chiros are created equal!
Also, is it possible you have an old injury that’s crept up on you? For example, I flew off a merry-go-round in 2nd grade and broke my tailbone. To this day, sitting can be very painful for me. I always know if the weather is changing because my tailbone will ache. This is one of those injuries that will probably not improve much, no matter how much I see the chiropractor. Tail bones are not efficient healers, and that isn’t the chiro’s fault. A fall, wreck, roller coaster, sitting in the wrong chair for too many hours a day, slipping on ice, a sports injury–all of those things can be causes for pain, even if they were decades ago. Sometimes you don’t think that the car wreck you were in five years ago is what’s causing horrible migraines now, but it can very well be the cause. So what I’m asking is, is there an old injury that you may have forgotten about that could be the cause of your discomfort? If so, tell your chiro about it and it may change the way he adjusts you.
Above all, if you’re not getting the care you want/need, you should seriously consider going to a new doc. And it may be that you need more extensive care, such as an MRI, to diagnose a possible herniated or bulging disk. My chiro found a healed fracture at L5 the last time I had X-rays! You could have knocked me over with a feather! To this day, I still have no idea how it happened!
I pray you get some relief!
Lindsey