If you live in New York like me, chances are you have that aging relative or three that you visit in Florida over the summer. I have fond memories of my grandfather’s condo in South Tampa, but I also remember our visits being rather trying on him. When you’re eight years old, a pamphlet entitled “South Tampa Chiropractic Services” may as well be written in Greek, but if I had understood I would have realized that my grandfather was one of the millions of Americans who struggled with mobility due to chronic pain. Back pain especially effects 80% of people some time in their lives, and is likely to only get worse as one gets on in years.
Now that I’m in my late twenties, the South Tampa Chiropractic directory no longer seems like a puzzling errand grandpa obsessed over by the phone book. In fact, I may or may not have my own copy of the South Tampa Chiropractic handbook taped to my fridge for emergencies, seeing as my lower back has been giving me trouble ever since the Great Florida Vacation Surfing Debacle of 2011. You too might want to start looking into the benefits of a chiropractor if any of the following sounds familiar:

1. You Suffer From Any Chronic Muscle Pain
Even if you’re young, or can’t pinpoint exactly how you injured something, chiropractic services may be able to improve your situation. Chiropractors deal specifically in those hard to pin point muscular ailments, and how they might effect your overall nervous system and health. A good chiropractor will at least be able to advise you on how to let the injury heal, so that a two on the pain scale doesn’t suddenly become a nine after you get overzealous helping your friend move into their new apartment. Of course, sometimes you know exactly how stuff got wonky…

2. You Were Recently Involved In An Accident
If you were recently involved in a car crash, hit and run, bad fall, etc, it can be easy to forget to consult a chiropractor about any possible fall out since you’ve probably been to a sea of doctors already. But a doctor will be concerned with your overall injuries, whereas a chiropractor for accident victims will be able to hone in on the specific musculoskeletal damage, particularly if there’s a chance of nerve and muscle pain long term.

3. You’ve Ever Had A Sports Injury
Anyone who has ever popped out their knee during a softball play or slammed into one too many quarterbacks should probably solicit chiropractic services sooner rather than later. Not only can a chiropractor help mitigate any pain, they can help you explore physical coping strategies to work around the movements most damaging to the injured area of the body, so that you can stay healthy and competitive.

Now that I’m older, I realize that my grandpa was doing what he needed to do to stay healthy. However, if you’re in pain, don’t wait until you can collect AARP benefits to look up your local chiropractor. The sooner you identify possible hazards and problem areas, the less hassle for your body (and your wallet).