You are standing at the gym entrance, gym bag in hand, and your lower back is aching. Not screaming in pain, but definitely there, reminding you of yesterday's gardening session or that awkward movement during your last workout

You have been thinking about seeing a chiropractor for a few months now. Your neck feels stiff, or maybe your lower back has been nagging you, and a friend swears by chiropractic care. But you have never been to one before, and you are a little nervous about what actually happens in that room.

You are lying in bed at night when that familiar burning sensation creeps into your feet. Or maybe it is the opposite: your toes feel numb, almost like they belong to someone else. You step out of the shower and cannot quite feel the floor beneath you, which makes walking feel unsteady and strange.

You reach for the ibuprofen bottle again, the third time this week. Your head throbs at the base of your skull, and you realize you have been hunched over your desk for the last six hours without moving. By evening, the dull ache behind your eyes has become a throbbing distraction that no amount of rest seems to fix

You reach for something on the top shelf of your cabinet, and instead of the smooth motion you expect, your shoulder catches. There is a sharp ache, maybe a grinding sensation, and suddenly that simple overhead reach becomes something you have to think about.

You are sitting at your desk, feeling fine, when you stand up to grab coffee. Suddenly, a sharp, burning sensation shoots down your leg from your lower back.

It is 2 a.m., and you have been awake for the last hour trying to find a position that does not send a sharp pain shooting through your lower back. You roll from your side to your back, then to the other side, each shift bringing a fresh wave of discomfort.

You are standing up from the driver's seat after a long meeting, and suddenly a sharp, burning sensation fires down the back of your right leg. It is not exactly a cramp. It is not quite a pulled muscle.

Finishing chemotherapy should feel like the end of one chapter. For many cancer survivors, it does, except for one thing: the numbness, tingling, or burning in the hands and feet that started during treatment and never fully went away.

If you have diabetes and your feet feel like they are on fire at night, you are not imagining it and you are not alone. Burning, tingling, and pins-and-needles sensations in the feet (especially after the lights go out) are some of the most common symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Frozen shoulder is one of the most disruptive shoulder conditions a person can develop. It starts as a deep ache that slowly turns into a loss of motion.

Tennis elbow does not actually require playing tennis. Most of our patients with it have never picked up a racket. They are plumbers, painters, hairstylists, office workers who type all day, parents lifting toddlers, mechanics gripping tools, and weekend warriors who pushed a little too hard.

If you have plantar fasciitis, you know the routine. The pain calms down after a few weeks of stretching and rest.

There is a stubborn myth that whiplash only happens in dramatic, high-speed crashes. Patients tell us all the time that their accident was just a tap, a slow rear-end in the Costco parking lot, a sluggish fender bender in stop-and-go traffic on the 60.

You walked away from your car accident feeling okay. Maybe a little shaken, maybe a stiff neck the next morning, but nothing that seemed like a big deal.

The minutes right after a car accident in Mesa, Arizona are some of the most disorienting moments most people will ever experience. Adrenaline is high, you may be checking on passengers or talking to another driver, and the last thing on your mind is what your body will feel like tomorrow.

"Cable machines are designed to force your muscles to contract throughout the full range of motion [during an exercise]," Matt Tanneberg, DC, CSCS, owner of Body Check Chiropractic & Sports Rehabilitation, tells LIVESTRONG.com. So long as you don't let the weight stack drop, your muscles are working; it doesn't matter if you're shortening the muscle, lengthening it or pausing in between reps.

A well-fitting backpack is all about support: “Carrying a backpack changes your center of gravity, putting additional pressure not only on the mid and lower back, but also on your hips, knees and ankles,” Tanneberg explains.

Your backpack should fit properly and snugly so that load is evenly distributed throughout your body.

Tanneberg’s must-haves for a proper fit for healthy biomechanics include:

There are certain things all athletes—no matter the sport or activity—should do to try to prevent strains, sprains, and pains of all kinds. “I like to use the term ‘pre-hab’ when talking about body maintenance,” says Dr. Matt Tanneberg, a sports chiropractor and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) in Scottsdale, Arizona. “The idea of pre-hab is to preventatively take care of potential issues.” Many of the following “pre-hab” strategies also apply to rehabilitating injuries. Use them to maximize your potential for avoiding the worrisome kind of “ouch” pain, so you can focus on the “ohhhh ya” feedback type of pain that lets you know you’re getting fit. 

“A treadmill is an effective way to burn calories and work on your cardiovascular health,” says Matt Tanneberg, certified strength and conditioning specialist based in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Compared to other cardio equipment, the treadmill delivers the most natural range of motion. You’re able to walk or run at your controlled pace and, most of the time, use the same normal stride and gait as you would use outside.”