Permit me to respond as a chiropractor. Try conservative care, first (advil, ice, rest...avoid heat packs, unless you follow it with an ice pack...heat is a sure way to make a small new problem into a big, chronic one). Adjustments (the thrust chiropractors place at a joint to mobilize it with the intent of restoring normal motion) are a minor trauma to a joint, and should only be done after other conservative measures have failed, or a specific motion restriction has been identified ("lookie there...that joint don't move right"). If what you're dealing with is a sprain/strain injury, the last thing you need is a chiropractor-induced extra sprain/strain.
That being said...it could be muscle, joint, or disc. How to tell?
What specific movements are you doing when it grabs. If they are coming up from a bent-and-twisted position (even small ones, like twisting to grab your toothbrush on the bathroom sink) you may have a small annular disc tear or small herniated disc. Not to fret: Pretty much every active person has them...the body mounts an inflammatory response to get you to slow down for a spell, and give your body time to adapt to the fissure and heal. If, however, you start getting sharp-shooting pain or sensations of numbness or tingling in your legs or feet, get to a M.D. for an MRI. If you loose bowel or bladder control, go to the ER...it likely constitutes a surgical emergency. It may be a larger disc herniation (though I doubt it, or you'd be in a whole lot more pain). If it's herniated towards the middle, don't let a chiro touch you. Despite their rhetoric, they can not help, and they can not put the disc back in place. Sometimes they shrink up on their own, with or without Chiro's or surgery, and that just takes time (though chiro's treating people with spontaneous shrinkages like to claim responsibility). If it turns out to be a small bulge on the side, minimal chiro may help (don't go more than 3-5 times...they try to sell you on 30-visit programs, which are BS).
With minor disc injuries, the muscles bordering the disc splint to provide support. Great on switch; lousy off switch, and they will stay focally spasmed for longer than need be. A couple of gentle chiropractic manipulations will help to break this cycle.
If it's muscular, you actually WANT to move into the ranges of motion that are uncomfortable. Instinct is to "don't do that; it hurts". With muscle, to prevent fibrous adhesions or shortening, you want to challenge it (gently, of course) as it heals.
If it's your sacroiliac joint or bottom lumbar joints, you should notice yourself walking funny...one hip doesn't travel as far out as the other; one leg feels longer or shorter than the other, etc. Chiro's can help well with that, but again...don't go forever: That's just their sales schpiel.
Let me know a bit more about symptom specifics, and I might be able to steer you a bit better.
Best Regards,
Dr. Dave, D.C.
