Benefits of Chiropractic Care
In the United States, at least 70 million adults deal with chronic pain. Lower back pain is the second most common reason Americans see a doctor.
For this reason, a lot of people try to find an option to medication for pain relief. One of the most potent and promising management options is chiropractic treatment. It’s a great option, especially for people struggling with neck or back pain.
In this article, we’ll look at chiropractic treatment, its benefits, and how to find a chiropractor for your pain.
What is Chiropractic Care?
Before diving into chiropractic treatment’s benefits, let us understand its meaning. Chiropractic care is a form of alternative and complementary medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders, specifically those that affect the spine.
A chiropractor is an individual who practices chiropractic treatment. This is a healthcare professional trained in chiropractic medicine. Chiropractors believe several health issues are associated with the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine. The main principle of chiropractic care is that proper alignment of the musculoskeletal structure can help promote the body’s ability to heal itself, maintaining optimal health.
Chiropractic is a healthcare profession caring for the bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments (musculoskeletal system). The chiropractor helps relieve neck and back pain through spinal adjustments to help maintain proper alignment.
What are the Benefits of Chiropractic Care?
- Back Pain Relief
Chiropractic adjustments for lower back pain are one of the primary reasons people seek chiropractor benefits. It is a great alternative compared to invasive injections or surgeries to treat back pain. It is recommended that doctors encourage people with short-term or long-term back pain to seek non-medication treatment like chiropractic care before taking medication for the pain.
Most people report significant pain relief and improved function after receiving chiropractic treatment.
- Helps Reduce Neck Pan
Neck pain is a prevalent problem, especially for people used to sitting at a desk for many hours. Those who bend the neck frequently to use the phone or have poor posture aren’t left behind. A chiropractor can help reduce your neck pain through spine realignment and releasing the tension in the neck muscles.
A chiropractic adjustment helps improve the range of motion for a stiff neck. Neck pain leads to limited movement in the neck. With chiropractic adjustment, the chiropractor can restore proper alignment and mobility, allowing you to move your neck more comfortably and freely.
Additionally, a chiropractor can use various methods like soft tissue massage to help relax and release neck muscle tension. This helps reduce pain and improves flexibility.
- Reduces Dependence on Opioids
Opioid pain relievers are prescribed for people with chronic pain to help manage the pain. However, it becomes hard to stop taking the medication, and one can develop dangerous dependence. Opioids are strong pain relievers, but they are also highly addictive and harmful to the body when overused.
Chiropractic treatment can lower your need for an opioid pain reliever prescription. Once you start with opioids, dependence quickly develops. Once you stop taking the painkillers, discomfort from the pain becomes unbearable, and you end up going back to the opioids.
In 2020, a study revealed that adults who opt for chiropractic care are less likely to get an opioid prescription for their pain compared to patients who only see their doctor.
- Headache Relief
Spinal adjustments might effectively treat tension-type headaches or cervicogenic headaches (headaches originating from the neck).
A chiropractor can combine spinal adjustments with soft tissue therapies to reduce the frequency of headaches and intensity for some individuals. For people with chronic or reoccurring headaches, chiropractic treatment is a great alternative compared to medication.
- Helps Improve Poor Posture
Poor posture is the major cause of back pain and neck pain in the US. This mainly affects people with desk jobs who spend the entire day sitting looking at the computer. Poor posture can lead to hunchback posture, also known as hyperkyphosis. It leads to a stiff and painful neck with a limited range of motion.
Undergoing chiropractic treatment may help correct the hunchback posture. However, this requires sessions over an extended period which might lead to pain relief in the neck and head.
- Affordable treatment for back pain
Chiropractic treatment is a great and cheaper alternative to conservative treatment for chronic lower back pain. People who receive chiropractic treatment have an overall lower treatment cost. Their treatment duration is also shorter than that of patients with conventional medical treatment.
- May Help Reduce Symptoms Of Osteoarthritis
The degeneration of joint cartilage causes osteoarthritis pain. This causes the ends of the bones to rub together, causing pain and inflammation. Some chiropractic treatments might help align the joints and reduce the rate at which your bones rub together.
Though there isn’t a lot of research on chiropractic benefits for osteoarthritis, some evidence suggests that chiropractic adjustment might help slow down the progression of arthritis. It’s done by improving the status of the bone, cartilage, and joint capsule.
- Increased Comfort and Satisfaction
Chiropractic treatment results in reduced pain in the body. This is excellent news for people with chronic back or nerve pain problems.
People who undergo chiropractic adjustment for chronic back pain report high satisfaction and comfort levels. The ability to move around increases and pain reduces, leading to high levels of comfort and satisfaction.
For people with chronic pain, even the slightest pain reduction technique is a significant step towards comfort and satisfaction.
- Non-Invasive Approach
Chiropractic care is non-invasive and drug-free. The chiropractor might combine spinal adjustments with other treatment methods, such as soft tissue massage, to achieve the desired results without drugs. Many people who enjoy this chiropractic benefit prefer the treatment as it is a conservative option when compared to invasive treatments such as surgeries and long-term medication use.
- May Enhance Athletic Performance
Spinal adjustments can potentially improve athletic performance. Some athletes seek chiropractic care to help optimize their performance. Chiropractic adjustments help maintain proper musculoskeletal alignment, enhance physical performance as well as lowering the risk of injuries.
Increased joint mobility, less tissue restriction and reduced pain are other chiropractic benefits that might enhance athletic performance.
- Helps Reduce Nerve Pain
Chiropractic adjustments also help reduce nerve pain that comes as a result of a compressed nerve. In this case, the chiropractor diagnoses the root cause of the nerve pain. They then determine the best spinal movement that will help reduce the pressure on the specific nerve.
Understanding Nerve Pain
Nerves deliver messages from all over the body to the brain. Pain is one of the primary messages delivered by the nerves. Pain is a warning to the brain that there is something wrong. That is why if you get your hand too close to a burning stove, the nerves send a pain signal to the brain. In turn, you pull back quickly from the open fire before burning yourself.
All this changes when you have nerve damage, which causes nerve pain. With nerve damage, the nervous system doesn’t work effectively. The damaged nerves might send false signals, making you feel real pain, mostly without a cause. Damaged nerves might also result in not feeling pain, even when you have an injury.
Nerve pain can be triggered by something as simple as walking or standing in line. With damaged nerves, your body might become overly sensitive. Some people even feel pain from draping bedsheets lightly over their bodies.
Neuropathic pain is primarily chronic, meaning it is persistent and stays for a week to years. Neuropathic pain comes from three different levels of the nervous system:
- The brain
- The peripheral nerves
- The spinal cord
Several factors cause nerve pain from any of the above spots. The best way to get treatment for nerve pain is to know how the pain might have come about first. This way, you not only get chiropractic treatment for nerve pain, but you also get other treatment options for the pain.
How to Find a Chiropractor Near Me
Finding a professional chiropractor is the only way to reap the benefits of chiropractic treatment. For example, the United States has more than 70,000 registered chiropractors. Chiropractic care is a beneficial hands-on approach to healthcare that promotes healing with no surgery or medication. You only depend on the chiropractor’s knowledge and expertise to help you recover from an injury and stay healthy. But how do you find a chiropractor near you?
- Ask for recommendations
The best person to go for to get a recommendation is your physical therapist, doctor, or any other healthcare provider that you trust. These people are in the healthcare industry, and they know who provides the best services best suited for your condition.
You can also ask your family members, friends, or coworkers for recommendations. One might have gone to a chiropractor and had a good experience.
- Schedule a consultation first
How do you gauge if a chiropractor is a good fit before you start treatment? Schedule a consultation first. Listen to the chiropractor and gauge if they understand your situation well. If you feel like the chiropractor isn’t right for you, never feel obligated to stick with them.
Tips on Selecting the Right Chiropractor for You
After doing your research, you might come up with several chiropractors near you. How do you select the right chiropractor?
- Check the Chiropractor’s Credentials
One of the most important things to consider is licensing. It tells you the chiropractor is qualified, trained, and has the skills and experience to provide good chiropractic care. It’s good to confirm that the chiropractor has no disciplinary actions or malpractice history.
- Experience
Experience plays a significant role when you’re facing spine health problems. In this case, the more experience a chiropractor has, the better your results might be. Ask the chiropractor how many patients they have served with a similar condition to yours. If a particular procedure is required, ask how many the chiropractor has done, the complications he encountered, and your risk of complications. Leave nothing to chance!
- Take gender into consideration
It’s vital that you feel comfortable with your chiropractor’s gender. During chiropractic treatment, you will openly discuss a lot of personal information. Are you comfortable revealing this to your chiropractor if they are the opposite gender?
- Read Patient Reviews
What do other people have to say about the chiropractor? Knowing this provides insight into how the chiropractor will provide care for you and how their practice is operated. Patient reviews show people’s experience with wait times, communication, office environment, scheduling appointments, and staff friendliness.
Chiropractors use natural, hands-on adjustments to help your body naturally heal and reduce pain. Most chiropractors focus on issues with the spine. To enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care, you must choose the right chiropractor. This person has intimate knowledge about the spine and can identify and address the root cause of your pain.
People dealing with nerve pain or pinched nerve are best suited for the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic treatment might be effective for nerve, neck, and back pain. Visiting a chiropractor can also lower the need to take a lot of medication or undergo invasive treatment.
