CHIROPRACTIC CARE
WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
Chiropractic care is a form of complementary medicine based on the idea that your body can heal itself with the help of specific hands-on manipulations from a trained professional. These manipulations help realign your joints and can potentially lead to pain relief.
Chiropractic treatment may help relieve pain from conditions affecting your:
- bones
- cartilage
- connective tissue
- joints
- muscles
Chiropractic treatment often focuses on your spine but may focus on other parts of your body depending on the particular issue you’re dealing with.
Chiropractic treatment has some similarities with physical therapy, and certain conditions may benefit from being treated with both types of therapy.
In general, chiropractors are more likely to use hands-on manipulations to relieve your symptoms. Physical therapists tend to put a bigger emphasis on rehabilitating injuries with stretches and exercises.
BENEFITS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE
1. Improves neck pain
Neck pain is a common problem, especially if you sit for many hours a day, frequently bend your neck to use your phone, or have poor posture. A chiropractor may help ease your neck pain by realigning your spine and easing tension in your neck muscles.
2. Reduces reliance on opioid pain relievers
People with chronic pain are often given prescriptions for opioid pain relievers to help manage their discomfort. However, undergoing chiropractic treatment may lower your need to take these pain relievers.
3. Eases back pain
Chiropractic treatment may be a good alternative to more invasive alternatives like surgery or injections for treating short-term or chronic back pain.
The American College of Physicians recommends that doctors encourage people with chronic low back pain to first seek non-medication treatments before taking medication to treat their pain. Some of the treatment options recommended include:
- spinal manipulation (chiropractic care)
- exercise
- acupuncture
- yoga
- tai chi
- progressive muscle relaxation
- meditation
4. Possible reduction of osteoarthritis symptoms
Osteoarthritis pain is caused by the degeneration of the cartilage in a joint that causes the ends of your bones to rub together. Some types of chiropractic adjustments may help align your joints and reduce how much your bones rub together.
5. Eases headache symptoms
Spinal manipulation may be effective at treating tension headaches and headaches that originate in your neck.
6. More affordable treatment for chronic back pain
Chiropractic treatment may be a cheaper alternative to conventional treatment for chronic low back pain.
7. High satisfaction
Studies have generally reported relatively high levels of satisfaction with chiropractic treatment.
Also, 92 percent of the people in this study had improvements in their pain, and 80 percent reported improvements in their ability to move around.
8. Reduces scoliosis symptoms
Chiropractic care may help improve the Cobb angle of people with scoliosis. The Cobb angle is a measurement of how much side-to-side deformity there is in the spine.
9. Helps improve posture
Undergoing chiropractic treatment may potentially help correct poor posture, especially if your poor posture is caused by too much sitting.
10. May help athletic performance
Spinal adjustments may potentially improve your athletic performance. This could be due to increased joint mobility, reduced pain, and less tissue restriction.
Chiropractic adjustments may be effective when used to deal with pain caused by an injury.