Top 10 Benefits Of Chiropractic Adjustments
Finding a good chiropractor isnt only key to correcting the damage caused by years of poor posture or trauma its also important for everyone wanting to take a proactive approach to protecting his or her health. Its hard to find any other profession on the planet that can prevent neuromuscular-based disease like chiropractic can. That is why Ive been personally getting adjusted for over 10 years and recommend my patients, friends and family members to do the same.
But dont just take my word for it. Below youll find evidence from medical research studies, systematic reviews and case studies supporting the many therapeutic benefits of chiropractic.
1. Sciatica
Compared to most medical treatments, few interventions can initiate back pain relief and healing like chiropractic adjustments can. The European Spine Journal published findings from a clinical trial uncovering how chiropractic adjustments resulted in a 72 percent success rate in treating sciatica-related symptoms. This can be compared to a 20 percent success rate from treatment with physical therapy, and a 50 percent success rate from corticosteroid injections.
2. Low Back Pain and Neck Pain
3. Headaches
4. Colic, Acid Reflux and Ear Infections in Children
5. Neurological Conditions
6. Blood Pressure
Compared to the placebo-treated patients, those who got the real procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure and an average 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure .
Who Should Not Be Treated With Chiropractic
People should not have chiropractic treatment in the parts of their bodies that are affected by:
- Severe osteoporosis
- Severely pinched nerves
Very rarely, manipulation of the neck may damage blood vessels or cause strokes. It is also very rare that manipulation may worsen a condition. The screening process your chiropractor does at your first visit is meant to see if you might be at high risk for these problems. Make sure to discuss all of your symptoms and past medical history with the chiropractor. If you are at high risk, your chiropractor will not do neck manipulation.
What Is The Difference Between A Chiropractor Physiotherapist Or Osteopath
If youre seeking manual therapy for lower back pain, you may be wondering whether you should see a physiotherapist, a chiropractor or an osteopath. These are all health professionals who can treat back pain with manual therapies, but their approach to treatment is slightly different.
- Physiotherapists focus on restoring movement and function to your whole body after youve been affected by illness or injury. They look at how the nerves, muscles and bones in your body are affected, and how treatment with exercise therapy and manual therapies can help. Theyll encourage you to take an active part in your rehabilitation, rather than relying on passive treatments.
- Osteopaths look at the health of your body as a whole and aim to make sure all your bones, muscles and joints are functioning smoothly together. They focus on manual therapies to get your body back to a state of balance.
- Chiropractors have a special interest in neck and back pain. Like osteopaths, they also look at your body as a whole. Theyre interested in how problems with your bones, muscles and joints affect your nervous system and general health. Their focus is on manipulation of the spine but they may use other techniques too.
Manual therapy can be carried out in many different ways. These vary according to different types of training and also between individual practitioners. Its not known yet if one way of doing manual therapy works better than another.
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Overview Of Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractic care is a type of an alternative medicine. The doctors who practice this form of therapy are called Chiropractors and have a degree as Doctor of Chiropractic. This branch of medicine works on philosophy different from that of the conventional medicine. The chiropractors do not prescribe any medicines or perform surgery. They treat a disease by determining its root cause such as problem with the alignment of the vertebra. They believe in treating a medical condition by minimizing pain, strengthening the body and preventing it from suffering further injury. The chiropractor uses hands on movements to treat musculoskeletal problems and corrects problems associated with the body mechanics. This is also called as the joint adjustment or manipulation. Chiropractic therapy aligns the muscles and joints to their normal position, so that they can function correctly. The health conditions such as upper back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, wrist pain, jaw pain, lower back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, mild to moderate asthma and headaches can be treated with chiropractic therapy.
How Do I Deal With The Pain From Spinal Stenosis
There are several over the counter and prescription based painkillers that might help you cope with the pain from a compressed spinal cord.
Please note, however, that this is a temporary solution. The painkillers do not address or correct the causative factor for your condition and pain. Increased use of painkillers without tackling the root cause of a disease has, in many cases, led to over-dependence on the pain meds. That is the story of Americas Opioid addiction crisis.
Its also important to remember that pain is only one of the many symptoms of spinal stenosis. You can mask the pain, but what about numbness, loss of balance, muscle weakness and impaired mobility? These concerns, therefore, call for a more comprehensive treatment approach for spinal stenosis to correct not only the symptoms but stem out their original cause once and for all.
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Guilt By Association With Anti
Chiropractic is usually packaged with other sketchy treatment ideas and beliefs about medicine, exemplified by anti-vaccination rhetoric. You would hope that such a belief would be rare among educated professionals, but it actually permeates the profession to the point where even chiropractic regulators are anti-vaxxers the people who should be disciplining other chiropractors for espousing the same belief. No matter what spinal manipulation does or does not do for back pain, how much can you trust a healthcare professional who has embraced one of the most extreme anti-medical beliefs possible, the medical equivalent of believing that the Earth is flat? What else do they believe?
Chiropractic Goals And Possible Effects
Should patients feel more pain in your back after receiving chiropractic care? When it comes to the spine, and back specifically, the goal of a successful chiropractic session is to eradicate inflammation and reduce overall pain.
The areas of relief mainly focus on joints, ligaments, and muscles.
The intention is to achieve this well-being through the use of:
- Massaging
- Electrical stimulation
- Spinal manipulation
Its important to note that common side effects of chiropractic adjustments are tiredness, minor headaches, and slight discomfort in adjusted locations.
Your body may be used to being out of alignment. So, when your spine is back in alignment, it will take some getting used to, which may cause you to feel sore.
So what else has occurred to hinder the success of your chiropractic visit and leave you in a significant amount of pain?
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The Pain Is Generated From Hard Tissue Rather Than Soft Muscular Tissue
The medical industry classifies pain according to the points of the body impacted and the structural tissue involved. Pain that is created by injury to soft tissue like the muscles is often treated effectively through massage therapy, but pain generated from hard tissue is more likely to require spinal manipulation or other techniques best performed by a well-trained chiropractor.
The spine and joints are two examples of hard tissue that may lead to lower back pain. Tightness and sharp pain caused by spinal misalignment isnt easily relieved through massage alone, so visiting a chiropractor is essential. Other conditions may involve unspecified tissue, and most patients find that treatment by a chiropractor is the fastest and most consistent route to relieve.
Stretching And Middle Back Pain
Chiropractic is more than just spinal adjustments. You will talk with your chiropractor about stretching techniques to help improve flexibility and reduce pain. When your muscles are tight, the blood flow to the muscles is limited. By stretching your muscles, blood flow to the area resumes. Your muscle tissue is able to heal once you stretch the muscles well, allowing you to improve your overall posture and pain level.
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What Are Some Other Aspects Of Chiropractic Care
I spend about 20 to 25% of my time talking with and listening to my patients. We talk about flexibility we talk about strength-building we talk about balance. I look at your ergonomics: What do you do for work? How do you bend, turn, lift? Do you ride in a car all day? Do you sit in front of a computer? I try to understand what may be contributing to the pain or other symptoms you may be experiencing.
Often Im trying to help patients by encouraging them: Yes, you can do this, or When something like this happens, try to do this instead of that. That way, theyre not anticipating pain and causing more pain and more muscle spasms. Pain scientists have found that anticipation of pain can lead to more episodes, more muscle spasms, more headaches, and so forth. So teaching patients how to think about pain is important.
Our goals focus largely on returning people to the activities that are important in their lives, whether those are job-related, family or socially oriented, or recreational in nature. Active people are more healthy and more happy.
Schedule An Appointment For Back Pain
If you experience acute or chronic back pain, you know the effects it can have on your everyday life. Seeking relief from your pain may lead you to either a chiropractor or a spine specialist. Spinal manipulation through chiropractic care could offer relief from pain, which has many benefits. It may help you rely less on painkillers, improve your posture, experience fewer headaches or migraines and build your strength. If you are generally healthy but experiencing acute back or neck pain, a chiropractor might help alleviate your pain.
If youre experiencing chronic pain caused by an issue such as joint disease, osteoporosis or osteoarthritis, you may want to see a spine specialist rather than a chiropractor. Its also best to see a spine specialist in the case of severe injury or trauma, such as a fracture or a herniated disc. If you need a spine specialist to identify and address your back pain, consider the Desert Institute for Spine Care .
At DISC, we offer treatment for various spine conditions. We strive to provide outstanding and compassionate care in the form of nonoperative or minimally invasive procedures. We utilize the most innovative and effective treatments so you can restore an active lifestyle. If youre experiencing back pain, schedule an appointment with DISC today.
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Can A Chiropractor Help With Back Pain
Several types of specialists can address back pain concerns and alleviate symptoms. Back pain has dozens of possible causes, which may be linked to trauma, aging or separate conditions. Many of those who suffer from back pain find chiropractic care beneficial. As a licensed health care professional, a chiropractor can help with back pain. In some cases, chiropractic care is not enough a patient might need to see a spine specialist instead.
Its essential to know when to see a chiropractor for back pain and when to see a spine specialist.
Chiropractic Care For Stenosis Vs Medications
Chiropractic therapy aims to treat spinal stenosis without medication. That is achieved through manual spinal adjustment, stretches and other therapies. The treatment may also tackle your pain through massage.
Compared to medications, chiropractic therapy aims to get at the root of your issues and address the core cause. This approach is intended to be a long term solution and does not carry any of the potentially harmful side effects of continuing to use pharmaceuticals.
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Chiropractic Care For Back Pain
Chiropractic treatment is a safe and effective treatment for both an acute or chronic sore back. It can work incredibly quickly and a growing body of research shows that ongoing treatment with chiropractic adjustments can help prevent future back pain.
Spinal manipulation or a chiropractic adjustment helps restore mobility to joints restricted by injured tissue, whether that is a result from a traumatic event like a fall or repetitive stress such as sitting with poor back support. But what is every bit as important is that proper alignment of the bodys musculoskeletal structure, particularly the spine, enables the body to heal itself without surgery or medication.
Simply put, every signal, every message our bodies send are carried through the central nervous system . Chiropractic ensures that the central nervous system is working to its optimal best. And thats the additional benefit that Chiropractic delivers for back pain, a sore back and even back spasms ongoing optimal health to help heal faster.
Back Pain
Back pain, a sore back or back spasms are one the main reasons you might visit a Chiropractor. US research suggests about 35% of all visits to a Chiropractor are due to back pain from various causes including accidents, sports injuries and muscle strains.
Arthritis
Hip Pain
Sciatica
Sports Injuries
Migraines & Headaches
Signs You Need To See A Chiropractor For Back Pain
It is vital for you to know what type of pain is common for you and what type of pain is abnormal.
If your everyday aches and pains become more intense, it may be time to visit a Chiropractor Near You.
Back pain should not keep you from living your normal everyday life or stop you from doing the activities that you enjoy.
Recognizing signs early on will help you to take a proactive step towards your spine health.
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Pseudoscience Versus Spinal Manipulation Therapy
While some chiropractors limit their practice to short-term treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, many falsely claim to be able treat a myriad of other conditions. Some dissuade patients from seeking medical care, others have pretended to be qualified to act as a family doctor.
Quackwatch, an alternative medicine watchdog, cautions against seeing chiropractors who:
- Treat young children
- Are antagonistic to scientific medicine
- Claim to treat non-musculoskeletal problems
Writing for the Skeptical Inquirer, one physician cautioned against seeing even chiropractors who solely claim to treat musculoskeletal conditions:
“I think Spinal Manipulation Therapy is a reasonable option for patients to try … But I could not in good conscience refer a patient to a chiropractor… When chiropractic is effective, what is effective is not ‘chiropractic’: it is SMT. SMT is also offered by physical therapists, DOs, and others. These are science-based providers … If I thought a patient might benefit from manipulation, I would rather refer him or her to a science-based provider.
Lifestyle Factors That Promote A Healthy Back
Most chiropractors offer more than hands-on treatment. Dr. Kowalski often speaks with patients about diet, exercise and other lifestyle modifications that can help ease back pain.
Matthew Kowalski, DC, a licensed chiropractor at The Osher Clinical Center for Integrative Medicine at the Brigham, discusses chiropractic care for back pain.
Matthew Kowalski, DC, is a licensed chiropractor at The Osher Clinical Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
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What Are The Causes Of Spinal Stenosis
Some cases of narrow spinal canals are congenital, but on most occasions, the condition is a result of several factors including:
Spinal injuries: Trauma such as those from car accidents or falls can cause a dislocation of one or more bones of the spine. The inflammation of the surrounding tissues after back surgery may similarly put excess pressure on the spinal cord and its nerve network.
Stiff and thickened ligaments: Each of the bones in your spinal cord have tough tissues that join them to other bones. When this tough tissue thickens and bulges, it can lead to a case of spinal stenosis.
Bone overgrowth: Conditions such as osteoarthritis lead to wear and tear on the spinal bones, subsequently causing the formation of spinal spurs.
Old age/herniated discs:As you grow older, the soft cushioning material that works as a shock absorber between the spinal discs gradually dries out and flattens. The result is that the bones press heavily together and form bone spurs. Disc herniation may also be caused by injuries or a dislocation of the spinal bones.
Can Chiropractic Help Spinal Stenosis
The chiropractic approach to spinal stenosis is holistic and addresses the bottom line causes of the condition with the goal of long term wellness.
The best chiropractic treatment for spinal stenosis will be guided by accurate diagnosis, possibly from X-rays or other diagnostic methods, and an understanding of the patients clinical history.
As professional chiropractors, we have seen many of our patients overcome spinal stenosis with chiropractic assistance .
Here are answers to some common questions our patients ask us:
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Should I See A Chiropractor If There’s Only A Little Bit Of Pain
Whatever is causing a person’s back pain will usually cause pain elsewhere in the body as well. Sharp pulling pains, shooting pains in arms and legs, tense necks and shoulders, migraines, headaches, or numbing and tingling sensations are all indicators of something wrong with the back. There is a high possibility a person who is experiencing the above symptoms will only have slight back pain felt in the back itself. The reason for this is because several large bundles of nerves sit at the base of the vertebrae. Spinal misalignment puts pressure on these nerve endings and causes pain elsewhere.
