How Can Chiropractic Help Me
The manual techniques used in chiropractic may help to relieve pain and improve how your back works. The aim is for you to get moving again and start getting back to your normal activities. Keeping active, rather than resting is the best thing for back pain.
If youre offered manual therapies, doctors recommend that you have them as part of a treatment package. This should include a general exercise programme and, if needed, other treatments such as psychological therapy.
Studies on manipulation have found that it works as well as other treatments for back pain.
Should You Go To A Doctor Or Chiropractor For Back Pain
The answer is always yes.
You should see a back pain doctor or chiropractor. In such a case, theres no difference between a back doctor vs. chiropractor any help is good.
Back pain could resolve itself easily with minor changes in your life, such as switching out your shoes for ones with more supportive souls or buying a firmer mattress.
Often, though, youll need a highly-trained lower back pain doctor to determine how best to treat your back pain. Perhaps theres something wrong with the discs in your back, or theres a pinched nerve somewhere.
You wont know until you have a doctor or chiropractor check your back out.
While you shouldnt ignore back pain, there are many reasons why someone wouldnt want to see a doctor for their spine.
First off, in the United States, back pain doctors or chiropractors tend to congregate in larger cities, meaning they might not be available in your area. Luckily, Beach Pain Center is located just east of downtown Fort Worth.
Secondly, it might cost too much to see them. Most insurance companies should cover you if you have back pain especially if youre growing older. But some might be more skeptical, as many have claimed back pain to acquire insurance benefits. The potential of having to cover medical costs out of pocket could be enough to determine anyone from receiving care.
Youll learn to manage it, but youll never learn to treat it until you go to a doctor or chiropractor.
Physical Therapist Vs Chiropractor
Should you choose a physical therapist or a chiropractor for your condition? If you have an acute problem with your back or neck, then a chiropractor may be the best route for you to take. Your chiropractor can quickly assess your condition and provide a spinal adjustment that may quickly relieve your pain and improve your mobility.
A physical therapist may also assess and treat acute spinal problems, but they may not approach treatment the same way. They may offer exercises that slowly improve range of motion and strength to help treat your pain.
Both chiropractors and physical therapists should offer you guidance and strategies to keep your pain away and to prevent future problems.
If you have had an injury or surgery and are experiencing a loss of functional mobility, then working with a physical therapist is a good idea. Your therapist can work with you to improve your ability to perform your day-to-day work and recreational activities.
Research has shown that working with a chiropractor or a physical therapist for various spinal conditions produces similar outcomes.
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If You Suffer From Anxiety Or Depression
Some people that suffer from chronic pain issues and anxiety or depression have seen promising results from chiropractic care. The brain and the body are linked in more ways than we currently know. What we do know is that even low-grade chronic pain can cause depression and anxiety. They in turn seem to cause a heightened sensitivity to pain. Through chiropractic alignment and massage, pain, depression, and anxiety can be greatly reduced or eliminated.
What Type Of Pain Is It
There are multiple types of pain you may experience in your back. These are the following:
- Acute pain: This is sudden and intense, and usually lasts for a short period of time. Its often caused by an injury.
- Chronic pain: This is long-term pain that persists over time. It can be mild or severe, and it may come and go.
- Nerve pain: This type of back pain is caused by damage to the nerves in your back. It can be sharp, burning, or tingling.
- Joint pain: Pain in the joints of your back can be caused by arthritis, joint inflammation, or other conditions.
Before you visit a chiropractor for any type of back pain, its important to understand what kind of pain youre experiencing. This will help the chiropractor determine the best treatment plan for you. If youre not sure what type of pain you have, ask your doctor or chiropractor for help. Before going for the treatment of your backpain, understand the difference between physiotherapy vs osteopathy. Both are used to treat pain but the method is different.
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Is It Worth Going To A Chiropractor For Back Pain
Chiropractic care can be a good option for treating back pain and one that doesn’t involve invasive surgical procedures or potentially addictive prescription pain medication. The avoidance of potential negative side effects of these other treatment methods is a common reason people start with chiropractic care.
Harvard Health cites a study on whether this type of care is effective. The study tracked back pain complaints from 750 active-duty military personnel. It found that individuals who received six weeks of chiropractic care ended up with less pain and better overall outcomes than those who did not see chiropractors.
To find out more about whether chiropractic care might be right for your back pain, contact NorthEast Spine and Sports Medicine today.
Tools Used By A Chiropractor For Back Pain
A chiropractor for back pain may also use a few different tools to perform a chiropractic adjustment. These include:
- Traction tables: These tables look like large massage tables but they can be automated. Traction refers to the act of pulling on a body part to help realign it. A traction table helps to create space in the spine.
- Heat lamps: Chiropractors use infrared heat lamps to warm and loosen muscles that may make spinal adjustments difficult.
- Activator adjusting instrument: This machine is handheld and uses gentle force to restore motion to a specific area of the spine. Patients may prefer this gentler alternative to the direct thrust technique.
- Roller tables: A rolling function is sometimes built into a traction table, but they are also stand-alone pieces of equipment. This table looks like a massage table but has rollers built in. Patients lie face up and the rollers move up and down the spine.
- Impulse adjusting instrument: This instrument provides a light, insistent tap to the area that is misaligned or tense.
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The Basics Of Chiropractic Care
There are five main types of chiropractic care that our team practices:
- Spinal decompression treats disc problems and other spinal issues by actually lengthening your spine
- Passive physical therapies involves your doctor providing treatment while you simply receive it without participating in any way
- Diversified technique focuses on locked-joint treatment and spinal adjustments by providing brief, quick thrusts on your problem areas as your back is positioned specifically
- Activator Methods technique® treats back and other pain, including migraines, via short but gentle impulses delivered by a handheld device
- Thompson technique addresses spinal issues by positioning you on a treatment table with sections that drop selectively as your doctor performs thrusts
The Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center team is highly trained in each of these specialized treatment methods. Were dedicated to determining which treatment or treatment combination is best for your particular problems.
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.
There hasnt been a lot of research on the benefits of chiropractic manipulation for osteoarthritis. However, a found some evidence that chiropractic manipulation may help slow down the progression of arthritis by improving the status of cartilage, bone, and the joint capsule.
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If You Suffer From Limited Range Of Motion
Our joints are amazing. They allow us to do pretty much everything that requires movement. But if you find yourself suffering from a limited range of motion, you could find it hard to perform even the simplest of tasks, like opening a drawer or walking up the stairs. There can be several reasons for a limited range of motion, including a problem with the joint itself or with the muscles around it. To determine what the underlying issue is, you should seek chiropractic help. Most of the time a chiropractor can find a natural and effective way to restore your range of motion and eliminate any pain it may have caused.
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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Other Conditions Treated By Chiropractic Adjustment
In addition to visiting a chiropractor for back pain, some patients first experience chiropractic as a result of injuries or accidents. These can include:
- Illiotibial band syndrome
- Injuries to the rotator cuff
- Plantar fasciitis
- Injuries due to car accidents
Other conditions that may respond well to chiropractic care include:
- Frequently occurring colds or the flu
- Gastrointestinal syndromes
What To Expect From A Chiropractor
Most, but not all, people visit a chiropractor because of back or neck issues. If you have back pain, neck pain, or sciatica, you may consult with a chiropractor.
During your meeting, the chiropractor will ask questions about your pain, what brought it on, and how your symptoms are behaving. A thorough past medical history will be obtained.
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A Recent Study On Chiropractic Care For Low Back Pain
A 2018 study published in JAMA Network Open is among the latest to weigh in on the pros and cons of chiropractic care for treating low back pain. Researchers enrolled 750 active-duty military personnel who complained of back pain. Half were randomly assigned to receive usual care while the other half received usual care plus up to 12 chiropractic treatments.
After six weeks of treatment, those assigned to receive chiropractic care:
- reported less pain intensity
- experienced less disability and more improvement in function
- reported higher satisfaction with their treatment
- needed less pain medicine.
While no serious side effects were reported, about 10% of those receiving chiropractic care described adverse effects . Five percent of those receiving usual care had similar complaints.
Signs Its Time To See A Chiropractor For Your Lower Back Pain
For many patients with lower back pain, accepting that chiropractic treatment is needed and booking the first appointment is far more difficult than following through with consistent treatment over time. Many will try massage therapy before trying chiropractic care because it seems more relaxing and hints that the condition causing back pain is less severe, but that form of treatment might not be enough. Others simply live with the pain until it becomes unbearable and facing the problem is no longer an option. Here are some signs it might be time to see a chiropractor for your lower back pain.
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Differences In Approach Between Chiropractors And Orthopedists
The most significant difference between orthopedists and chiropractors is their approach to treatment. Orthopedic surgeons typically rely on medications and surgical interventions to treat their patients’ conditions. On the other hand, chiropractors take a more natural approach, using manipulation of the spine and joints to realign the musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractors believe that many issues with the musculoskeletal system result from misalignments in the spine. They believe that these alignments can cause pain and other health problems when they occur in the neck, back, and pelvic regions. Chiropractors use a variety of techniques to restore proper alignment and improve the patient’s health.
Orthopedists typically do not believe that misalignments in the spine are the sole cause of musculoskeletal issues. They typically rely on medications and surgery to treat their patients’ conditions.
When it comes to deciding whether to visit a chiropractor or orthopedist for your pain, there are several factors to consider. Both types of specialists are highly educated and trained in treating issues with muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons. However, their approaches to treatment differ greatly.
- Back and neck pain
- Injuries from car accidents and whiplash
- Issues with spinal discs
Both may recommend treatment such as physical therapy to aid in the healing of such ailments. However, the typical approach to these issues differs vastly among chiropractors and orthopedists.
Indications For When To See A Spine Surgeon For Low Back Pain
Low back surgery is only capable of correcting anatomical conditions that result in either spinal instability or nerve pinching. If either of these problems is present on an imaging study and the patients symptoms fit with the clinical and radiographic picture, then spine surgery may be indicated. If there is no identifiable anatomic cause of a patients low back pain , then back surgery is not an option. If non-surgical treatments fail to alleviate a patients pain, this is not in and of itself an indication for having spine surgery. There must also be an anatomical lesion that can be identified as the cause of the patients low back pain.
See Surgery for Lower Back Pain
The decision on whether or not to undergo back surgery for low back pain is almost always the patients decision. Only in rare instances such as cauda equina syndrome or an abdominal aortic aneurysm is immediate medical attention required. The spine surgeon should be able to give the patient enough information about the pros and cons of the procedure to assist the patient with his or her decision making process. A spine surgeon who be either an orthopedic spine surgeon or a neurosurgeon that specializes in spine surgery.
Important factors that patients may want to consider prior to seeing a spine surgeon for their low back pain include:
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If Youve Experienced Back Pain You May Have Considered Chiropractic Care Or A Massage Treatment To Alleviate Pain And Discomfort
It is estimated that 80 percent of the U.S. adult population will experience low back pain in their lifetime. In many cases, holistic treatments such as visiting a chiropractor or receiving a massage can reduce or eliminate your pain. Understanding the fundamental differences between the two could help you select the best treatment method for your specific needs.
Treating Pain With Chiropractic Care
If you have a condition that needs professional attention, you may find yourself asking Well, how often should you get a chiropractic adjustment? This answer will vary widely depending on the individual, how much pain they are experiencing, and the circumstances that caused their pain.
You and your chiropractor will discuss a specific treatment plan that will be most beneficial to you, depending on your condition. Below, you can get a general idea of how many visits you can expect to attend:
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Should I Visit A Doctor Or Chiropractor For Back Pain
Back Pain: The Right Professional to Call for Help
You’ve undoubtedly handled a lot of stressors in life.
Those pressures can be accompanied by a lot of trouble, not only mentally and emotionally, but also physically.
When feeling pain, it is vital to call for help the right help, that is.
Many are doubtful and confused as to where to find the right professional who can treat a throbbing back pain.
There are those who claim doctors are the way to go, while others swear by chiropractic treatment..
So which is the correct one to choose?
How Often Are You Experiencing The Pain
You need to figure out how often youre experiencing the pain. If its only been once or twice, then you might be able to wait a little while before seeing a chiropractor. However, if the pain is something that youre dealing with on a regular basis, then you should go ahead and make an appointment. This will help to ensure that you get the relief that you need.
There are some instances where its best to see a chiropractor as soon as possible. For example, if youve recently had a car accident or if youre pregnant, then its important to seek out assistance from a professional right away. In other cases, though, waiting a little while might be the best option.
Once you find the pain unbearable, a chiropractor will ensure that you will find relief. frequency of pain is a big factor when it comes to chiropractors!
If the frequency of your back pain is something that has been increasing, then you also might want to go ahead and make an appointment with a doctor. This will help to ensure that you get the relief that you need. There are some instances where its best to see a chiropractor as soon as possible.
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