What Is Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic is a profession, not a treatment. As a profession, chiropractors are qualified medical professionals with different education to manage many prevalent health ailments. Chiropractors use methods, including joint manipulation, physical therapy modalities, patient education, manual therapy, nutrition, and rehabilitation exercises, to approach each patient's individual circumstances.
As chronic pain proceeds to rise within the US healthcare system, chiropractors employ proven techniques to lessen pain and disability without the need for medicines and surgery in most situations. Here are a couple of reasons people may choose to visit a chiropractor.
Chronic back pain
Most people connect chiropractors with low back pain (LBP)- and rightly so. LBP troubles our community as one of the most well-known causes of disability and healthcare expenses. Joint dysfunction in the lower back is a prime risk determinant for the growth & progression of low back degeneration.
(1) Luckily, chiropractors give researched backed treatment of these joints through spinal manipulation, exercise, and specific patient education. Most subjects have reduced pain inside their first visit.
Nagging Neck Pain
Neck pain is the second most frequent reason patients visit a chiropractor. Corrections to daily habits, postural stresses, and workstation ergonomics remain among the most prevalent activities resulting in a stiff or painful neck. If neck stiffness is left untreated, a person may exhibit restricted joints and less range of motion. Spinal manipulation, performed by chiropractors, has unequalled benefits and safety for these types of neck pain. (2)
Manipulation, in conjunction with activity and postural reeducation, usually alleviates symptoms promptly.
Persistent Pain
A chiropractor will designate time with you to understand your specific pain presentation. They will ask questions, conduct a physical exam, and perhaps order imaging to explain your condition entirely. Your pain is multi-dimensional, affecting numerous sections of your life—and so should your treatment plan. A chiropractor can carefully design a care plan to attack all of the postures, activities, hobbies, and stresses that may be resulting in your chronic pain.
Headaches
Headaches affect nearly half of the population. 15-25% of all headaches arise from the cervical spine. The successful management of headache patients requires a multifaceted approach with spinal manipulation as a cornerstone of therapy.
Several studies have shown the effectiveness of spinal manipulation for these kinds of headaches. (3-5) A recent study in The Spine Journal discovered that spinal manipulation cuts the number of symptomatic headache days in half, and the number of procedures has a linear dose-response to improvement. (4) Chiropractors can quickly identify the type of headache and the most appropriate treatment strategy.
Avoid Long-Term Opioid Dependence
Opioid prescriptions often have one frequent cause—acute pain. However, most acute pain is due to musculoskeletal damage, sometimes referred to as mechanical neck and back pain. Mechanical pain does not usually react well to a chemical solvent(opioids). This weak treatment leads to diminished outcomes and continuous use. Opioid dependence, tolerance, and addiction usually commence following an acute problem such as a dental procedure, surgery, or injury. More than 25% of chronic use happens after post-operative or injury-related pain. (6). Here is how chiropractors are assisting with the opioid epidemic:
- Chiropractors practice in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders: their principal responsibility to the patient is to thoroughly diagnose them—not treat them.
- Chiropractor's unique training allows them to find what is creating the pain and strive towards finding a solution—not just covering it up.
- Chiropractors select the right treatment, for the right patient, at the right time to resolve problems speedily.
- As a profession, chiropractors are an integrated part of the answer to the opioid epidemic.