Chiropractic Treatment, Pain Relief, and Chiropractic Care

Most people who seek relief alternatives for back pain prefer chiropractic treatment. In fact, an estimated twenty million Americans patronize chiropractors each year. Out of that population, 35% (7.7 million), seek relief from pain caused by muscle strains, accidents, and sports injuries.

What is Chiropractic Treatment?

Chiropractic treatment involves the use of hands-on methods to manipulate the spine. It is based on the premise that when the musculoskeletal structure of the body is properly aligned, especially the spine, it will help the body heal without medication or surgery. This manipulation helps to restore the mobility of joints that suffered restrictions due to traumatic events that caused an injury. These traumatic events include falling and repetitive stress like sitting without good back support.

Furthermore, chiropractic treatment serves as an alternative pain relief for bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissues such as tendons, cartilages, and ligaments. Sometimes, patients use it alongside conventional medical care. One experienced Aloha chiropractor suggests that chiropractic care, exercises, and a healthy lifestyle can lead to total wellness of the body.

What Conditions Require Chiropractic Care?

Basically, chiropractors treat problems related to the body’s structure. The aim is to provide pain relief and improvement of function. They do not do surgery or prescribe drugs. Rather, they manipulate or adjust the spine as well as other parts of the body to place them in the appropriate position. Below are some common ailments that require chiropractic care and they do not all relate to the spine.

Knee Pain

Often, the knee experiences wear leading to knee osteoarthritis, which is a common condition. However, chiropractic care may help the condition by doing some back adjustments alongside knee adjustments. The treatment works better when you use only knee exercises. Some patients who use chiropractic treatment experience better movement and less pain after a short period of treatment.

Lower BackAche

This is a common reason why people visit chiropractors. Most studies on the manipulation of the spine focus on lower backache. Some studies suggest that people suffering from this condition got relief from visiting chiropractors than their family doctors.

Shoulder Pain

When people talk about chiropractic care, they almost always think about neck and back pain. However, chiropractors provide solutions to painful and stiff shoulders, also known as the frozen shoulder syndrome. To solve this problem, chiropractors stretch the shoulder muscles and teach you how to do more stretches by yourself.

Neck Pain

Here, neck manipulations or adjustments come in handy when used with exercises. They even work better than when you use medications. If you have experienced discomfort in your neck for a long period which isn’t because of an accident, you may consider visiting a chiropractor.

Sacroiliac Pain

The sacroiliac joint (SI) is big and joins at the base of the spine. A problem in the SI causes a different kind of lower backache. You may feel it behind your thigh or inside your buttocks. Here, the chiropractor will use some adjustments and advice you on ways to avoid straining the SI joint. They may also give you certain exercises that will help strengthen the muscles supporting the joint.

Whiplash

This is a neck sprain caused by an auto accident. It causes stiffness and pain in the neck, which may worsen when you move your head sideways. It may even result in dizziness. Chiropractors use neck adjustments, stretching, and exercise to treat the condition. They also show patients how to use ice or heat to reduce swelling and muscle spasms at home.

Migraine Headaches

Chiropractic care can reduce the frequency of migraines, reduce pain, and also the need to take migraine medication. All these are made possible by using techniques that help patients to reduce stress, which in turn, decreases the occurrence of migraines.

Additionally, migraine triggers may include some foods. Therefore, the chiropractor may recommend certain changes in diet to treat the migraine. You can check out https://www.healthline.com/health/foods-that-trigger-migraines to see a list of foods that trigger migraines.

Tension Headaches

Neck adjustments may help reduce the effects of tension headaches, which are a popular headache variant that causes neck and head pain. Bad posture and stress can lead to tension headaches. Hence, the chiropractor will suggest ways to reduce your stress level and relieve the headaches. These will include body mechanics and proper posture.

Risks and Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Generally, chiropractic care and spinal manipulation are considered effective and safe treatments for different types of pain. This is especially true for acute backache, a more popular case than chronic pain. It is a sudden injury resulting from being tackled or moving furniture. It also gets better with chiropractic care after a few weeks.

Furthermore, research shows that chiropractic care can help to treat headaches and neck pain. Also, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis respond better to the pressure from chiropractic tissue massage. However, research has not certified the potency of sclerotherapy or prolotherapy used by medical doctors, some chiropractors, and osteopaths for chronic backache treatment.

Chronic backaches come gradually or suddenly and last more than 3 months. The therapies used to take care of the condition involve injections like anesthetics or sugar water. The aim is to strengthen the back ligaments.

People suffering from inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis, or compression of the spinal cord, or taking medications that thin the blood should not go for spinal manipulation. Also, if you have suffered cancer, you must get clearance from your doctor before you can undergo spinal adjustments.

Chiropractic treatments are hinged on a precise diagnosis of the pain. As a result, the practitioner must have adequate knowledge of a patient’s medical history, as well as current medications, lifestyle factors, and surgical/traumatic history.

There are cases where neck adjustments resulted in injury in the spinal cord, or treatment for slipped or herniated disc worsened the condition. However, these cases are rare. But you and the practitioner must play safe by checking with your doctor to be sure that chiropractic care or other alternatives to pain relief will be beneficial to you.

Conclusion

Chiropractic care is an alternative to medications and thrives on the fact that the body can heal on its own. It involves adjustments or manipulations on the affected body part along with stretches and exercises. As mentioned earlier, ensure you get clearance from your doctor before seeking alternative treatments.