Considering a Chiropractor? Here’s Why You Should

It's no secret that modern life takes a toll on our bodies. From sitting in front of a computer all day to lugging around heavy bags, it's no wonder that many suffer from back pain, headaches, and other musculoskeletal issues.

People looking for relief often turn to medications or surgery. But there’s another solution—chiropractic care. Discover what a chiropractor is, what they do, and how they can help.

What Is a Chiropractor?

A chiropractor is a medical professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions related to the bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They primarily use manual adjustments or manipulation of the spine to address these conditions.

Chiropractors use a hands-on and non-surgical approach to treating disorders in patients of all ages—infants, children, and adults.

What Does a Chiropractor Do?

To have a better understanding of your overall health, chiropractors will ask about your medical history and take note of any vital signs, such as body temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

In addition, they will need to look for spinal curves or other health indicators. To do this, they will most likely use their hands to feel your spine and the muscles as well as other soft tissues that support it.

Chiropractic treatment may also require:

• Orthopedic examinations: this examination aims to identify issues with the spine, bones, joints, muscles and soft tissues like ligaments, and tendons. To do this, doctors will often move the joint and assess its range of motion.

• Neurological examinations: Neurological examinations are designed to assess motor, sensory, and cranial nerve function. The patient's reflexes and numbness can also be evaluated through this exam.

The goal of chiropractic treatment is to rely on the body's natural ability to heal itself without prescribing medication.

When Should You Consider Chiropractic Treatment?

Many people find satisfaction just in watching videos of patients getting their bones cracked by a chiropractor. They are curious about chiropractic treatment and often want to try it right away. However, the question is, when is the right time for chiropractic treatment?

The best way to determine if you would benefit from seeing a chiropractor is to consult with one. Of course, the best people to ask if your condition can be helped by chiropractic care are chiropractors!

If you are struggling with everyday tasks and your favorite hobbies have fallen by the wayside due to nagging body pain, this is when chiropractic care can step in.

This natural treatment can also prevent potential health conditions by keeping your spine and joints healthy, even when there are no current symptoms.

What Are the Benefits of Chiropractic Treatment?

You may think of chiropractic care as a way to relieve back pain, but did you know that it can provide many other benefits as well? Chiropractic treatment is a natural and drug-free approach to healthcare that can be used to treat a variety of conditions.

Here are other benefits of chiropractic treatment you may not be aware of:

• Eases body pain
• Reduces the need for pain relievers
• Minimizes osteoarthritis risk
• Helps achieve proper posture
• Improves athletic performance
• Lessens scoliosis symptoms

What Health Conditions Can Chiropractors Treat?

While people come in for chiropractic adjustments for different reasons. The following are the most common conditions that bring people into seeking a chiropractic adjustment:

1. Frozen Shoulders

One of the main reasons why people consult chiropractors is Adhesive Capsulitis, commonly known as frozen shoulder. It's the condition where the muscles surrounding the shoulder become painful and stiff.

Aside from aching backs, chiropractors are also capable of loosening frozen shoulders through chiropractic sessions that include stretches and massages. People often say that they can move more freely or the pain is more bearable after availing of these sessions.

Other treatments that have been proven effective for frozen shoulder syndrome are joint distension and shoulder manipulation.

2. Sinus Relief

One of the best benefits of chiropractic treatment includes a stronger immune system and improved central nervous system function. When a chiropractor adjusts your neck, it takes the pressure off of your brain. The relaxation of your throat muscles lets your sinus drainage passages in your head open up, making it easier for the mucus to drain.

As a result, you can feel and breathe better without having to take any medications.

3. Injuries

After sustaining a major injury, most patients rely on chiropractic care to help them recover. Injuries often bring pain, extreme discomfort, limited range of motion, and bone misalignment.

Chiropractors treat them with therapies like ultrasound, adjustment, massage, exercises, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to help patients ease their pain and recover.

Along with treatment for less severe injuries, chiropractors also help patients who have been in truck, motorcycle, and car accidents. As well as those suffering from traumatic brain injuries or "slip and fall" accidents.

4. Headaches

Tension headaches are caused by contracting or tensing of neck and scalp muscles. Muscle contractions can be a reaction to things like stress, depression, head injury, or anxiety. Tension headaches can cause the muscles to lock or spasm bringing discomfort from your lower jaw and even to the top of your head.

These headaches can occur if you work for hours on end with an improper posture or with your neck and back in a fixed position.

Thanks to chiropractic targeted methods, chiropractors can improve your spinal function and lessen stress on the nervous system. This lets your body operate more normally, which in turn reduces the buildup of tension that can cause headaches.

5. Sacroiliac Pain

The sacroiliac (SI) joint is located at the base of your spine. When this area becomes inflamed or aggravated, it results in low back pain that can be felt in the buttocks or down the back of your leg. Chiropractic adjustments are a common and effective treatment for SI joint pain.

The chiropractor will not only show you effective methods to avoid straining your SI joint but also give you exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles.

Also, there are two main approaches to chiropractic manipulation for sacroiliac joint dysfunction:

• Gentle/less forceful adjustment, also known as Spinal Mobilization or low-velocity, low-amplitude thrust.
• Traditional chiropractic adjustment, also known as Spinal Manipulation or high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust.

6. Back Pain

Above all else, people who suffer from back pain. Aside from back pain, chiropractic treatments offer a huge relief to patients who experience discomfort, postural issues, localized pain, or more complicated problems like fibromyalgia.

If you're looking to treat back problems specifically through this method, your practitioner will likely start by doing a physical examination to determine what's causing the patient's discomfort.

7. Neck Pain:

The neck is an essential, yet relatively fragile, part of the body. It contains seven small vertebrae which chiropractors label the cervical spine—which can be damaged due to accidents, injuries, or poor posture. These damages can cause stiff movements or even immobility.

Worry not, your chiropractor can help alleviate these conditions by performing chiropractic adjustments to your cervical spine and surrounding joints.

Achieve Wellness Through Chiropractic Care

There are many reasons why you should consider seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis even if you don’t have any pain or other health problems. If you are looking for an alternative to traditional medicine, read on to learn more about the benefits of chiropractic care.