Chiropractic Health, Chiropractic Facts and Chiropractic Statistics
According to statistics, there are approximately 60 million Americans who have some form of chronic pain (1). The second most common reason Americans visit their physician is for low back discomfort.
Over the years, the use of opioids and prescription analgesics has increased with the rise in the prevalence of pain. Within this same time frame, visits to healthcare professionals declined somewhat, which may indicate that patients prefer to treat pain with pharmaceutical methods rather than provider-based non-pharmacological treatment.
Finding alternatives to prescription painkillers is what many people are interested in. One possible pain-management option is chiropractic care, particularly if you have neck or back pain.
What Is Chiropractic Care and what we should know about chiropractic?
Chiropractic health is a recognized branch of medicine that places a strong emphasis on the body’s capacity to self-heal. Manual therapy is generally used as part of treatment, frequently including spinal manipulation from a qualified expert. These adjustments assist in realigning your joints and provide pain relief that might have been caused by impairments and blockages that often creates symptoms such as muscle spasms, inflammation, pain, tension, numbness, and joint mobility restrictions.
Treatment that involves chiropractors helps reduce the pain that may occur in your joints, muscles, bones, cartilage, and connective tissue. Depending on the specific pain or spine related issues you are experiencing, getting a chiropractic health care will help concentrate on various regions and parts of your body including the spine.
Although chiropractic and acupuncture care are similar in several ways, and the combination of the two therapies may help treat some disorders. Generally, chiropractors are more likely to treat your ailments by physically manipulating you. Physical therapists frequently place a greater emphasis on stretching and exercise-based injury rehabilitation.
Facts About Chiropractic Care and Acupuncture
These two natural holistic approaches in traditional medicine for the treatment of pain may seem similar but they are not. While chiropractic and acupuncture methods have non-invasive healing origins, their differences run much deeper.
Acupuncture involves inserting tiny needles into the skin to stimulate specific locations on the body, which are subsequently moved manually. It is said to function by controlling the body’s “qi,” or energy flow. Acupuncture is one of the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine, this practice has been practiced for hundreds of years in Asian nations. Alternative medicine professionals
frequently suggest acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain, such as joint pain, back pain, and neck pain.
Apart from the needles, the problem with acupuncture is that reports of its benefits are inconsistent and often subjective in nature. This is because two individuals can be treated for the same ailment, and one person may experience significant improvement while the other experiences minimal to no improvement.
On the other hand, Chiropractic has more proven results, with many patients reporting remarkable physical changes after the Chiropractor care profession treatment. It is difficult to argue against visibly fixed posture and being free from pain.
Acupuncture does not offer the same holistic lifestyle analysis, which means you might have to go through duplicate treatments to maintain pain relief. Acupuncturists prescribe herbal supplements or remedies while chiropractors have access to pain relief medications and management prescriptions.
Fun facts: 125 years of Chiropractic Vs Massage, Are They The Same?
Although their methods may look similar, chiropractors and massage therapists have completely different approaches. Both of these can aid in reducing the discomfort that is impairing your quality of life. Yet, while massage therapists are primarily focused on the muscles, chiropractic care addresses the spine and its posture. A messages therapist uses various massage methods with the help of oils and lotions to help relieve stiffness, muscle pain, and tension. This increases the flow of blood to various parts of the body and aids recovery.
You may wonder if it is necessary to visit both a chiropractor and a massage therapist for optimum benefit, the answer to this question is that your physician should help you make this informed decision because it depends on the uniqueness of your situation.
Back Pain – When To Visit A Chiropractor
When to see a chiropractor? It is advantageous to visit a chiropractor as it significantly enhances your physical and mental health. The truth is that many people only consider visiting a chiropractor after something has gone wrong or when they are unable to stand their pain symptoms any longer. It should not be like this. A chiropractor can assist in preventing issues before they arise. Even though most individuals know that they should visit a chiropractor if they are having back discomfort, there are other signs to be aware of. These are ten indications that you ought to visit a chiropractor:
1. Persistent back pain – benefits of chiropractic care
If you are experiencing persistent back pain, this is one of the easiest ways to tell if you need to visit a chiropractic wellness center. That is discomfort that you have been feeling for more than three months. Back pain can be caused by a variety of things, including accidents, aging, arthritis, sitting posture, the kind of work you do, how much time you spend standing up each day, the type of bed you sleep in, and the kind of employment you perform. Without the use of invasive surgery or pain medications, a chiropractor can relieve your discomfort.
2. Restricted Motion Range
You should visit a chiropractor if you discover that your arms, hips, legs, or neck are less flexible than they once were or if they do not rotate or turn as far in either direction as they once did. The body’s range of motion is increased, discomfort is reduced, and joint friction is avoided with chiropractic adjustments that realign the bones and joints. The body works best when its range of motion is normal.
3. After an accident or Trauma
Accidents or trauma caused by a collision involving cars or motorcycles can result in significant injuries that can only be treated by a chiropractor with experience. Several chiropractors who focus on treating auto accident injuries are skilled at identifying and treating a wide range of injuries.
The force of the collision after a car accident can cause your spine and other joints of the body to fall out of alignment. A chiropractor can significantly reduce the pain caused by a car accident injury by adjusting and realigning these joints. A medical massage vs acupuncture therapy can be used to treat any following pain and inflammation.
Chiropractic care can also contribute to enhancing the range of motion and mobility, which might be limited following an accident. This can quicken your overall healing and recovery time after an accident and help you avoid injuries from occurring by tackling any structural deficiencies or weaknesses that could have occurred or been enhanced by the accident.
4. Sitting for long periods and spinal manipulation for spinal pain
If your job or school requires you to sit for long periods, especially hunched over a keyboard, it is not uncommon to wind up with very poor posture. When using a laptop for extended periods, you frequently have to reposition your head to see the screen well. This requires you to maintain a stooped or slouched posture, which tightens your neck and chest muscles and invariably places additional pressure on your cervical spine.
The pressure can cause the discs and bones to shift enough to cause problems such as a slipped or herniated disc.
A chiropractor can make sure your spine is aligned correctly, so you do not run into any future problems.
5. Treatment of headache
Many conditions such as spinal or neck misalignment, dehydration, lack of oxygen, and malnutrition can all result in headaches. A chiropractor can help with headache relief and blood flow improvement, therefore enhancing the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain.
According to the research done by the American Chiropractic Association, for many people who suffer migraines or headaches of any sort, performing a spine manipulation can be a successful headache therapy alternative.
Chiropractic adjustments can relieve both chronic and short-term neck pain, which can lessen your likelihood of getting headaches of any kind, including migraines, tension headaches, and other types.
Most chiropractors also do this by altering the position of the spine using specific techniques to enhance spinal function and reduce nervous system stress. Hence, your body can operate more properly, and your risk of building tension that leads to headaches.
6. 125 years of Chiropractic Profession for Muscle or Joint Pain
For most people when they have joint or muscle pain, their first instinct is to take pain medications. Some joint or muscle pain originates from musculoskeletal misalignment and so your first instinct shouldn’t be to grab that ibuprofen, rather, it should be to visit a chiropractor.
Chiropractic therapy is based on the idea that when your spine’s bones are perfectly aligned, your nerve system functions at its peak, benefiting not only your muscles and joints but also the rest of your body’s systems. It is frequently used to treat musculoskeletal discomfort.
Chiropractic treatment is a type of manual therapy, which means that doctors administer care using their hands and other specialized equipment.
What is Chiropractic Traction?
Chiropractic traction is a method used by chiropractors when they feel the need to slightly move the vertebrae apart. The discs of the spine act as a cushion between the vertebrae, preventing the bones from rubbing against one another. Also, this space allows nerves to leave the spine and pass through to various organs in the body. The body feels at peace when the vertebrae in your spine are adequately aligned and the discs are in good condition.
A herniated disc results when the disc is damaged, which can happen after an accident or trauma to the backbone. This frequently results in direct vertebral pressure being applied to the nerves, which almost always causes pain. Traction therapy is done in such a way that the vertebrae where the disc is damaged are carefully pulled apart. People who have gone through the process attest to the fact that It is painless. Separating the discs slightly allows for some healing and often results in immediate pain relief. This will aid the disc in receiving more supplies and initiating the healing process (2).
Chiropractic vs Orthopedic, What Is The Difference?
Chiropractors and orthopedic doctors both specialize in the human musculoskeletal system. This system includes the muscles, bones, joints, tendons, nerves, and ligaments. To be able to move with ease, this complex system requires all of its parts to be healthy and work together. Chiropractors diagnose and treat musculoskeletal diseases, as well as the effects of the disorders on the nervous system. On the other hand, Orthopedists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, disorders, and injuries affecting the skeleton, muscles, joints, and other supporting structures.
Can Chiropractic Help With Ear Infection?
Chiropractic for ear infections is more common than you think. Chiropractors assist in controlling and reducing the swelling and pain caused by an ear infection. Chiropractic for ear infections is a non-invasive and safe alternative to prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications, which are often suggested to treat the pain and swelling brought on by ear infections (4).
To relieve pain and improve the function of the affected joint and the nervous system, chiropractic adjustments are used to repair joint misalignments in the spine and other parts of the body. A chiropractor will create a chiropractic adjustment plan during a session that focuses on any joint or spine misalignments or obstructions.
This procedure helps to decrease swelling and pressure, letting the fluid in the ear flow more freely. This causes your body to better manage inflammation and pain.
Amazing Chiropractic Facts or facts about chiropractors you didn’t know
Adults and children who want to see a doctor of chiropractic for neck and back pain may want to read below facts about chiropractic or facts about chiropractors. Here are some chiropractic facts you didn’t know about the benefits of chiropractic care.
1. It’s a chiropractic fact that Chiropractors are doctors
Some people think chiropractors are less trained than doctors. That’s a fallacy. They both spend almost the same number of years in school. The only difference is while medical doctors go ahead to focus on surgery and pharmaceuticals, chiropractors further on neurology and nutrition. A chiropractic fact is that three in four chiropractic patients often see a health care profession along with a chiropractic profession for their back and neck pain.
2. It’s chiropractic statistics that Chiropractic care can prevent illness
Another Chiropractic fact is that chiropractic care can help prevent diseases. You do not have to be in pain before consulting a chiropractor. Remember that this method decreases inflammation and boosts brain activity which in turn boosts your immune system. Regular visits to your chiropractor can result in fewer visits relating to flu, cold and sore throats.
3. A chiropractic clinic is Great for Pregnant Women
This is a safe and beneficial practice for pregnant women. Chiropractic care adjusts and balances the uterus and pelvis. This creates more room for the fetus and mother. It can also eliminate lower back pain pregnant women experience.
4. A doctor of Chiropractic may Improves Brain Function
Chiropractic facts are numerous, but a common one is that brain activity increases a chiropractic adjustment. This is because the spine is connected to the nervous system in the brain. There’s better control of bodily functions, regulated hormones, less inflammation, and improved muscle strength.
5. Another fun facts about chiropractic patients
Although chiropractic patients may not fully know about chiropractic or understand the benefits of chiropractic care, yet chiropractors treat more sports injuries than the medical doctors.
How To Find A Chiropractor
Some chiropractors are found in wellness centers where they establish their business or in health centers. Chiropractic and wellness go hand in hand. To be able to choose the best Chiropractic and wellness center, find out whether the chiropractor has won any honors. Spend some time reading their reviews as well. Do they receive a lot of positive feedback? Are their reviews generic or do they contain content that demonstrates how much their patients genuinely trust them and how well cared for they were? Also, don’t focus only on positive reviews. Check to see if they have negative reviews, read the reasons why they were, and try to determine if the chiropractor attempted to fix the issue.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7578188/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211585/
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000416.htm
https://www.genesismedical.org/blog/having-back-pain-here-s-how-a-chiropractor-can-help