What are the Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor?
Could You Benefit from Chiropractic Care?
Approximately 22 million Americans visit a chiropractor each year.
If you are already seeing a physical therapist to restore your functional potential, you may not realize how chiropractic care can also be integrated in the same treatment plan for optimum results.
While our physical therapists focus on reducing your pain and increasing your mobility so you may maintain an active lifestyle, chiropractic care to restore spinal alignment and uninterrupted nerve flow to the rest of your body will enhance your overall health.
Many find they recover faster and sustain wellness longer when integrating chiropractic with other specialties like physical therapy or acupuncture, achieving peak levels of physical function.
At our clinic, you have the option of integrating chiropractic with physical therapy or acupuncture services, based on your condition and individual needs.
A chiropractor is extensively trained in adjusting the spine and extremity joints with manipulation and mobilization techniques. We specialize in manual Diversified Chiropractic adjusting of restricted joints as well as instrument assisted, should either be preferred.
If you are interested in learning how chiropractic care can positively impact your health and wellness, contact us today!
What can chiropractic care do?
As stated by Mayo Clinic, “Chiropractic adjustment is a procedure in which trained specialists (chiropractors) use their hands or a small instrument to apply a controlled, sudden force to a spinal joint. The goal of this procedure, also known as spinal manipulation, is to improve spinal motion and improve your body’s physical function.”
While some may think you need to be in pain or suffering from a particular condition to benefit from chiropractic care, being proactive in maintaining a healthy spine for preventative measures can be even more valuable to your lifestyle.
When your mobility becomes reduced due to pain, your pain and pressure on the affected area can become more severe – causing a vicious cycle of increased pain and decreased mobility.
Chiropractic care can help reverse this. Chiropractic adjustments help to increase mobility in the affected area, thus reducing pain and enabling a greater range of motion.
Most of us think of spinal manipulation only when it comes to chiropractic care – and that is, in fact, often a key part of chiropractic treatment.
Precise adjustments made by qualified professionals work to align vertebrae, while providing a greater range of motion. These precisely applied adjustments also adjust nerves themselves, making the pressure on the nerves much less severe.
In addition to any spine and extremity manipulation, your chiropractor may also choose to perform complementary techniques based on your condition and individual needs:
- Mobilization. This occurs when the practitioner strategically moves the affected area in various positions, in order to reposition vertebrae or extremity joints, reducing any adhesions for improved mobility.
- Manual traction. This occurs when the patient either sits on the table or lies down on the table facing up. The chiropractor gently stretches the affected area in a specific direction to relieve pressure on a painful joint or nerve.
- Mechanical traction. The Flexion-Distraction technique involves the use of a specialized table that gently distracts or stretches the spine while, allowing the doctor to isolate the spinal area of involvement, while slightly flexing the spine in a gentle “pumping” rhythm. Treatment sessions are brief, comfortable and may be a suitable option for those with high levels of pain or acute back injury that are unable to tolerate other techniques.
How can chiropractic care help me specifically?
The Mayo Clinic also states that “Chiropractic adjustment can be effective in treating low back pain, although much of the research done shows only a modest benefit — similar to the results of more conventional treatments. Some studies suggest that spinal manipulation also may be effective for headaches and other spine-related conditions, such as neck pain.”
There are many additional conditions that a chiropractor can help relieve, including, but not limited to:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Herniated discs
- Sciatica
- Pinched nerves
- Muscle spasms
- Sports injuries
- Headaches
- Arthritis
- Spinal Stenosis
Many athletes also seek the help of a chiropractor for preventative measures and to increase their sports performance. In fact, according to Tom Brady,
“Chiropractic just makes you feel so much better. When I walk out of the clinic, I feel like I’m about three inches taller and everything’s in place. And as long as I see the chiropractor, I feel like I’m one step ahead of the game.”