9 Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief

Chiropractic treatments are natural alternatives to pain medication. It provides relief from pain and helps reduce the risk of injury. Here are the benefits of chiropractic care for pain relief.

What Can a Chiropractic Treat? 

Chiropractors focus on the health of your nervous system, which controls everything in your body. They treat many conditions and offer advice on injury prevention and lifestyle changes to promote better overall health.

Some common problems that chiropractors manage include: 

• Back pain
• Joint pain
• Spinal pain
• Muscle pain
• Soft tissue pain
• Headaches or migraines
• Neck pain 
• Shoulder pain

A typical chiropractic treatment session usually involves a series of spinal adjustments, sometimes called manipulation or “spinal manipulative therapy” (SMT), to help restore normal movement and alignment of the vertebrae in your spine. In addition to spinal adjustments, which target the bones in your back, it’s common for chiropractors to recommend specific exercises or stretches. They may prescribe muscular therapy, like electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback and spinal traction, and provide dietary recommendations.

Overall, chiropractic adjustment can help reduce pain from various injuries and conditions affecting your nervous system. 

In addition to helping relieve pain, some chiropractors also work with their patients to reduce the risk of future injuries. For instance, they choose specific exercises and stretches to improve mobility in your back, neck, or other areas of your body.

What Does Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief Involve?

Chiropractors specialize in spinal health and musculoskeletal disorders, which can cause pain and other symptoms if not properly treated. Chiropractors help patients recover from injuries or manage chronic conditions like arthritis more effectively by using various techniques to manipulate the spine and joints gently. In addition to manual therapies, many chiropractors offer therapeutic modalities, lifestyle advice, and nutritional counseling to help their patients achieve optimal health.

Chiropractic adjustment focuses on diagnosing and treating various disorders in the musculoskeletal system. It includes issues with your spine, joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and nerves, typically caused by mechanical problems stemming from poor posture and injury. Chiropractors use various techniques to gently manipulate the spine and joints to restore proper functioning and decrease pain associated with these disorders.

One of the critical components of chiropractic care is manual manipulation, which aims to ease tension or stiffness in your spinal joints by applying controlled, targeted pressure. This can help improve joint function, restore movement, and reduce pain or other symptoms. Different techniques are used depending on the type of condition or injury being treated.

For example, if you have a herniated disc in your back, your chiropractor may use spinal mobilization to stretch and relax the tissues around the affected disc gently. This can help remove pressure and reduce inflammation, alleviating pain and other symptoms.

In addition to manual techniques, many chiropractors offer therapeutic modalities as part of their treatment plans. These may include cold laser therapy, ultrasound, or electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). These treatments are applied directly to the affected area, helping to reduce pain and inflammation. They may also help to improve blood flow, which can expedite healing and improve function.

Beyond manual treatment and therapeutic modalities, many chiropractors offer additional services that can be helpful for their patients' overall health. This may include nutritional counseling, lifestyle advice like exercise and stress management, and self-care techniques like meditation or stretching. By addressing the underlying factors that can cause musculoskeletal disorders, chiropractors can help patients achieve optimal wellness and maintain their health for years to come.

9 Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor to Relieve and Manage Pain

Working with a chiropractor for pain relief offers a variety of benefits.

1. Pain Relief without Reliance on Addictive Pain Medicine

Chiropractic treatment is a popular alternative therapy for treating pain without the need for prescription medication. Chiropractors specialize in diagnosing and treating mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, along with other conditions that can be aggravated by poor alignment or function of these joints. Many people who choose chiropractic treatment for musculoskeletal pain find that other ailments improve, such as headaches, digestive difficulties, and stress.

2. Improve or Restore Mobility

Chiropractic treatment is a rehabilitative therapy used to treat injuries and other musculoskeletal conditions. It works on the spine and the nervous system, which helps restore lost mobility by improving strength, flexibility, and posture – factors that are critical in maintaining an optimal balance.

3. Quicker Healing from Injuries

Chiropractic treatment focuses on diagnosing, managing, and preventing mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system. It works by realigning joints to control pain and improve functioning.
Chiropractic treatment can help accelerate healing from injuries or chronic conditions. For some people, chiropractic treatment can be particularly beneficial and effective in rehabilitating acute musculoskeletal injuries, such as back pain, neck pain, and sports-related strains and sprains.

4. Lower Blood Pressure

Chiropractic care has been shown to reduce blood pressure. Compared to conventional care for high blood pressure, chiropractic patients experience a modest but significant drop in blood pressure without needing to take blood pressure-lowering medications.

5. Improved Posture

Chiropractic manual therapy improves posture by realigning the spine. Patients who received chiropractic care saw improvements in back pain and trunk asymmetry, both risk factors for poor posture. Treatment is especially effective when combined with other approaches to improving posture, such as exercise and good posture habits.

6. Reduce Back & Neck Pain

Chiropractic care can be an effective method of treatment for low back pain. Spinal manipulation is as effective as physical therapy, especially with massage, stretching exercises, physical therapy, and other non-invasive methods.

7. Improved Athletic Performance

Chiropractic care can improve athletic performance by strengthening the athlete’s body, improving range of motion and flexibility, boosting energy levels, reducing inflammation, and helping athletes recover faster from injuries.

Regular chiropractic treatment improves athletic performance in several ways. For example, it allows athletes to:

• Perform better
• Recover faster from injuries
• Reduce their risk of injury

It boosts the body’s overall strength and energy levels. When the spine is properly aligned and functioning well, it contributes to optimal blood flow throughout your whole body. Muscles get a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients, which helps them work more efficiently and reduces fatigue during exercise.

8. Wellness Advice

In addition to helping treat existing problems, chiropractors can offer advice on preventing future injuries. This may include educating patients on safe techniques for lifting heavy objects or exercising correctly to avoid putting undue strain on the back or neck. In some cases, chiropractors may also recommend exercises or stretches to help patients improve their overall posture and strengthen the muscles in their backs and necks.

9. Chiropractic Care Can Be Cheaper than Traditional Pain Management

Chiropractic care can cost less than conventional medical treatment for chronic pain. There are a few reasons for this:

• Avoid the cost of expensive pharmaceutical drugs
• Provides long-term relief
• Offers holistic treatment that avoids the need for medical care for primary and secondary issues
• Determines the root cause of the problem instead of applying temporary solutions

Conclusion

A chiropractor is a health care specialist trained to diagnose and treat neuromuscular disorders, such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Chiropractors use their hands to manipulate the spine and other body parts to relieve discomfort and allow patients to regain movement in an affected area.

While many people associate chiropractic treatment with helping to relieve pain in the back or neck, chiropractors can also help their patients manage and prevent injuries. Many people who suffer from chronic back pain have received treatment from a chiropractor at some point in their lives, and for many of them, this treatment has helped them avoid having surgery. 

Chiropractors focus on correcting misalignments in the spine and other body parts, which can help patients avoid injuries caused by moving incorrectly or overusing a particular body part.

If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in your body and want to seek treatment from a qualified chiropractor, make sure to do some research about your local chiropractic practices. In addition to asking for recommendations from friends, family members, and coworkers, you can also check online reviews of different chiropractors in your area. Many people choose to see a chiropractor at least once per month to keep their bodies healthy and maintain proper alignment.

Dr. Darren Faherty D.C.

In 2004, Dr. Darren Faherty graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from UWEC - University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Darren continued education at the highly esteemed University of Western States (formerly Western States Chiropractic College) where he obtained his chiropractic degree in 2007. He has been helping people recover from injuries and return to their normal lifestyles ever since.