Do you have back pain? Do you feel most of your pain in the low back, hips, or where you were affected by a car accident? Do you experience stiffness in the neck, tingling in the hands and feet, or suffer from migraine headaches? These conditions and many more can be treated by chiropractic wellness centers without the need to undergo surgery or take a variety of medications. In the times of the opioid epidemic gripping the nation, it’s no question you want to escape the crisis with a more holistic approach to care. It’s important to understand what chiropractic as a therapy really is and how it can help you.
What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic is the manual manipulation of your spine in all three sections: cervical (neck), thoracic (shoulders and mid-back), and lumbar (low back) by doctors with a doctor of chiropractic degree. Chiropractors have mastered physical techniques associated with gently adjusting the spine. They can help you achieve fewer curvatures in your spine, more flexibility and range of motion in your back and neck, and optimal nervous system function. The nervous system is inextricably linked to the brain and spinal cord (which is housed by the spine).
Every organ, tissue, and system is thereby connected to the spine and its functions. Chiropractic therapy can help relieve any pain symptoms you may be experiencing, can help you move better, and improve your whole-body wellness at the functional level. Typically, chiropractors will take x-rays of your spine. This is so they can assess any curvatures or address any abnormalities associated with degeneration such as arthritis, compression or decreased disc space, forward head posture, and other indicators. This is their “roadmap” while they work on you during adjustments.
Chiropractic wellness centers can treat all these conditions:
- low back pain
- migraines and tension headaches
- mid-back pain
- shoulder pain
- neck pain
- fibromyalgia – body-wide pain in nerves and muscles, possibly triggered by brain activity
- neuropathy – tingling and numbness in the hands, feet, and arms
- sciatica – pain and numbness that travels down the legs, usually originating in the low back or hips; normally one leg is symptomatic
- whiplash – neck injury due to rapid back and forth motion force (common car accident injury)
- degeneration – deterioration of disc space and/or advanced stage arthritis
- compression – decreased disc space
- subluxation – partially dislocated vertebrae/vertebra that impinge/s on spinal nerves
- scoliosis – a dramatic sideways spinal curvature
- mild and severe curvatures – curvatures favoring to the right or left
- forward head posture – a curvature in the neck that causes the head to be forward from the shoulders
- ligament weakness – posterior longitudinal or alar ligaments
- digestion – GI tract issues, acid reflux, gas, etc.
- suppressed immune function
- sinus issues – nasal drip, allergies, lymph drainage, etc.
- upper respiratory problems – asthma, bronchitis, etc.
- sleep issues – sleep apnea, poor sleep, etc.
- spondylolisthesis – a vertebra slipping over the vertebra below it
- When you should seek treatment:
Seek treatment if you have been dealing with pain for many years and you are tired of living with it. A beneficial time to see a chiropractor is after another doctor’s office took x-rays and told you that you had scoliosis or compression. It is advised to seek treatment if you know you have herniated discs, tingling in the hands and feet, or terrible tension headaches. See a chiropractor if you recently got into a car accident and need immediate care. Some chiropractors will work with your insurance company to make sure you get the proper care if the accident was not your fault.
Seek treatment if you can’t enjoy the hobbies and activities you used to when you were younger and want a better quality of life. Even if your pain symptoms become well-managed, have disappeared, or you have better mobility, the importance of chiropractic is the wellness you gain from it, not the disappearance of symptoms. Continuing chiropractic long after symptoms have gone away and your health has improved means you’ll keep enjoying that better quality of life.
Call us!
If you think it’s time to get adjusted by a chiropractor, you’ve come to the right place. Ready to get started on your journey to wellness? Give us a call at 205-637-1363.
