Top 4 Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor to Treat Chronic Pain

It is estimated that more than 35 million adults see a chiropractor every year. More importantly, of those 35 million, 77 percent find their chiropractic care to be “very effective.” So why are so many people still so hesitant to make seeing a chiropractor their first choice of medical treatment?

What Does a Chiropractor Do?

Chiropractors work on the belief that when your body, specifically your musculoskeletal structure, is properly aligned, it’s better able to heal itself. Using hands-on techniques, chiropractors primarily adjust and manipulate joints, bone, tissue, and cartilage to alleviate pain and encourage healing.

Why Should I Choose Chiropractic Care?

1. Pain relief.

Whether your injury was caused by a car accident, sports, everyday life, or old age, chronic pain can be debilitating.

We find that chronic pain is most often caused by underlying conditions, like:

• Spinal stenosis. A narrowing in the spinal canal which can lead to nerve compression.
• Osteoarthritis. Joint pain and inflammation.
• Inflammatory arthritis. Inflammation of the joints and tissues.

Here at Unruh Spine Centers, a few of the treatment options we offer are:

• Chiropractic adjustments. By applying a small amount of force to certain joints, we can correct your structural alignment and improve your body’s range of motion.
• Acupuncture. For years, acupuncture has been used to treat pain in almost every area of the body. By inserting very thin needles into specific points of a patient’s body, we can stimulate nerves, muscles, and tissue. Once they’re stimulated, your brain responds by releasing natural painkillers into the body.
• Trigger point injection (TPI). Many patients come to Unruh Spine Centers because of back pain triggered by small knots in their muscles or tissue. Trigger point injections work to eliminate pain by injecting a corticosteroid or anesthetic into the knot in your muscles.
• Shockwave therapy. Using a multidisciplinary device, chiropractors can deliver high energy blasts to areas of the body you’re feeling pain. Not only does it subdue pain, but it can also help restore and regenerate damaged soft tissue and tendons.

2. Potentially prevents future problems.

Most people see a chiropractor only after something has gone wrong — they suffered a sports injury, got in a car accident, or had a bad fall. But what if we told you that regular chiropractic work from a young age can help prevent injuries?

3. Increased range of motion and mobility.

A few years ago, a study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that of the 105 participants in the study, only those who received true chiropractic adjustments had a drastically improved range of motion. The other two groups — one receiving no adjustments and one receiving fake adjustments — showed little to no improvement in their range of motion.

Range of motion is something many of us take for granted when we’re younger. Natural age or a chronic back problem can quickly affect every aspect of your life, from picking something up off the floor to tying your shoe.

Because a good range of motion is so critical to our daily lives, those without it tend to deteriorate at a faster rate than those with it.

4. Cuts down or eliminates your need for pain medication.

Though many doctors have the best intentions when they prescribe oral painkillers, it can quickly become a slippery slope. In 2017, the opioid epidemic became so bad that the HHS declared it a public health emergency. With opioids taking the lives of nearly 50,000 people last year here in the United States, the FDA has been considering alternative treatment methods for pain management.

That’s where we come in! From regular adjustments to the many treatment options we mentioned above, chiropractic therapies can cut down on a person’s need for medication or eliminate it all together.

For more information about our chiropractors and how we can help you with your chronic neck pain, contact us today to schedule your appointment!