Are you stressed? Do you suffer from headaches, migraines, or sleep deprivation? Is arthritis, whiplash, or carpal tunnel syndrome preventing you from performing simple, everyday tasks? Chiropractic treatment is a safe, natural way to alleviate your aches and pains.
The goal of most chiropractic techniques is to help your body heal itself by restoring or enhancing joint function, resolving joint inflammation, reducing pain, and improving your overall health . . . not just your posture.
Here are 13 reasons to see a chiropractor—and back pain is only one of them.
Back Pain
The nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and nerves) is the body’s master communication system, so keeping the spine properly aligned helps the entire body work more effectively. Even a slight misalignment of the spine can cause lower back pain, upper back pain, and an array of health issues (see below). Through hands-on adjustments of the spine, known as spinal manipulation, a chiropractor can correct your misalignments, treating the source of your pain without drugs. A chiropractor can even help relieve pregnancy-related back pain
Neck Pain
Because the spine runs from the tailbone all the way to the neck, spinal misalignment can be one culprit of neck pain. Another offender: technology. More and more people are experiencing neck issues as a result of spending too much time hunched over at their computers and texting on their phones. Just as with back pain, chiropractic treatments can realign your spine, improving posture and relieving neck soreness.
Headaches and Migraines
Headaches are often warning signs that there are problems elsewhere in the body, such as in the back or the neck. By diagnosing the root cause of your headache, a chiropractor provides a customized, holistic approach to treating headaches related to problems with muscles, tension, nerves in your neck, and spinal misalignment.
Stress
Stress that originates in the mind—How am I going to get everything done on time?!—can manifest itself in bodily aches and pains. And stress that originates in the body, due to spinal misalignment, can negatively affect mental and emotional health. The truth is, a properly aligned spine positively impacts your entire wellbeing. Through massage therapy and regular adjustments, chiropractic care can relieve your physical and mental stress and help you better manage all kinds of stress.
Auto-Accident Injuries and Whiplash
Even a minor car accident can cause injuries to your back, neck, and other soft tissues. And sometimes these injuries aren’t felt until a few days or weeks after the accident. Whiplash, a very common automobile-accident injury, can cause chronic pain and myriad other health issues, especially when left untreated. Seeing a chiropractor as soon as possible is important to evaluate the extent of your injuries and determine an appropriate treatment plan that will help you regain your full range of motion.
Sleep Deprivation
If pain in your body keeps you awake at night, chiropractic care is the answer to quality sleep. (You may even experience improved sleep after your first chiropractic adjustment!) A chiropractor can not only diagnose and treat spinal problems and pain in your back, neck, legs, and other limbs, but also offer suggestions for getting a restful night’s sleep. Recommendations might include changing your sleep position, using a chiropractic pillow, or getting a more supportive mattress.
Arthritis
When one or more joints become inflamed, arthritis can cause pain and stiffness throughout the entire body. And very often, people turn to prescription opioids and over-the-counter (OTC) medications for relief—but you don’t have to. By naturally reducing joint restrictions and inflammation, and correcting spinal misalignments, a chiropractor will help you manage and alleviate pain and discomfort caused by arthritis so you can live your best life—drug-free.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Your carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in your wrist that allows your median nerve to pass from your arm into your hand. Repetitive motion, like typing and assembly-line work, can compress your median nerve, causing pain, tingling, and numbness in your hand, wrist, and arm. Thankfully, a chiropractor can relieve and treat carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) without the use of drugs or surgery. Your therapy plan may include resting your hand or wrist; gentle manipulation of your wrist, elbow, and cervical spine; and stretching and strengthening exercises. With routine chiropractic care, it’s possible to completely recover from CTS and engage in daily activities with ease.
Sciatica
Your sciatic nerve runs from your lower back down the back of each leg. When this nerve becomes irritated, it can cause radiating pain in your back and legs, and numbness, tingling, and weakness in your legs or feet. Chiropractors regularly treat sciatica by first diagnosing the cause—lumbar spine subluxations (misaligned vertebrae), herniated or bulging discs, pregnancy and childbirth, or spinal tumors to name a few—and then providing care to reduce inflammation, stiffness, and muscle spasms, and to restore proper spinal alignment.
Scoliosis
If you or someone you know is living with scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine), you may think there is nothing you can do to improve your quality of life. Don’t believe the lie. Chiropractic adjustments and therapies can reduce your pain, increase your functionality, and prevent further degradation of your spine. Furthermore, chiropractic care can improve your posture, helping you feel less self-conscious and more confident.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of foot pain. Your plantar fascia is a band of tissue at the bottom of your foot that extends from your heel to the ball of your foot. When this tissue becomes tight or even tears, it causes pain and inflammation in your foot—and sometimes even your calf and knee. To avoid the pain, many people alter their gait, leading to secondary ailments such as spinal misalignment, muscle dysfunction, and stress on their joints. By adjusting your foot and heel, helping you correct your gait, and incorporating other forms of therapy, a chiropractor will help you get back to your normal activity level and lifestyle sans pain.
Sports-Related Injuries
When you’ve sustained a sports-related injury, a chiropractor can relieve your pain through a combination of treatments and help you heal faster. Your treatment might include spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization, massage therapy, ice or heat, and electric stimulation. But you don’t have to wait until you’re hurt to reap the benefits of chiropractic. Chiropractic techniques can also help prevent sports-related injuries and promote better overall performance.
Infant Torticollis
Torticollis is a condition in which the muscle that connects the collarbone to the skull tightens up, constricting movement. As a result, the head becomes persistently turned to one side. Fairly common in newborns, torticollis can happen due to a baby’s positioning in the womb or difficult childbirth. Chiropractic treatment is a safe, natural solution to this condition, and the good news is that Dr. Stephan Laub specializes in this type of pediatric adjustment. Through gentle manipulation of the spine, cranial alignment, and soft tissue therapy, he focuses on reducing cervical subluxations so your baby’s muscles will go back to their original state.
At All Star Chiropractic, our goal is to help our patients recover from back pain, neck pain, lack of mobility, joint issues, range of motion issues, and more—without the use of prescription drugs. We believe in taking a holistic “whole-body” approach to your health. We don’t want to just temporarily fix your pain—we want to determine and treat the root cause so you live an active and pain-free life.
Call one of our locations today to schedule an appointment, or to learn more about how chiropractic care can help you.