You may have heard the famous quote credited to Hippocrates: “Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.” While the spine certainly does not cause all disease, a misaligned spine can wreak some havoc on your body. Chiropractic is an incredibly effective solution that can bring you years of pain relief.
What Is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is a hands-on manipulation of the spine and joints to relieve pain, increase mobility, restore natural function, and promote overall wellness. The very term “Chiropractic” comes from the Greek words cheir, meaning hands, and praxis, meaning practice. Research-based and scientifically founded, chiropractic emphasizes the body’s natural ability to heal itself while recognizing the key role our spinal cord and nervous system play in our everyday health.
Chiropractic care is an effective, all natural, drug-free option for those suffering from a wide range of issues that could otherwise warrant expensive treatments like pain medications and surgery. Oftentimes with such treatments, particularly pain medication, the symptoms are being addressed rather than the actual cause of the problem. So the patient ends up with a chronic, unaddressed problem that could even worsen overtime. Luckily, spinal adjustments are known to alleviate the cause of many issues.
Of course, most people see chiropractors about back pain—in America it’s actually the third most common reason for doctor visits. According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is also the leading cause of disability across the globe. That’s a lot of lives put on hold or dialed back when they could be fully lived. Chiropractic care offers sweet relief for chronic back pain and more:
- Chronic neck, joint, and muscular pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Scoliosis
- Sports or overuse injuries
- Strains and sprains
- Stress and anxiety
- Sciatica
- Infant torticollis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Arthritis
- Pregnancy-related discomfort and pain
Whether you are seeking immediate relief, long-term treatment, restoration, or preventative care, chiropractic is an excellent option that promotes full body wellness so you can function at the best of your ability, your body doing what it was meant to do.
History of Chiropractic
Daniel David Palmer is credited with founding chiropractic care in the 1890s. Manipulative treatments had been around for several hundred years, but Dr. Palmer was the first to seriously study the science behind them. Dr. Palmer initiated the idea of spinal misalignment (medically known as subluxation), theorizing that when vertebrae were adjusted back into their proper place, healing and pain relief would result.
In 1895 Dr. Palmer famously restored a deaf man’s hearing and healed another of heart trouble using chiropractic adjustments. Two years later, Dr. Palmer founded a chiropractic school, and the practice has grown and developed since. In 1913, the first legal license for chiropractors was installed, and chiropractic education and training were standardized. Today, there are over 70,000 licensed chiropractors throughout the United States.
Adjustments
The goal of a chiropractic adjustment is to manipulate your spine and misaligned joints back into their proper place. Following most adjustments, pain relief and increased mobility is instantaneous.
When you arrive for your first appointment, your chiropractor will ask a series of questions and perform a physical assessment. Based on your pain or concern, he or she will feel your spine, determine any misalignment in your shoulders and hips, and examine joints and other areas for any abnormalities.
Once it’s time for your actual adjustment, you may lie on your side, on your back, or on your belly, or you may sit up. Your chiropractor will apply short, controlled, forceful thrusts to various parts of your spine, hips, shoulders, and other areas, coaxing the vertebrae and joints back into alignment. Many first-time patients worry that these thrusts will hurt. They typically are not painful, although you may hear some popping and hissing noises or a cracking sound as you are adjusted. This is due to air and gas being released as the joints are moved.
Immediate pain relief and increased mobility is common after an adjustment. Side effects from an adjustment are extremely rare; you may experience some soreness afterwards.
In addition to adjustments, many chiropractors are licensed to perform other kinds of treatment such as dry needling, massage therapy, electric stimulation, physical therapy, and ultrasound therapy. At your initial visit, speak with your chiropractor about their training and what treatments would be recommended for your unique situation.
Does Chiropractic Work?
Chiropractic is widely reported to be successful in achieving pain relief and increased mobility, as well as alleviating digestive issues, muscle pain, fatigue, allergies, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, and even some neurological disorders.
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that visiting a chiropractor instead of a doctor for back pain in a given year could save Medicare more than $83 million. According to a study conducted by The American Chiropractic Association, 94% of patients visiting a chiropractor for 4 weeks reported 30% less lower back pain while only 56% of patients visiting a doctor reported 30% less lower back pain in the same time frame. Chances are, if you are suffering from chronic back pain, neck pain, or a number of other problems, chiropractic is likely to bring you some much-needed relief so you can live your best life, pain free.
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.