Many people who are experiencing back pain are turning to chiropractic care for treatment. Americans who suffer from back pain caused by accidents, sports injuries and muscle strains say that they are relieved from the pain after they receive chiropractic care. The hands-on spinal manipulation that chiropractors conduct is efficient in properly aligning the body’s muscoskeletal structure. This enables the body to self-heal even without undergoing surgery or medication.
What is Involved in Chiropractic Care for Back Pain
Before a chiropractor conducts treatment for a patient, he or she will check the medical history of the individual, perform physical examination and may utilize lab tests to clearly determine if treatment is apt for your back pain.
There are several treatment plans that may include one or more manual adjustments wherein the chiropractor manipulates the joints through a controlled yet sudden force to improve mobility and range. If appropriate, the chiropractor would also include nutritional counseling or exercise with the treatment plan.
They would incorporate anything into the plan that they think would help restore the proper function of the body and prevent injuries that may lead to back pain.
Benefits and Risks of Chiropractic Care
Spinal manipulation through chiropractic techniques is a safe and efficient way to treat acute low back pain. This type of pain is a sudden injury caused by moving heavy furniture or getting tackled. This pain is more common than chronic pain and it lasts around 6 weeks or more. It also gets better on its own.
According to researches, chiropractic care is also an efficient treatment for neck pain and headaches. It can also better illnesses like osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. Chiropractors use moderate pressure and deep tissue massage to deal with these cases.
It is paramount that chiropractors do a medical history check on their patients before conducting treatments because this is not appropriate for people who have osteoporosis, spinal cord compression or inflammatory arthritis. Chiropractic care is also not advised for patients who are under blood-thinning medications.
People who have history of cancer should get clearance from their doctor first before they can undergo chiropractic care. Chiropractors also obtain an accurate diagnosis of their patient’s back pain so that they can determine the proper treatment.
If you are considering chiropractic treatment, you have to inform your attending chiropractor about your medical history. You should also include your ongoing medical conditions, current medications, lifestyle and surgical history if applicable.
Unfortunately, there are cases wherein the treatment has worsened the medical situation of a patient. This happens when the patient is unable to well-inform his or her chiropractor and it’s very rare too. To ensure that you will get the best results from this treatment, you have to tell your health provider everything that he or she needs to know.