Chiropractic is a holistic and drug-free approach to health care. It is based on the idea that a misaligned spine can cause interference with your nerves, leading to pain, tingling, and numbness.
You must earn an accredited chiropractic school degree to become a chiropractor. It would be best to get licensed in the state where you want to practice.
Contents
What Do Chiropractors Do?
Chiropractor are doctors who specialize in treating the musculoskeletal system. They use spinal manipulation (or “chiropractic adjustment”) to relieve pain, improve function and reduce inflammation.
They also have extensive knowledge about how bones and muscles fit together and how to manipulate joints safely. This knowledge allows chiropractors to identify problems in their patients’ alignment and treat them using various techniques.
Spinal adjustments can help reduce chronic back and neck pain and headaches. Chiropractors use manual therapy to realign the spine and release tension in the surrounding muscles and soft tissues.
How Do Chiropractors Treat Pain?
Pain is a common reason patients seek chiropractic care. Chiropractors often work with primary care doctors and other specialists to help people with pain get relief without drugs or surgery.
Chiropractic treatment aims to relieve pressure on nerves affected by misalignment of your body’s joints, vertebrae, and soft tissues. It can reduce pain and allow your body to heal itself.
Research has shown that a chiropractor’s spinal manipulations may help with back pain, neck pain, and headaches. These hands-on adjustments can also decrease the pain medication you need and improve your posture.
Are Chiropractors Right for Me?
If you have chronic back, neck, or joint pain anywhere in your body, consider visiting a chiropractor. Chiropractic care is a natural, safe, and effective way to treat these problems without using drugs or surgery.
Chiropractors are trained to assess and treat your spine, muscles, joints, and nervous system. They use hands-on spinal manipulations and other adjustments to improve musculoskeletal function.
While chiropractors treat various conditions, they are not suitable for everyone. Some people, for instance, have medical conditions that raise the risk of severe side effects from a chiropractic adjustment, like osteoporosis or inflammatory arthritis.
What is an Adjustment?
An adjustment is a change in your body or environment intended to bring you into balance. Adjustment is a natural process that humans and animals regularly perform to accommodate changes in their environments.
A well-adjusted person can recognize the good things in other people, objects, and activities and ignore negative or challenging information. They also can feel comfortable within their surrounding environments, such as home, work, and school.
A typical example of an adjustment is a discount for patients who pay their co-insurance amount at the hospital. When the insurance company pays this amount, they must remove this discount (adjustment) from the total bill.
Are Chiropractors Safe?
A chiropractic adjustment is a safe, gentle, drug-free way to treat musculoskeletal pains and injuries. It doesn’t involve medication or surgery and is backed by research.
Chiropractors often use manual spinal manipulations, or adjustments, to relieve back, neck, and head pain. These manipulations can also be used on other parts of the body.
But, like any medical treatment, there are risks to undergoing chiropractic adjustments. Severe complications from spinal manipulations are rare, but they can occur.
Suppose you have certain health conditions or are taking medications that can affect blood clotting (like warfarin). In that case, it’s best to consult your doctor first to determine whether chiropractic care is proper. It’s also best to seek the help of a chiropractor who is fully licensed and trained in the safest methods for treating your specific injury or pain.