Health Benefits of Chiropractic Care
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If you suffer from low back pain (LBP), you're not alone. Studies reveal that LBP is the second most common reason Americans visit doctors.
Nowadays, many people are avoiding medication. They prefer alternative therapy to manage their back or neck pain. It's why the demand for chiropractic treatment is growing.
According to statistics provided by the American Chiropractic Association, there are over 70,000 chiropractors in the United States.
What Is Chiropractic Treatment?
The idea behind chiropractic care is that your body can heal itself, and specific hands-on manipulations help realign your joints, leading to pain relief.
According to Activa Clinics, to produce lasting results, chiropractors will identify the underlying causes of your affliction and correct them at their source.
The adjustment must be performed by qualified professionals as it usually involves applying controlled, sudden pressure to a spinal joint. The purpose of this procedure is to correct the motion of your spine and improve your body's physical function.
Health Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Here are key benefits that this form of alternative medicine offers:
Improves Neck Pain
Neck ache is a common complaint of many people. The condition results from sitting for long hours during the day, poor posture, and frequent use of your phone.
What a chiropractor will do to ease the pain is realign your spine to reduce the tension in your neck muscles.
According to studies, spinal manipulation over 12 weeks was more effective than treatment involving medication.
Eases Back Pain
People with chronic low back pain are encouraged to seek alternative treatments before taking medication to manage their condition. Some of the options recommended by the American College of Physicians include:
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spinal manipulation
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physical exercise
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yoga
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acupuncture
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tai chi
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meditation
Chiropractic treatment is an excellent substitute for procedures like surgery in treating short-term back pain.
Reduces Consumption of Opioid Pain Relievers
Doctors often prescribe drugs to patients to manage their chronic pain. Studies show that chiropractic treatment may lower the need for pharmaceuticals, which is a good thing if you want to avoid being reliant on medication.
In a 2020 study, those treated by a chiropractor and doctor were less likely to get opioid pain relief prescriptions than those who only visited their physician.
Reduces Scoliosis Symptoms
Research shows chiropractic treatments may help improve the Cobb angle of people who have scoliosis, which is a sideways curvature of the spine.
In a group of children with the same condition, the reading improved after eight weeks of therapy.
Slows Down Arthritis Progression
Degeneration of joint cartilage causes your bones to rub against each other. This condition can lead to osteoarthritis pain. There are multiple chiropractic treatments that align your joints and reduce the extent of the friction.
At the moment, there isn't enough research to support the effectiveness of the therapy on arthritis. However, animal studies show that improving the condition of the cartilage, bone, and joint capsule can slow down the progression of the disease.
Helps Improve Posture
If you have poor posture caused by too much sitting, it could lead to headaches, neck, and back pain.
More research needs to be done, but one study reports that after 30 chiropractic treatments, the posture of a sufferer improved significantly, and she found pain relief in her neck and head.
Conclusion
Besides the health benefits, the cost of chiropractic care may also be cheaper than conventional treatment for chronic low back pain.
Researchers found that people who went through alternative therapy spent less than those who received standard medical care for their condition. The duration of the former was also shorter than the latter.
