What is Chiropractic?

Are you suffering from an awful neck pain or an acute low-back pain that's holding you back from enjoying an active lifestyle? Maybe a chiropractor can offer you spinal manipulation therapy to improve your lumbar spine and overall health.

Chiropractic is a holistic manual therapy that focuses on the relationship between the structure of the body – principally the spine and pelvis – and the way the body functions. The name of this form of complementary medicine comes from the Greek words chiro, meaning hand, and praktikos, meaning concerned with action.

Chiropractic is based on the premise that the body is a self-healing and self-regulating organism, and practitioners believe that if the main structures of the body are out of alignment, then pain, not to mention ill-health, will ensue.

The skull protects the delicate tissue of the brain and the spinal column protects the nervous system – the intricate pathway of nerves that coordinate the way our body moves and transmits signals to and from the brain. If these pathways are impaired – by an injury or misalignment – the body's organs and tissues cannot function properly. Through spinal adjustments, a chiropractic treatment addresses these misalignments and impairments, hence reducing nerve obstruction and allowing the tissues and organs to function without interference.

A chiropractor's goal is not just to provide pain relief with hands-on manipulation, but also to increase range of motion by addressing vertebral subluxations and returning joints, muscles and nerve supply within their normal range. Most people consult a chiropractor for lower back issues or neck pain, and report good results. 

Chiropractic Approaches

Chiropractors have received the same level of training as medical doctors, which means they hold a bachelor's degree and have completed their master's degree as well. Simply put, they are primary physicians equipped with the knowledge, skills and tools to diagnose, treat and manage musculoskeletal conditions that affect the entire nervous system. 

The chiropractic profession focuses on finding all possible sources of nerve irritation, including misaligned vertebrae, pinched nerves and degenerative disc disease. Chiropractors may even use x-rays for diagnosis prior to chiropractic adjustment. 

A chiropractor will assess your health and body by asking questions about your medical history, your lifestyle, your exercise habits and your diet. They may conduct a manual examination using palpation or simply by observing the structure of your body and how you move. A chiropractic therapy mainly employs gentle spinal manipulation or manual adjustment of other areas in the body that are not moving properly due to a health condition.

Chiropractic visits may include heat or ice therapy, joint manipulation, ultrasound, exercise and acupuncture, along with lifestyle advice, or the recommendation of dietary supplements for the treatment, prevention or management of musculoskeletal disorders.

Who can Benefit from Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractors can help anyone suffering from all kinds of musculoskeletal complaints resulting from direct trauma or repetitive stress to the body, including people with arthritis, athletes, office workers, and so many others. Despite the gentle manipulation of chiropractic care, several studies have documented the clinical effectiveness of this complementary therapy in treating the following conditions:

• Migraines
• Tension headaches
• Neck pain
• Joint pain
• Chronic low-back pain
• Shoulder pain or frozen shoulder syndrome
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Sciatica
• Fibromyalgia
• Accident injuries
• Sports injuries
• Occupational injuries
• Foot pain

Chiropractors are actually among the few natural health professionals who treat pregnant women or infants. Chiropractic treatments in pregnancy can help relieve pregnancy pain, including sciatica caused by pregnancy hormones that loosen ligaments in preparation for birth. A chiropractic doctor may also prescribe rehabilitation exercises during pregnancy to strengthen abdominal muscles that are supporting the extra weight of a growing baby.

A chiropractic adjustment can also help someone with pulmonary disease develop proper breathing techniques in order to expand their chest and get more air.

Chiropractic care helps speed up your recovery by restoring normal movement and function through spinal adjustment. A chiropractor treatment stimulates blood flow throughout the body, which delivers nutrients to repair damaged tissues and remove waste products. A qualified chiropractor can also provide patient education about appropriate exercises that can speed up their own recovery process.

Chiropractors are trained to recommend exercise, self-maintenance programs and ergonomics for home activities in order to prevent injuries. This ensures chiropractor treatments will be successful in relieving chronic muscle pain or back pain. With the right treatment plan, you can regain control over your own health, which will increase your ability to prevent injuries in the future. 

Health Benefits of Spinal Manipulation

A chiropractic treatment does more than relieve musculoskeletal pain. In fact, chiropractic care is a complete system of healing focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of neuromusculoskeletal disorders. It is an effective treatment for a variety of medical conditions not related to the spine but may be the result of vertebral subluxations or misaligned spinal joints.

Chiropractic care is not only for a sore back; this manipulative therapy can also be used to:

• Eliminate chronic pain
• Relieve asthma
• Stimulate digestion
• Improve cognitive performance
• Improve fitness
• Improve memory 
• Help maintain or regain emotional equilibrium

Chiropractic manipulation is no doubt much safer than surgery or conventional medicines as it does not pose any adverse events. If anything, this manipulative therapy improves the quality of life by addressing any type of pain using the best complementary health approaches.

Search the Natural Therapy Pages' comprehensive listing of natural health practitioners to find a chiropractor or accredited chiropractic clinics in your local area.