Back and neck pain are becoming common occurrences due to many reasons, including lifestyle and work pressures. The pain could be experienced at various levels by different patients. People suffering from back and neck pain, bulging discs, spine problems, usually resort to taking medications to find relief from their pain.

However, if you suffer from any of these painful conditions, there is a safe, non-invasive, and drug-free treatment that you could opt for to find long-term relief from the pain and also improve your overall health. Patients have been turning to chiropractic care in increasing number over the years, thanks to its many long-term benefits.

Chiropractic care focuses on the intimate relationship between the nervous system and the spine. The bio-mechanical and structural derangement of the spine affects your nervous system. Chiropractic care is intended to restore the structural integrity of the spine, by reducing the pressure on the sensitive neurological tissue and eventually lead you to a better health.

The research about chiropractic care is growing. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, recent studies have shown that spinal manipulative therapy performed by a chiropractor, along with exercise, relieve pain more effectively than medication. Chiropractors are known for safely and effectively treating acute musculoskeletal pains and restoring the structural imbalances within the spine, thus, improving the function of the spinal cord, nerves, muscles, bones, and joints. However, they are not limited to just treating the neuro-musculoskeletal disorders.

Chiropractors seek to not only improve the functionality of the patients, but also educate them on how they can improve their own health through use of exercise, ergonomics, and other therapies. A majority of the cells and organs in the human body are managed by the nerves traversing via the spinal canal. So, the side effects of any misalignment can be quite intense. The chiropractic adjustments assist you in restoring your posture, and helps in treating neuro-muscular related ailments.

Given below are few some of the areas where chiropractic adjustments can be highly beneficial.

Lower Back Pain

Chiropractors use both spinal and manual manipulations for adjusting the lumbar spine. In manual manipulation, a high speed short arm thrust is exerted on the abnormal vertebra. This helps improve its functionality and decreases the nerve irritability, and revives the back motion levels. According to a study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, patients suffering from acute back pain experienced relief from their painful symptoms, and reported better improvement and satisfactory results, as compared to patients treated by family doctors. Chiropractors use various methods to trace the spinal areas needing chiropractic care and to detect the altered vertebra positions.

Neck Pain

As chiropractors are trained in treating and managing musculoskeletal problems, the chiropractic therapies are effective in treating neck pain. The treatment usually involves a neck adjustment or cervical manipulation, applied to the neck joints by hands. Chiropractic adjustments applied to the neck help in improving spine mobility, restore the range of movements, and enhance the motion of the adjoining muscle. Patients report experiencing improved turning capacity and relief from soreness and stiffness. A physical and neurological examination is conducted that helps evaluate the posture and range of movements that result in pain. The neurological examination also helps chiropractors to examine the reflexes, nerve alterations, muscle strength, and pain spread. The hands-on spinal manipulation causes a pumping effect on the inter-vertebral disc, and the instrument-guided manipulation employs special instruments to assess and treat muscle tension.

Headaches

Tension headaches and headaches originating in the neck can be successfully treated with the help of spinal manipulation. Interventions used in chiropractic adjustments help improve all types of migraine and cervicogenic headaches. Improving the spinal coordination and relieving stress from the system helps patients get relief from their painful headaches. Chiropractors also provide nutritional advice and guide you with changes in your diet, apart from also offering advice on various postures and relaxation techniques.

Sciatica

Sciatic nerve compression generally results in this condition. The sciatica nerve pain also originates from lumbar spine subluxations and non-spinal disorders. According to chiropractic, limited spinal movement leads to pain and decreased performance. Hence, the chiropractic adjustment for a sciatica patient involves various therapies like cold treatment for reducing inflammation and ultrasounds for gentle heating through sound waves and reduced muscle spasms and stiffness. Apart from that spinal manipulation techniques are also employed to give relief from the nerve irritability that causes inflammation, muscle pain, and other symptoms.

Colic and Ear Infection

Case studies have shown how chiropractic treatments have immensely helped children troubled by otitis media, ear infections, or acid reflux. The nerves monitoring the gut and the brain are linked to each other, hence, respond effectively to neurological insult as a result of vertebral subluxations. When chiropractors realign the spine and free up the nervous system using the various chiropractic techniques, the colicky infant’s body heals itself as the body’s immune system can now perform to its utmost capacity, and also wards off any ear infection.

Blood Pressure

Anxiety levels cause the blood pressure levels to fluctuate, resulting in many other health complications. A study featured in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has shown the huge positive impact chiropractic adjustment has on blood pressure and anxiety levels. The study reviewed the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and anxiety levels of the patients before and after they received chiropractic adjustments. In every case that was studied, patients who received active treatment experienced a prominent drop in their blood pressure and anxiety levels. It proved the benefits chiropractic adjustments had on the cardiovascular system, while favoring hypertension and blood pressure control treatment.

Neurological Conditions

Chiropractic treatment methods are known to treat neurological conditions like acute vertigo problems, balance and movement disorders, autism, spinal cord and nerve injuries, learning disorders, and abnormal muscle movements. The chiropractic adjustments can be provided either by hand, instrument, or making use of balance and cognitive and eye exercises. Chiropractors also advise patients on breathing exercises and sensory training involving sound, light, and touch.

Chiropractic treatments restore the structural integrity of the spine and lower the pressure on the fragile neurological tissue, thus, improving overall well-being of the person.