Based on the understanding that if given time, the body and mind can heal themselves, chiropractic care can be used to treat several medical conditions, including headaches, migraines, anxiety, lower back pain, fibromyalgia, whiplash, sacroiliac pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, and a weak immune system.
When treating your medical condition, the goal of the chiropractor is to relieve pain and improve body functionality without the support of drugs or over-the-counter medications. A chiropractor uses special techniques and exercises to manipulate or adjust your spinal cord and body parts in proper alignment. Keep reading to learn about the five medical conditions chiropractors can treat.
1. Headaches and Migraines
Headaches and migraines can arise due to the tightness or tension of your neck muscles, shifting of the vertebra, subluxation, or sitting in one position for long hours. A survey shows nine out of ten American adults suffer occasional or persistent headaches. While some headaches are nagging and dull, others can cause nausea and debilitating pain. Even though taking a painkiller can treat headaches, there’s a way for you to get rid of headaches once and for all.
Research has shown that chiropractic care decreases migraine frequency, reduces pain, and eliminates the need for medication. A chiropractor will use spinal manipulation to effectively treat headaches that begin from the neck. They might also use a combination of joint adjustment and soft tissue therapy to minimize the frequency of headaches, relax your muscles, and realign joints.
2. Anxiety and Stress
Your body, emotions, and environment are three basic sources of stress. Environmental stress includes everything from weather, noise, and physical threats to pressure to meet expectations and perform well in a workplace. On the other hand, body stress comprises organ malfunction, diseases, poor sleep, poor nutrition, and physical injury. Lastly, emotional stress encompasses your mind and body’s reactions to physical and environmental stressors.
Living in a competitive world, almost everyone suffers some kind of stress and anxiety throughout their day. While stress is negligible and people don’t take it seriously, anxiety can be dangerous if not treated on time. It can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, muscle tissue damage, and infertility.
No one better than a chiropractor understands the connection between your mind and body. The chiropractor will use different chiropractic adjustments to reduce spinal nerve irritation and improve blood circulation, relieving tension and initiating the healing process. The chiropractor will also recommend lifestyle changes and relaxation techniques to cope with chronic stress and anxiety in hours of panic.
3. Lower Back Pain
Did you know that approximately 80% of US citizens suffer from low back pain at some point in their life? Spondylosis is a medical term that refers to the degeneration of the spinal cord due to wear and tear of the joints as a person ages, making it the most common cause of low back pain in adults. Other causes of severe low back pain include spondylolisthesis, traumatic injury, spinal stenosis, sciatica, herniated discs, strains, and sprains.
A chiropractor will use spinal manipulation to treat low back pain, reducing pain and improving the overall health and movement of the spine. However, your chiropractic care plan can vary depending on the intensity of the pain and underlying medical conditions. Common chiropractic techniques used to treat lower back pain include motion palpation, toggle drop, table adjustments, lumbar roll, and flexion-distraction technique.
4. Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is known as a chronic disorder that causes tenderness, pain, and sensitivity to spread throughout your musculoskeletal system. While the real cause of Fibromyalgia is still unknown, it can elevate sensitivity, cause fatigue, and trouble sleeping. People with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, chronic back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and osteoarthritis are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
Affecting 2% of the adult population in the United States, Fibromyalgia can also be triggered by psychological issues like physical trauma, anxiety, and depression. Another research suggests that Fibromyalgia is caused by the neurochemical imbalance of the central nervous system. People with Fibromyalgia are hypersensitive to even the smallest stimuli and can find non-painful activities very painful, as 11 out of 18 trigger points become tender and painful.
A chiropractor will use chiropractic adjustment and ischemic compression (a soft tissue technique) to treat Fibromyalgia, reducing pain, decreasing fatigue, and improving sleep. Chiropractic care can also treat headaches, shoulder pain, neck pain, and pressure points and increase the lumbar and cervical range of motion.
5. Whiplash
Whiplash is a hyperextension/hyperflexion injury that occurs as a result of a car accident. When a fast-moving car collides with another motor vehicle, your neck and head are “whipped.” The force pushes you forward (hyperflexion) and then pulls you backward (hyperextension) within microseconds, causing a severe neck sprain. In addition to making it painful to move your neck, whiplash can cause dizziness, headaches, fatigue, blurred vision, memory problems, and sleep disturbances.
A chiropractor can help you with treating whiplash in the best way possible. The chiropractor will ask you to do exercises to improve motion and reduce pain. They will also teach you how to use ice or a heating pad to get immediate relief from inflammation, swelling, and muscle spasm. This was proven in a clinical trial when 93% of whiplash patients showed great improvement after getting chiropractic care.
Get Personalized Chiropractic Care at J & Co Chiropractic
At J & Co Chiropractic, we use state-of-the-art technology to pinpoint the root cause of the pain and create a chiropractic care plan that best suits your needs. Whether you are suffering from severe back pain, arthritis, shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety, stress, migraine, chronic pain, or tendonitis, Dr. Jessica Cho can help you with it all. She will use chiropractic techniques to restore your motion and body’s functioning. Contact us to schedule an appointment in Arlington Heights today!
