Chiropractic care is a form of complementary medicine based on the idea that your body can heal itself with the help of specific hands-on manipulations from a trained professional. Advantages of Chiropractic Care, These manipulations help realign your joints and can potentially lead to pain relief.
Chiropractic treatment often focuses on your spine but may focus on other parts of your body depending on the particular issue you’re dealing with. Chiropractic treatment has some similarities with physical therapy, and certain conditions may benefit from being treated with both types of therapy.
Here are 10 Advantages of Chiropractic Care:
1. It reduces the need for narcotic pain medications.
Chronic pain patients are often prescribed opioid pain medications to help them manage their misery. However, chiropractic therapy may reduce your need for these pain medicines. A major 2020 study, Trusted Source, examined the number of opioid pain reliever prescriptions written for individuals who saw just their doctor or both their doctor and a chiropractor to address spinal pain.
Advantages of Chiropractic Care The research discovered that people who consulted a chiropractor were less likely to fill an opioid prescription for their pain than those who just saw their doctor.
2. It reduces back discomfort.
For addressing short-term or chronic back pain, chiropractic therapy may be a useful alternative to more intrusive treatments such as surgery or injections. Advantages of Chiropractic Care ,The American College of Physicians suggests that physicians urge people suffering from persistent low back pain to explore non-medication therapy first before resorting to medicine.
3. Osteoarthritis symptoms may be reduced.
Osteoarthritis pain is caused by cartilage deterioration in a joint, which causes the ends of your bones to grind together. Some chiropractic adjustments may help straighten your joints and reduce the amount of time your bones rub together. There hasn’t been much study conducted on the advantages of chiropractic manipulation for osteoarthritis. Advantages of Chiropractic Care , However, according to a 2020 animal study published by Trusted Source, chiropractic manipulation may help reduce the course of arthritis by improving the state of cartilage, bone, and the joint capsule.
4. It relieves headache symptoms.
Tension headaches and headaches that originate in your neck may benefit from spinal manipulation. According to a 2016 study published by Trusted Source, 6 to 8 sessions of cervical and upper thoracic spine manipulation were more beneficial than movement and exercise in relieving pain in people suffering from persistent headaches. Advantages of Chiropractic Care, This still remained true three months later.
5. Aids in posture improvement.
Bad posture may be corrected by chiropractic therapy, particularly if your poor posture is caused by excessive sitting. Trusted Source conducted a case study in 2017 on the effectiveness of chiropractic therapy on a 27-year-old woman suffering from hyperkyphosis, a posture-related back pain, neck discomfort, and headaches.
A hunched back posture is another term for hypokyphosis. After 30 sessions spread out over 6 months, her posture got a lot better and the pain in her head and neck got a lot better.
6. Athletic performance may benefit.
Spinal modifications may help you perform better in sports. This might be because of improved joint mobility, less discomfort, and less tissue constriction. However, there are still some doubts regarding whether spinal changes boost athletic performance. A study review in 2019 According to Trusted Source, it did not increase performance in people who did not have symptoms. Advantages of Chiropractic Care, When used to treat pain induced by an accident, chiropractic adjustments may be useful.
7. It reduces the need for narcotic pain medications.
Chronic pain patients are often prescribed opioid pain medications to help them manage their misery. However, chiropractic therapy may reduce your need for these pain medicines. A major 2020 study, Trusted Source, examined the number of opioid pain reliever prescriptions written for individuals who saw just their doctor or both their doctor and a chiropractor to address spinal pain. The research discovered that people who consulted a chiropractor were less likely to fill an opioid prescription for their pain than those who just saw their doctor.
8. It reduces neck discomfort.
Neck discomfort is a common complaint, particularly if you sit for long periods of time, constantly bend your neck to use your phone, or have bad posture. A chiropractor may help relieve neck discomfort by realigning your spine and relaxing your neck muscles. Advantages of Chiropractic Care, Previous research from 2012 found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation was more beneficial than medicine in addressing non-specific neck pain in a cohort of 272 people at 8-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week follow-ups.
A 2019 study discovered that cervical spine manipulation may help reduce neck discomfort in the short term by changing neuropeptide levels in your blood. Neuropeptides are proteins that are made by your nervous system and act as hormones or neurotransmitters.
9. It reduces inflammation.
Inflammation is thought to be a major cause of stress, discomfort, and joint difficulties. Chronic inflammation is linked to a variety of disorders, including chronic pain, heart disease, and cancer. Inflammation is decreased with chiropractic therapy, which may result in a variety of advantages such as joint pain alleviation, chronic lower back pain reduction, and reduced muscular tension. Advantages of Chiropractic Care, It also lowers the likelihood of developing inflammation-related health problems.
10. It helps to alleviate the symptoms of neurological diseases.
Chiropractic therapy has been shown to help increase blood flow to the brain. It also improves blood flow to the cerebral spinal fluid. It may be very beneficial to people suffering from neurological diseases such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Advantages of Chiropractic Care , However, research is ongoing to learn more about it. Its possible therapeutic effects provide a novel approach to treating people with neurological disorders.