At least 70 million adults in the United States deal with some type of chronic pain. In fact, low back pain is the second most common reason Americans see their doctor.
Many people are interested in finding alternatives to medication for pain relief. Chiropractic treatment is one potential pain management option, especially if you’re dealing with back pain or neck pain.
What is chiropractic care?
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 joint and spine adjustments from trained professionals. These adjustments help realign your vertebrae/ joints and typically lead to pain relief.
Chiropractic treatment may help relieve pain from conditions affecting your:
- Bones
- Cartilage
- Connective tissue
- Joints
- Muscles
- Nerves
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. We are happy to work with a physical therapist of your choice to maximize our care.
In general, chiropractors are more likely to use hands-on manipulations to relieve your symptoms. Physical therapists tend to put a bigger emphasis on rehabilitating injuries with stretches and exercises so you can see how both of these disciplines work well together.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care?
- Improves neck pain
Neck pain is a common problem, especially for those who sit for many hours a day, frequently tilt your neck to use your phone, play extended periods of video games, or in general have poor posture. A chiropractor may help ease your neck pain by realigning your spine and easing tension in your neck muscles.
An older 2012 study found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation was more effective than medication at treating non-specific neck pain in a group of 272 adults at 8-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week follow-ups.
A 2019 study found that cervical spine manipulation may help decrease neck pain in the short-term by modifying levels of neuropeptides in your blood. Neuropeptides are proteins made in your nervous system that function as neurotransmitters or hormones.
- Reduces reliance on opioid pain relievers
People with chronic pain are at times given prescriptions for opioid pain relievers and other narcotics to help manage their discomfort. However, undergoing chiropractic treatment may lower your need to take these pain relievers.
A 2020 study compared the number of prescriptions for opioid pain relievers filled for adults who visited just their doctor or who visited both a chiropractor and their doctor to treat spinal pain.
The study found that adults who visited a chiropractor were less likely to get an opioid prescription filled for their pain compared to those who only saw their doctor.
- Eases back pain
Chiropractic treatment may be a good alternative to more invasive alternatives like surgery or injections for treating short-term or chronic back pain.
The American College of Physicians recommends that doctors encourage people with chronic low back pain to first seek non-medication treatments before taking medication to treat their pain. Some of the treatment options recommended include:
- spinal manipulation (chiropractic care)
- exercise
- acupuncture
- yoga
- tai chi
- progressive muscle relaxation
- meditation
A 2017 review of multiple studies found that spinal manipulation was associated with moderate improvements in short-term back pain and function compared to placebo treatment for up to 6 weeks.
We offer Chiropractic care, acupuncture, and massage for control and relieve of musculoskeletal pain.
- Eases headache symptoms
Spinal manipulation is typically effective at treating tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.
A 2016 study found that 6 to 8 sessions of cervical and upper thoracic spine manipulation were more effective than movement and exercise for relieving pain in people with chronic headaches. This continued to be the case at a 3-month follow-up.
- More affordable treatment for chronic back pain
Chiropractic treatment is likely a cheaper alternative to conventional treatment for chronic low back pain.
In a 2016 study, researchers looked at the potential financial benefits of chiropractic treatment for Medicare recipients with chronic back pain.
The researchers found that people who received chiropractic treatment had a lower overall treatment cost. The study also determined that their treatment duration was shorter than that of those who had conventional medical treatment.
If you have questions on whether chiropractic is a viable option for you please call 507-437-7781 and ask for a complimentary consultation or to set up a new patient visit to be examined.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7578188/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151187/
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-156-1-201201030-00002?aimhp=&
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30935335/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32142140/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28399251/
https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12891-016-0912-3
https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(16)00007-5/fulltext