Chiropractic care can ease your chronic pain. Chiropractors can perform a range of methods, such as spinal adjustments and reflex therapy, to target the pain you feel from an injury or chronic condition.
Your chiropractor can also recommend other types of treatment, such as physical therapy. When you visit a chiropractor, they will consider not just your symptoms but also the underlying cause of your condition. Then, they create a customized treatment plan to ensure you’re aiming for maximum medical improvement.
What Types of Chronic Pain Conditions Can Chiropractic Care Treat?
Chiropractic care can treat a range of conditions, from acute injuries to musculoskeletal disorders. If you are dealing with any of the following conditions, you may benefit from chiropractic therapy:
Nervous System Injuries
Injuries in your nervous system can cause weakness, issues with blood circulation, tingling, and numbness. A chiropractor can locate the cause of your discomfort and recommend strategies that provide pain relief.
Manual spinal manipulations and adjustments may help ease any pain felt in your nervous system.
Neuromuscular Disorders
Your neuromuscular system controls how your nerves and muscles work together. Any disorder of the neuromuscular system can cause pain that may be eased with chiropractic care. For example:
- Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
- Muscular dystrophy
- Myasthenia gravis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders are those that affect your bones, joints, and connective tissues. You might seek chiropractic treatment for chronic lower back pain, inflammatory arthritis, or osteoarthritis.
Other Health Conditions
Many patients might not realize that chiropractic treatment can help with conditions like asthma. Asthma causes inflammation in your airways, and chiropractic treatments can help reduce swelling. Other health conditions treatable with chiropractic care include:
- Sports injuries: Bone and muscle injuries are common in sports, and chiropractic techniques can help relieve pain and prevent injuries from recurring.
- Neck pain: Whether your neck pain is caused by muscle soreness or a nerve injury, chiropractic services can help treat the issue.
- Back pain: Though back pain is common, you shouldn’t have to deal with the discomfort it causes. Some causes of back pain include strains, arthritis, spinal injury, infections, and spinal nerve compression.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS): CTS occurs when your median nerve is compressed. Chiropractic treatments can help ease swelling and pain.
- Fibromyalgia: This condition can lead to intense pain affecting all areas of your life. Your chiropractor will recommend treatments for several parts of your body to help ease pain.
How Can a Chiropractor Help You?
When you visit a chiropractor, they can help you by:
- Explaining the different treatment options available
- Assessing your condition to determine the underlying cause of your chronic pain
- Delivering chiropractic adjustments and other types of therapies to help you feel better
- Recommending an ongoing care plan, including exercises you can practice at home
- Easing any worries you have about chiropractic therapy
- Making you feel as comfortable as possible during your treatments
Your chiropractor will also offer treatments to ease your pain, which often include:
- Spinal manipulations: During a spinal manipulation, your therapist will either use their hands or a chiropractic tool to apply a low-amplitude thrust to your spine. This forces the vertebrae back into the correct alignment, helping ease pain and nerve compression.
- Reflex therapy: Reflex therapy helps to improve blood flow and circulation, which can help speed injury healing and ease pain.
Physiotherapy May Also Help Ease Your Chronic Pain
In some cases, your chiropractor will prescribe physical therapy services and chiropractic care to treat your chronic pain. Physical therapy, like chiropractic treatments, takes a holistic approach to your care. Some physiotherapy services that may benefit you include:
- Massage therapy: Massage therapy can help ease pain caused by muscle tension, nerve compression, and inflammation.
- Electrical stimulation (ES): Your therapist will place electrodes near the site of your injury. Harmless magnetic fields will be sent through your skin to help reduce pain.
- Resistance training: This can help reduce back pain, osteoporosis, and arthritis.
- Gait training: While beneficial for pain relief, gait training can also help build muscle strength and balance to prevent re-injury.
- Muscle energy techniques (MET): MET helps to stretch tight muscles and mobilize joints.
Benefits of Choosing Chiropractic Care
It can be intimidating to visit a chiropractor or physical therapist for the first time, especially if you have never been to one of these types of doctors before. However, your doctors will do everything they can to make you feel relaxed and ready for treatment.
Opting for chiropractic care over other forms of treatment can benefit you because:
- It reduces the need to take pain relief drugs: Many patients experiencing chronic pain are prescribed opioid pain relievers. While effective in treating pain, these drugs are addictive. Rather than taking oral medicine for pain relief, chiropractic care offers a long-term addiction-free solution.
- It is often more affordable than other treatment options: Chiropractic treatment is often less expensive than visiting highly specialized doctors. Plus, if you seek chiropractic care early enough, it may allow you to avoid the need for surgery, which is costly. Your insurance provider may even cover your visits to the chiropractor, depending on the type of injury you suffered.
- It is non-invasive: Unlike surgery or other treatments, chiropractic care is non-invasive.
- It can enhance your range of motion: Chiropractic treatment aims to not only treat your current pain condition but also help you feel your best long-term. It can help enhance your range of motion and flexibility, reducing the likelihood of re-injury.
- It can help relieve stress: Chiropractic helps reduce tension and pain throughout the body, which benefits your mental health and reduces stress. Plus, when you aren’t worried about your mobility and pain, you’ll have less anxiety about your health.
What to Expect During Your Appointment With a Chiropractor
When you visit a chiropractor for the first time, it can be difficult to anticipate what to expect. Chiropractors are unlike any other doctor because you’ll typically be asked to perform exercises and other movements in the doctor’s office. During your appointment, you can expect the doctor to:
- Ask about your health history. If you have any medical records you think your doctor should see, bring them with you. You should also be ready to answer questions about any medications you take or surgeries you’ve had.
- Conduct a physical exam. Before they begin diagnosing and treating you, your doctor will need to perform a physical exam. They’ll look at the site of your pain or injury and may ask you to have X-rays or other tests taken.
- Diagnose you. After your doctor has a clear understanding of your health, they will diagnose your condition. Many patients feel relieved after receiving a diagnosis, as it helps them understand why they’ve been in pain.
- Discuss your treatment options. Your doctor will create a plan to help you reach maximum medical improvement. Depending on your condition, you might even begin treatment during your first appointment.
How to Prepare for Your Chiropractic Appointment
Getting the most out of your chiropractic appointment starts before you enter the doctor’s office. To prepare for your appointment, most chiropractors will recommend that you:
- Eat a light meal or a snack
- Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water
- Get your body moving by stretching or taking a walk, if possible
- Try to stay relaxed, as anxiety or stress can make your condition worse
- Keep a log of any symptoms you notice and the dates they occurred
- Wear comfortable clothing, as you may be asked to lie down on a massage table, move around, and stretch
After your chiropractic adjustment, it’s normal to feel a little sore. Your muscles, nerves, and tendons may be shifted back into proper alignment, and your body may feel soreness when adjusting to its new position. Just make sure you drink plenty of water and communicate your needs to your therapist.
Most doctors will create a custom treatment plan to help you meet your goals and feel better. However, if you are ever in pain or feel uncomfortable with certain exercises, let your doctor know. Your treatment plan can always be adjusted to meet your needs.
Call Naples Community Injury Center for a Chiropractic Treatment Appointment
The team of chiropractors and physical therapists at Naples Community Injury Center is ready to help you feel better. We offer services to treat several types of injuries and chronic conditions. If you were injured in an accident, such as a car crash or bike accident, our team can even work with your personal injury lawyer to help you seek compensation.
Our team is dedicated to your comfort and satisfaction with our services. To learn more about your physical therapy and chiropractic treatment options, give us a call today. We will help you find an appointment time that works for your schedule when you reach out at (239) 631-5445.
