Chiropractic (derived from the Greek meaning done by hand) focuses on spinal manipulation and other treatments. In addition, chiropractors may recommend exercises to strengthen the body’s muscles, improve flexibility, and reduce pain.
It’s important to tell your doctor if you have blood-clotting problems before receiving chiropractic care because neck manipulation can cause strokes in some people. However, many studies have found that chiropractic treatment can decrease pain and lower the need for prescription pain relievers. Click https://www.drvenn.com to learn more.
Chiropractic adjustments, or spinal manipulation, are manual techniques to correct a misaligned spine. They involve the chiropractor using their hands or a small instrument to apply sudden, controlled force to a joint in the spine. This helps restore proper motion to the vertebrae, relieve pain, and improve function.
The chiropractor will thoroughly assess your musculoskeletal system to identify areas of dysfunction and imbalance. They use various techniques to correct these issues, including mobilization, manipulation, and treatment of soft tissue. They will also instruct you in stretches and exercises to help prevent injuries and maintain your health.
Visiting a chiropractor for regular chiropractic treatments can help your body recover from chronic neck and back pain and reduce osteoarthritis symptoms. These treatments can also help you breathe easier, as they can relieve the pressure on your spine from tense muscles and joints. They can even increase cerebral spinal fluid flow, which can help lower blood pressure.
Spinal misalignments can cause several problems for your body, from lower back pain to irritable bowel syndrome. For example, spine misalignment can compress nerves in the lungs, leading to difficulty breathing. In addition, spine misalignment can disrupt normal function in your gastrointestinal tract, causing digestive breakdowns.
Visiting a chiropractor for chiropractic treatments can help your body heal naturally without the risk of prescription drugs or surgery. The benefits of chiropractic care include:
- Reduced muscle and joint pain.
- Improved posture.
- Better sleep.
- Increased energy levels.
- A general feeling of well-being.
Many patients find that their quality of life improves after regular chiropractic treatment. Considering how much less invasive and expensive it is than other alternatives, chiropractic care is an excellent choice for anyone seeking natural relief from chronic pain.
Soft tissue therapy (STT) focuses on the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, connective tissue/fascia, tendons, and ligaments. This type of therapy can be manual or instrument-assisted. It also can include massage. It can be used for chronic pain, injury rehabilitation, and pre/post-operative care.
The human body’s soft tissue system can become damaged by physical trauma, overuse/overloading, or impact on any body area. When the damage exceeds the soft tissue’s physiological capacity, ‘breakdowns’ occur through micro-tears and cellular trauma. The soft tissue then attempts to protect itself by forming knots, adhesions, or scar tissue. These adhesions will then ‘cast’ or divert the physiological strain or stress away from the injured tissues to adjacent/neighboring body areas until they are healed. This creates a biomechanical weakness that can increase the risk of additional injuries and slow the Work-Recovery Cycle.
Performing STT removes these blocks by applying pressure to the affected tissues, which helps to release the knots, adhesions, and scar tissue. This improves the tissue’s elasticity, allowing it to move more freely. It also increases circulation, which delivers more nutrients to the cells that aid healing. It also extracts any lingering metabolic waste from the tissue.
In addition to STT, a therapist often performs static or PNF stretches to stretch further and dislodge the knots, adhesions, and other restrictive tissue structures. The combination of stretches and STT will increase blood flow to the affected tissues, speeding up the Work-Recovery Cycle and assisting the body in fully healing.
A physiotherapist can also apply heat to the injured tissues to promote healing. This is usually done using hot towels, a heating pad, or other tools to warm the tissues and increase blood flow. Heat can also help to reduce any excess swelling of the tissues. Cold therapy, such as ice packs and cryotherapy, can be utilized to decrease any inflammation and help speed up the healing process.
Chiropractors are trained to recommend exercises that help treat and rehabilitate health conditions affecting bones, muscles, and joints (musculoskeletal problems). They are also qualified to provide nutritional, dietetic, and lifestyle counseling.
Dietary and nutritional counseling is a relatively new technique in chiropractic treatment. It helps patients maintain a healthy weight, improve their eating habits, and change unhealthy behaviors that can contribute to chronic health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer.
This counseling is a large part of what makes chiropractors unique. Many doctors and other medical professionals do not offer it as a component of their treatment. This is unfortunate because changing a patient’s diet can be just as effective for some illnesses as taking medication or having surgery.
A good diet can help a patient recover from injuries more quickly and reduce the severity of future symptoms. It can also prevent health problems from developing in the first place. Premier Health Chiropractors can offer nutritional counseling to their patients, helping them establish dietary and exercise plans that are right for them.
Another way a chiropractor can assist their patients is through manipulation treatments, which are manual therapy techniques used to increase the quality and range of motion in a joint. These manipulations are often used to treat back, neck, and other joint pain. They are similar to massage and acupuncture but have more of a controlled force. Chiropractors perform over 90% of all manipulation treatments in the United States. Other healthcare professionals, such as physical therapists and orthopedists, can also perform some types of manipulation.
During the first visit, the chiropractor will take a thorough history of the patient’s injury or illness and conduct a physical exam. They may also recommend X-rays or MRIs. The chiropractor then uses this information to diagnose and plan a course of treatment.
During the manipulation treatment, the patient lies on a table while the chiropractor moves a joint to its end range and then applies a low-force thrust to the area. This can cause some discomfort at the time of the treatment, but this is usually short-lived, and the patient will feel better after the treatment. In rare cases, some patients may experience numbness or tingling in the affected area.
