If you have chronic pain, chiropractic care could be your best bet for relief. It doesn’t use medication to mask the symptoms, but instead focuses on restoring proper functioning of the body by manipulating spinal vertebrae, joints and soft tissues to release pressure on nerves.
The most common chronic pains patients see chiropractors for are neck and back pain. While neck pain can be caused by a wide range of reasons, it’s often a result of poor posture or muscle tension.
1. Adjustments
Whether you are looking for a way to alleviate pain from an injury, or you are struggling with chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, chiropractic care is the right option. It is not only safe and effective, but it has many benefits that can help you lead a more comfortable life.
The primary goal of adjustments is to restore movement in the joints and improve their alignment, allowing the body’s nerve system to function properly. This can relieve pain and boost health in many areas of your body.
In addition to pain relief, patients find that they feel better overall after receiving chiropractic adjustments. For example, they might walk into a chiropractor’s office with neck pain and leave feeling that inflammation has been reduced elsewhere in their body.
Another benefit of getting adjustments is that it can help reduce the amount of opioid prescriptions you take. Research has shown that patients who see their doctors and a chiropractor for pain often need to fill their prescriptions less frequently.
This is because when the spine is aligned, it can better support the nerves that supply the muscles and joints. It also helps to reduce inflammation and decreases the risk for diseases linked to high levels of inflammation.
In addition to physical therapy, chiropractors also provide advice on lifestyle factors that can influence chronic pain. These include stress management, diet and nutrition, and exercise. If you’re looking for an experienced Chiropractor Edmonton area, pay a visit to the Chirocare Centre.
2. Massage
If you have been experiencing chronic pain for a long time, then it may be helpful to consider massage therapy. Massage can help alleviate pain in several ways, including reducing stress, increasing blood flow, releasing endorphins and improving your mood.
Aside from a general feeling of relaxation and well-being, it can also help reduce inflammation by boosting circulation and removing waste products. It’s also a great way to treat pain naturally and avoid relying on medications that are often just masking the symptoms.
It can be used on a variety of joints, and chiropractors often employ it to target specific areas that are suffering from pain. For instance, a chiropractor may use short thrusts on the joints between vertebrae to bring them into alignment and relieve pressure on nerves and muscles.
Massage can also help to reduce pain by easing muscle tension and tightness. Tense muscles can prevent movement and cause muscular knots to form, which can further increase pain.
Another benefit of massage is that it can increase the temperature of the muscle tissues and fascia, a tough layer of fibrous connective tissue that surrounds the muscles. A range of techniques that are used within a massage increase the temperature in the tissue through friction, an increase in blood flow and increased elasticity in the muscle.
In addition, massage increases the release of endorphins and serotonin, two feel-good hormones that are circulated in the body. The hormones produce positive feelings such as a sense of relaxation, a boost in energy, relief from stress and improved motivation.
If you are suffering from chronic pain, it might be worth talking to your chiropractor about adding a regular massage routine into your treatment plan. Getting regular massages can help alleviate your pain and improve your overall health, and it’s not too expensive either.
3. Exercise
If you are suffering from chronic pain, chiropractic care can be a powerful tool in relieving it. It has a number of effective treatment options that can help alleviate pain in the long term, and is often more successful than medication for back pain, neck pain or headaches.
Spinal manipulation is a common treatment that can help alleviate pain by realigning joints in the spine and other parts of the body. This can lead to fewer visits to the doctor, less use of painkillers and improved posture.
Exercise can also be an effective therapy for chronic pain. Depending on the cause of your chronic pain, it may be helpful to choose a variety of exercises that will target the problem areas and reduce symptoms.
For example, if you have a pinched nerve in your neck, exercise may help to release the tension in the area by stretching and re-aligning the muscles that are putting pressure on the nerves. Other exercises that can be beneficial include stretches for the arms, legs and back as well as strengthening exercises.
Massage is another treatment that can help to reduce pain and inflammation, improve blood flow, heal damaged tissues, and promote relaxation throughout the body. A massage session can be either hot or cold to stimulate the body’s circulation and relieve pain and swelling in the affected area.
Getting enough sleep is also important for people who suffer from chronic pain. Studies have shown that getting a good night’s rest can reduce pain and stress.
4. Nutritional Counseling
In addition to providing adjustments and massage, chiropractors often offer nutritional counseling to help patients understand their diets and what they can do to improve their health. This can also help to alleviate pain that is a result of dietary imbalances.
Chiropractic treatment can benefit patients with a variety of chronic pain conditions, including back pain, neck pain, and headaches. This is because many types of chronic pain are a result of bodily systems that are not functioning correctly. These issues can be caused by a variety of factors, such as hereditary problems, injury or accident-caused problems, stress, and lifestyle imbalances.
Headaches: In a study of 52 patients with severe chronic migraines, researchers found that those who received chiropractic care had less frequent occurrences of headaches than those who did not receive treatment. This is because chiropractic treatments reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to the affected areas.
This is especially useful for people with cervicogenic headaches, which are headaches that stem from poor blood flow to the head. This can be a result of spine misalignments that cause a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Nutritional counseling is an effective tool for reducing pain and inflammation, as well as improving other aspects of the body’s function. This can include adjusting your diet, making changes to your exercise habits, and learning about proper nutrition and supplements.
To get the most out of this service, your chiropractor will need to understand your personal history and current medical condition, as well as your medications and traumatic/surgical history. Having these details ready can ensure that your chiropractor can treat you safely and effectively.
5. Electrotherapy
Often overlooked, electrotherapy is a non-invasive pain-relieving treatment that works by sending a mild electrical current through electrodes placed on your skin. These pulses stimulate the body to produce more natural pain relievers called endorphins, which helps reduce inflammation.
Electrotherapy also increases blood flow to the injured area, helping to promote healing and repair of damaged tissue. It can be used to treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, including plantar fasciitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
The most common form of electrotherapy is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). A small, battery-powered device is placed on the skin over the painful area. The current from the device sends an electric pulse to the skin, blocking the transmission of pain signals from the brain and spinal cord.
In addition to pain relief, electrotherapy can also help improve range of motion and muscle tone. It can also be useful in treating conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and tendonitis.
It can even help patients re-learn basic movements after stroke. However, it should be used with caution in people who have pacemakers or heart conditions. It can also be dangerous for pregnant women, as it could affect the development of a foetus.
In addition to its pain-relieving effects, electrotherapy can also help improve sleep and mood. It can also reduce stress and anxiety, which can be helpful in coping with chronic conditions such as depression and migraines.
About Author
