It’s estimated that more than 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their life.
Back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and it sends over seven million people to a Chiropractor every year. But, contrary to popular belief, Chiropractors offer more than just relief from back pain.
If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort, a Houston Chiropractor can help you get to the root cause. With spinal manipulation and a host of other techniques, their goal is to improve your overall health.
Keep reading to learn more about Chiropractic and how it can help you.
What Is a Chiropractor?
Chiropractors are trained and licensed health care professionals. This specialization focuses on diagnosing and treating disorders in the neuromuscular system.
At the core of Chiropractic is the belief that what happens in the spine directly affects the nervous system. Chiropractors believe that biomechanical and structural issues in the spine are related to how your nervous system functions. Using spinal adjustments to correct those issues both reduces irritation in the nerves and restores normal functioning to the nervous system.
In this way, chiropractors believe that treating the spine allows the body to heal itself of pain and discomfort. These specialized techniques are an alternative and preventative to surgery and other, more aggressive treatments.
What Does a Chiropractor Treat?
A Chiropractor is most commonly used to treat pain. They can relieve pain in muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissues like ligaments, tendons, and cartilage.
Although many people think chiropractors only treat back and neck pain, they’re actually qualified to treat several health conditions. Among the many conditions that chiropractors treat are:
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Pain from arthritis
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Sciatica
- Sport injuries
- Repetitive Injuries
- Osteoarthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Auto accident injuries
Sometimes, people experience pain that doesn’t have any particular cause or diagnosis. Chiropractors also treat undiagnosed aches and pains that can be caused by heavy lifting and laborious work on the job. These kinds of pain can also be caused by sitting or standing too long or having poor posture.
When To See a Houston Chiropractor
If you have any of the following symptoms, a chiropractor can be your first line of treatment:
- Aching
- Burning sensations in your limbs
- Headaches (back of head, forehead, left/right side, whole head)
- Leg cramping
- Joint pain or tenderness
- Pain with movement
- Muscle pain
- Back pain
- Back of head pain
- Base of neck pain
- Elbow pain
- Buttock pain
- Face pain
- Foot and hand pain
- Hip and knee pain
- Shoulder pain
- Wrist pain
- Sharp pain
- Shocking pain
- Muscles spasms
- Reduced mobility
- Stiffness
What Does Chiropractic Treatment Involve?
On your first appointment to your Houston Chiropractor, they’ll go over your medical history with you. They may ask you questions to determine if you’re a good candidate for Chiropractic treatment. It’s important that you’re open and honest before undergoing any treatment.
Following their oral examination, they’ll conduct a physical exam. They might also use laboratory tests and imaging tests to look deeper into your medical health. They’ll then come up with and discuss a treatment plan designed for your need.
Your Chiropractor has special training in performing manual adjustments. Using their hands, they’ll perform therapeutic techniques on the spine known as “spinal manipulation“.
Spinal manipulation involves applying quick and strong pressure on a joint between two vertebrae of your spine. These techniques will correct any misalignment in your spine to relieve pressure, aches, and pains.
But chiropractors may also use other therapies to improve your spinal health. These might include:
- Sports Rehab
- Modalities such as electrical stim/ultrasound
- Cold/Hot therapy
- Spinal Decompression Therapy
- Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation such as Graston
- Cold Laser Therapy
- Kinesiotaping
- Customized Orthotics
- Nutrition
- Massage
- Economic training (i.e., how to sit, stand, and walk in ways that best limit strain on the back)
Your Chiropractor will work with your primary care physician in your ongoing treatment. They might also engage with pain experts and surgeons in treating your conditions, if necessary.
Why Choose a Chiropractor?
When you’re experiencing aches and pains in your bones, muscles, or joints, a chiropractor is a non-surgical, non-invasive alternative. Rather than taking prescribed medications to mask pain symptoms, a chiropractor takes a more holistic approach to your health. They treat your general health by treating issues with your spine, thereby getting at the root of the problem.
Chiropractors also borrow techniques and knowledge from various other specialties to treat your overall health. They’ll educate their patients on health, exercise, nutrition, and ergonomics to improve their spinal health on their own. That patient education aspect is often lacking in other forms of pain treatment.
Treating pain with a Houston chiropractor should be your go-to before seeing orthopedic specialists, pain management specialists, and neurosurgeons. Those medical professionals are often more aggressive than what most patients require. Your Chiropractor may work in tandem with them but apply simpler techniques with high success rates.
Experiencing Aches and Pains?
If you’re experiencing pain, cramping, or soreness, it could be the result of spinal restrictions. By adjusting your spine, realigning your vertebrae, and fixing muscle dysfunction issues, a Chiropractor can help reduce those symptoms. They’ll also educate you on techniques to decrease the chances of your pain reoccurring.
You don’t need surgery or aggressive treatment to fix your pain. All you need is a Houston chiropractor. Contact us today to book your appointment.
