The adjustment is also known as spinal manipulation or spinal manipulative therapy. Adjustments free up restrictions within the joints of the spine. This allows for better movement and less pain.
Think of it this way: an adjustment takes a door that is "stuck" closed and opens it.
Chiropractors utilize treatments, including joint manipulation, physical therapy modalities, patient education, manual therapy, nutrition, and rehabilitation exercises, to address each patient's unique situation.
Chiropractors use established methods to relieve pain and impairment without the need for medication or surgery in the majority of instances.
As previously indicated, spinal manipulation can be combined with exercise to help persons with lower back pain. In addition, chiropractors are trained in non-surgical spinal decompression, low-level laser therapy, acupuncture, instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation, and many more techniques.
Shots, muscle relaxants, and pain relievers may just treat the symptoms of the condition, but chiropractic care can help by addressing the cause. There is a lesser probability of getting such symptoms later on when pain is treated at the cause.
If you only pay attention to the symptoms, it's like removing the battery from a smoke alarm because you don't like the sound, but the fire is still burning. Chiropractic care has much better solutions than that. Chiropractors are experts in both spinal manipulation and exercise and rehabilitation. In this approach, not only is movement dysfunction addressed, but the body's support structures are also strengthened, stretched, and reinforced.
- A thorough case history
- Observation of the way you sit and walk
- Assessment of your spinal alignment
- Orthopedic and neurological testing
- Measurement of any visible deviation from ideal posture
- Tests of flexibility and mobility/ranges of motion
- Tests of muscle strength and length
If you have an issue with your musculoskeletal system, a chiropractor can provide you with non-drug therapy options.
Common treatments offered by Capital Sports Medicine in Silver Spring Maryland.
- Adjustments: This treatment is designed to reduce discomfort and increase range of motion by gently realigning joints.
- Soft-tissue therapy: The goal of this treatment is to reduce muscle spasms and tension in the connective tissue that surrounds each muscle (fascia).
- Exercises and stretches: This is prescribed in order to restore and maintain joint stability and mobility.
- Joint bracing/taping (Kinesio taping): What this treatment does is support sprained joints or muscles as they heal.
- Referrals to integrative medicine experts: For diet and nutrition advice on how to minimise inflammation and/or promote healthy eating in order to lose weight.
Low back pain plagues our society as one of the most common causes of disability and healthcare expenditures. Joint dysfunction in the lower back is a primary risk factor for the development & progression of low back degeneration.
Fortunately, chiropractors treat these joints with spinal manipulation, exercise, and particular patient education based on research. The majority of patients report less pain after their first appointment.
Changes to daily habits, postural stresses, and workstation ergonomics are among the most common activities resulting in a stiff or painful neck.
If neck stiffness is not treated, a person's joints and range of motion may be restricted. Chiropractors' spinal manipulation offers unrivaled success and safety for several forms of neck discomfort.
Manipulation, in conjunction with exercise and postural reeducation, often alleviates symptoms quickly.
If the body has a visible postural imbalance, such as a high right shoulder, it can have a major impact on the nervous system and spine over time. A chiropractor can help you correct improper posture, such as forward head translation or slouching, as well as straighten your spine, so that your body functions properly.
They will ask questions, perform a physical exam, and possibly order imaging to understand your condition entirely. Your pain is multi-dimensional, affecting many areas of your life—and so should your treatment plan. A chiropractor can create a treatment plan that addresses all of the postures, activities, interests, and stresses that could be causing your persistent pain.
The successful management of headache patients requires a multifaceted approach with spinal manipulation as a cornerstone of treatment.
Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of spinal manipulation for these types of headaches.
A recent study in The Spine Journal found that spinal manipulation cuts the number of symptomatic headache days in half, and the number of treatments has a linear dose-response to improvement.
Chiropractors can quickly identify the type of headache and the most appropriate treatment strategy.
However, most acute pain is due to musculoskeletal damage, sometimes referred to as mechanical neck and back pain. Mechanical pain does not typically respond well to a chemical solution (opioids).
This unsatisfactory treatment leads to poor results and long-term use. Opioid dependency, tolerance, and addiction frequently develop after an acute condition, such as a dental operation, surgery, or an injury. Post-operative or injury-related pain accounts for more than 25% of chronic use.
Here is how chiropractors are helping with the opioid epidemic:
- Chiropractors specialize in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders: their primary responsibility to the patient is to fully diagnose them—not treat them.
- Chiropractors' unique training allows them to find what is causing the pain and work towards finding a solution—not just covering it up.
- Chiropractors select the right treatment, for the right patient, at the right time to resolve problems quickly.
- As a profession, chiropractors are an integrated part of the solution to the opioid epidemic.
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2.Coulter ID et al. Manipulation and Mobilization for Treating Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for an Appropriateness Panel. Pain Physician. 2019 Mar;22(2):E55-E70.
3. Malo-Urriés M, Tricás-Moreno JM, Estébanez-de-Miguel E, Hidalgo-García C, Carrasco-Uribarren A, Cabanillas-Barea S. Immediate Effects of Upper Cervical Translatoric Mobilization on Cervical Mobility and Pressure Pain Threshold in Patients With Cervicogenic Headache: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics. 2017 Nov 1;40(9):649-58.
4. Haas M, Bronfort G, Evans R, Schulz C, Vavrek D, Takaki L, Hanson L, Leininger B, Neradilek MB. Dose-response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for care of
