10 Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Benefits of Chiropractic Care. When dealing with pain in your neck or back, one of the most common therapeutic treatments is chiropractic care. It’s a powerful alternative treatment to dealing with both, acute and chronic pain. But, there’s more to chiropractic adjustment than just pain relief. 

With the plethora of health benefits it brings to the table, chiropractic care can be thought of as a consistent treatment that helps you manage your symptoms, maintain good spinal health, and overall improve the quality of your life. 

Do you know that regular spinal adjustments can increase your immune health by 200% according to a study done by Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited by CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989. I personally have followed chiropractic care for a few years now, and I can tell you that dramatic shift this has made in improving my overall health. I see Dr Murray Gallbraith here in town. He is an active contributor to my blog and he recently shared more about this impressive study. Click here to learn more!

I am a faithful believer in chiropractic care, the picture above is clear proof of how effective this protocol has been for me. Dr Murray follows the “The Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Technique” which addresses the top two cervical vertebrae being the atlas and axis for these are the only two which do not have intervertebral discs, like the rest of the human spine; are the two most freely moveable vertebrae; are the ones most commonly misaligned and the easiest to be misaligned.

Chiropractic Care 101

A treatment meant to encourage your body’s ability to heal itself, chiropractic care involves manual spinal manipulation as well as other forms of treatment, such as nutritional consultation. These manual manipulations help realign your joints and cause pain relief. 

Usually treating problems related to the musculoskeletal system, licensed chiropractors perform a specific set of actions, ranging from stretching and sustained pressure to specific joint manipulations. They most often focus on relieving pain felt in your bones, cartilage, connective tissue, muscles, and joints. 

Chiropractic adjustments can be paired with physical therapy for the most optimal results in some situations, especially when dealing with a more serious injury or condition. 

Who Can Perform Chiropractic Care?

In order to be able to become a chiropractor, a therapist must obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree, pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners exam, and have a state license. This showcases how rigorous the system is, not simply allowing any physical therapist to perform this type of spinal manipulation. 

Additionally, many chiropractors complete postgraduate education in specialized fields, such as orthopedics or pediatrics, making them an even greater expert for a certain condition, being able to assess if the condition is able to be resolved and treated with non-invasive chiropractic treatment. The entire treatment is patient-centered, so the subjective pain experience is always extremely important. 

When it comes to health insurance, some plans cover chiropractic care but in most cases, only partially. It’s important to always check with your insurance company so you don’t end up paying too much out of pocket. 

10 Benefits of Chiropractic Care

In addition to pain relief, there are multiple other benefits you can get from chiropractic treatment:

1. Improved Digestion

Your digestion is ruled by the nerves running through your spine. Misalignment of your vertebrae might cause acid reflux, indigestion, gas, and even heartburn. Spinal adjustment, more specifically, the thoracic part of your spine might help ease stomach pain and unpleasant indigestion symptoms, improving your digestion and overall nutrient absorption

2. Better Sleep

Misalignment in your spine may cause trouble with sleeping. Getting some proper spinal manipulation may improve the stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you get relaxed and have more peaceful nights full of deep sleep. 

3. Improved Posture

Undergoing a consistent chiropractic treatment might help improve your posture, usually caused by a predominantly sedentary lifestyle or some sort of genetic disorder such as hyperkyphosis. Additional physical therapy might be recommended in order to achieve the best results. 

4. Headache Relief

Poor posture and lifestyle habits can cause tension in the muscles surrounding your neck, causing neck pain as well as headaches. Studies show how getting 6-8 chiropractic treatments immensely helps those suffering from chronic cervicogenic headaches. The treatments were significantly more effective than movement and exercise. Still, it doesn’t mean you should omit movement and exercise from your daily routine. They are a important parts of your health and longevity, helping optimize all of your systems day after day. 

5. Lower Blood Pressure

Research shows how chiropractic adjustments can have almost the same effect as taking blood pressure medications. The same study showed that the effects of the adjustment would persist for 6 months after the adjustment. Of course, diet and exercise play an important role in lowering your blood pressure, and chiropractic treatment alone won’t be enough. Use it as a tool that can help you in your overall wellness journey. 

6. Easier Breathing

Nerves running through your spine control your lung function, and when there’s tension in your spinal muscles and misalignment in your vertebrae, that can cause lung problems and issues with your breathing. Getting chiropractic care can help alleviate these symptoms and improve your breathing, even in very serious conditions. 

7. Reduced Scoliosis Symptoms

Scoliosis is a condition of abnormal curvature of the spine which causes pain, tension, shortening of the muscles, and a decreased range of motion. Chiropractic treatment combined with physical therapy could help treat and prevent the progression of scoliosis. 

Studies show noticeable improvement in a little over 4 weeks of consistent chiropractic adjustment. 

8. Reduced Sciatica Symptoms

Inflammation, pressure, or damage of the sciatic nerve causes pain that radiates from your lower back down your leg to your heel. It’s a very unpleasant condition that is usually treated with corticosteroid injections, medications, pain relieves, and chiropractic care. Those patients who receive chiropractic care report reduced symptoms, with studies proving impressive results even with those who have disc protrusions. 

9. Reduced Symptoms of Neurological Conditions

Chiropractic adjustments help increase blood flow to the brain, as well as the flow of cerebral spinal fluid. This has been shown to decrease overall inflammation which can potentially help those suffering from conditions such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Even though the body of research still isn’t broad, there’s potential in using chiropractic care in addition to the conventional medical treatment options, helping reduce symptoms of neurological conditions.

10. Possible Reduction of Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Caused by the degeneration of the cartilage in a joint, osteoarthritis is a chronic type of pain that needs to be managed throughout a person’s entire lifespan. Since the degeneration causes the ends of your bones to rub together, some types of chiropractic adjustments may actually help align your joints and thus reduce how much of your bones rub together. In addition, a recent study done on animals showed how chiropractic care may improve the status of cartilage, bone, and the joint capsule, and therefore help slow down the progression of arthritis.

Final Thoughts

Chiropractic care is an alternative treatment option for those struggling with chronic pain, mostly caused by the misalignment of the spine. Many people have fears before their first chiropractic adjustment because they dislike the cracking sound and they think it will hurt even more. What they most often come to realize, is that once they go through their first chiropractic treatment, the pain relief they experience is  much greater than they ever previously thought. 
Still, it’s important to note that choosing your chiropractor is not an easy task. Always look for someone with great credentials and testimonials, educate yourself on the treatment itself, whether or not your insurance covers it, and are there any additional therapeutic treatment that can be useful in combination. If possible, look for a doctor that specializes in “The Blair Upper Cervical Chirpractic Technique” as I personally believe this one method to be the least uncomfortable and most effective!