1. Dysfunction Begins Long Before Pain
The absence of pain is not always an indicator of health. For example, patients with back injuries typically experience restriction and motion limitations for months or years before presenting as chronic pain necessitating a chiropractor. Often, individuals hope that all they need to do is take a pain reliever, and the pain will go away. Unfortunately, the dysfunction causing the pain persists. Joint, ligament, and muscle injuries frequently occur from long-term dysfunction, often from past injuries that make the area more prone to becoming injured in the future.
2. Athletes See Chiropractors for Maintenance Care and Not Only to Treat Issues
Top athletes such as Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Evander Holyfield, and more have all publicly exclaimed how beneficial they found chiropractic care to be. Athletes like to see chiropractors because chiropractic doctors are movement experts. It is increasingly common for sports teams and professional athletes to retain chiropractors to speed along recovery times, improve balance and coordination of the athletes, aid the athletes in preventing injuries, and ensure that all athletes are in top physical condition.
3. Peak Body Performance Begins with a Healthy Nervous System
The spinal cord is the point of origin of all nerves that travel through your body and are in charge of your bodily functions. When nerves become pinched or otherwise impeded by joints and surrounding tissue, nerve signal transmission may be inhibited. Subluxation, otherwise known as biomechanical integrity disruption, is something that a chiropractor can address and help heal. Interestingly, connections have been found correlating conditions such as mid-back pain to IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or upper back pain to acid reflux. Adjustments from a chiropractor that free the flow of proper nerve signal transmission throughout the body may lead to alleviation of an array of coexisting symptoms.
4. Healing is Not Done by the Doctor
Doctors do not spontaneously heal you, but they do restore proper motion to joints, relieve tension in nerves and muscles, and stimulate your body’s internal healing functions to allow your body to heal properly and recover as quickly as possible from any taxation. In integrative medicine, such as chiropractic care, it is thought that all disease comes from disruption to the body’s proper transmission of signals by the nerves. Chiropractors treat dysfunction by making adjustments to restore the nervous system, so that it may work as optimally as possible.
5. People of All Ages Can Benefit from Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is for individuals of all life stages. Chiropractors have successfully helped newborns, children, pregnant women, and seniors. Many older adults are unaware that a chiropractor can safely assist them with increasing their balance and coordination, decreasing joint degeneration, and helping to expand their range of motion. Conversely, an infant after birth may benefit from a chiropractor to make adjustments to their spine and any misalignments to their upper vertebrae which may have occurred during delivery. Many parents often opt to receive chiropractic therapy for their children to assist with bedwetting, behavioral issues, allergies, sleep issues, asthma, and colic and help with healthy brain development. Many individuals of all ages choose to see a chiropractor to support their overall well-being.
6. Chiropractors Can Treat More Than Your Back
Chiropractors are specialized doctors qualified to give you recommendations on nutrition, ergonomics, fitness, and lifestyle practices. Chiropractors frequently also have additional specialties such in as sports rehabilitation, clinical nutrition, addiction disorders, and pediatrics. Chiropractic treatment can assist with behavioral and emotional disorders, decreasing stress, reducing pain, and resolving issues related to the back, neck, arms, legs, wrists, or other joints. Many individuals have seen even more benefits.
7. Successful Patients Take Responsibility for Their Care
While some individuals say that they did not benefit from chiropractic treatment, often, these people are long-time sufferers of chronic pain and conditions that did not occur overnight. Especially in the case of long-term conditions, one cannot expect instant recovery from a few initial sessions. Healing from years of stress placed on the body and dysfunction can be a gradually progressive process. Additionally, high inflammation due to dietary issues and other factors can damper the healing process. Finally, many chiropractors will send you home with at-home exercises for strengthening and healing the body. Individuals looking for a miracle fix but who aren’t willing to make any changes in lifestyle to mitigate the onset of their symptoms are unlikely to find absolute relief from chiropractic adjustment alone.
8. Chiropractic Care May Help You Avoid Illness
Numerous studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments reduce pain and inflammation related to tissue damage, and also enhances immunoregulatory responses essential to a healthy immune system. It has been commonly reported that chiropractic patients feel they have a better immune response and quicker recovery rates from illnesses and injuries. Historically, it has even been noted that chiropractic doctors during the 1917-1918 Spanish flu recorded having patients that had fewer fatalities than the general population and recorded their findings.
9. It Is a Common Myth That You Will Have to Go “Forever”
While it is true that some patients choose to regularly see a chiropractor for maintenance care because they enjoy getting adjusted, your doctor will not expect you to come in for continuous care without symptoms. After you have been treated for your initial injuries or symptoms, you will often be scheduled for a couple follow-up appointments to ensure that you are not experiencing any subsequent issues, and then your treatment has been concluded. However, it is suggested that you periodically get a check-up, just as you would with a dentist or general practitioner, to ensure that you remain in optimal health. Some individuals, especially athletes, opt to see a chiropractor regularly for overall wellness and maintenance care so they may remain in peak physical health.
10. Adjustments Don’t Hurt
No, your bones won’t snap or break, and your joints will not be worn out. Although the sometimes audible popping or cracking sound that comes with adjustment (called cavitation) may be intimidating at first, it is not painful. Many people find they feel better and lighter after the adjustment. The sound the adjustment may make is simple gasses being released from the joint capsule. After an adjustment, you will likely experience greater ease in moving the body and may even be able to stand up taller.
