Chiropractic Pain Management
There are three main reasons the human race turns to chiropractors: back pain (lower), neck pain, and headaches (tension and cervicogenic are the most common). Another common reason for needing chiropractic care is to loosen your joints to improve your range of movement. The common reason you hurt is due to tissue damage with scarring from trauma and repeated stress.
There are an abundant amount of benefits to receiving chiropractic care. The Spine Journal states that "chiropractic care provided patients with better short-term comfort than over the counter treatments, home exercise, and physical therapy."
Lower Back Pain
When patients are referred to chiropractors, doctors have ruled out causes they can deal with (which are mainly based around: cancer, infections, and fractures). Chiropractors then look at the scans that are usually sent with their patients, and start from there. Most of the times they send their patients through lab tests and physical exams to determine what treatment is appropriate for you. Once the general discussion of what, where, and how; your chiropractor will provide you with one or more of the following: mobilizations, spinal manipulative care, exercise and/or lifestyle changes.
If they are able to take care of the issue in their offices, they use mainly manual adjustments. These adjustments generally consist of controlled joint manipulation with sudden force that increases the range and ability of your motion. They will usually have you follow up with some nutritional counseling and home therapy to keep yourself in good condition when away from the office. The very main and most important goal of chiropractors is restoring your basic functions and helping you prevent further injury of yourself.
Chronic Neck Pain
Neck patients all depend on the condition of their injury. In most cases, your chiropractor will consider neurologic symptoms, chronicity, and your responses to the starter treatments. If patients are "red flagged" (usually revolves around malignancy or infections), you'll be sent to a neurologist. When all is clear and they have you approved for treatment, the application is about the same as lower back treatments: controlled force and joint manipulation.
Neck pain in peculiar uses cervical manipulations to alleviate your joints and reduce the pain usually caused by pinched nerves and/or muscle spasms. The most common method used by chiropractors to readjust your neck is using their hands to twist your neck suddenly to pop the dislocated vertebrae back into place.
Headaches
Non-tension type headache sufferers are usually the ones sent to chiropractors. Once referred, you'll be "red-flagged", so your chiropractor will know how to identify your second headaches, and figure out whether or not they're from medical conditions or systemic illnesses. Headaches are usually much easier to help than back or neck pain, so the results will be quicker.
Most methods of headache relief can be done either together or on their own. The most common method is trigger-point therapy and massages. They usually realign the skeleton and help decrease the pain levels of the headaches.
David L. Greene, MD, Phoenix, AZ is CEO of Preferred Pain Center which serves the Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ metropolitan and surrounding areas. He can be reached at dgreene@preferredpaincenter.com and (602) 507-6550.
Preferred Pain Center is a Comprehensive pain doctors in Arizona Center including Medical and Interventional Pain Management, Scottsdale Chiropractor Treatment, Physical Therapy, Spinal Decompression Therapy, and Manipulation Under Anesthesia.