By Stephen Daniels

Sufferers from chronic pain may think they must resort to prescription medications to make life bearable. While drugs do offer pain relief, they serve only to counteract the symptom while ignoring the real problem. Fortunately, chiropractic treatment offers drug-free relief for many conditions while treating the underlying issues that are causing the pain.

Utilization of drugs for pain relief often has unwanted side effects. It may also result in an unhealthy addiction to pain pills. Over-the-counter options, too, have problems: when taken too frequently or in higher doses, they could cause serious damage to the liver or kidneys. Simply blocking out the ache of an injury or other problem with medication may result in causing further damage, as you may not feel additional strain you are putting on your body. Also, many drugs stop working as well over time as your body builds up tolerance to them. This can eventually leave a patient with few ways to obtain pain relief. Chiropractic care can be used instead of drugs in many cases to provide a safer and sometimes even more effective way to solve the problem in both the short and long term.

The practice of correctly aligning the spinal vertebrae by manual adjustment is called chiropractic manipulation. This method has been used for centuries to help with a myriad of different kinds of medical issues and pain. Its earliest documented use is in ancient Egypt and Greece. Modern chiropractors undergo special training and state licensing. Many chiropractic facilities utilize advanced technology such as x-rays for quick determination of vertebral alignment and other issues. Insurance providers cover many of these procedures.

Believing that the body is very good at regulating and healing itself is central to chiropractic practice. Sometimes, however, a disruption in the flow of nerve impulses can cause problems in the body's ability to detect issues and repair them. These disruptions can be caused by the spine being out of alignment as well as muscle tightness or slipped or herniated discs. Spinal manipulation is intended to correct or improve subluxation, or alignment, of vertebral joints. This helps to restore the flow of impulses. Adjustments can often provide immediate pain relief without the use of drugs, and it also can decrease stress and muscle tension while enhancing muscle strength and range of motion.

Continuing innovations in chiropractic care have made spinal manipulation safer, more comfortable and more effective than ever before. Depending on the diagnosis, a practitioner may opt for manual manipulation of the vertebral column as well as adjustment to hip and shoulder joints. Treatments can include manipulations done with the aid of tables, weights, and other instruments. Active Release Techniques utilize a type of massage therapy treating problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Hundreds of methods are employed by chiropractors today.

Modern chiropractic care encompasses much more than just spinal adjustment. Many practitioners offer a variety of holistic, drug-free treatments that work together to promote good health and not only relieve pain, but prevent it in the future. Massage therapy, acupuncture, foot orthotics, and flexion-distraction techniques to treat problems with discs between vertebrae are some of the on-site treatments that may be available.

Furthermore, many chiropractors can help you to discover the underlying problems that cause your chronic pain. They often recommend corrective exercises that can be performed at home to counteract these problems and prevent pain in the future. Lifestyle and nutritional advice may be provided as well to help enhance your body's ability to heal itself.

Before you refill that pain medicine prescription, you might want to consider the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors can work with you to discover the source of your pain. They offer relief in the short term as well as solutions in the long term to prevent pain, improving your quality of life as well as your overall health.

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1 comments:

TaxAct 2009 said...

Chiropractic care was helpful for me but I didn't get real relief until I have surgery and corrected some things like the chair I was sitting in, my bed, my exercise routine.

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