These days, most teams in the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL now have either full-time chiropractors or they refer their stars to a particular service. According to the American Chiropractic Association, around 30 million people seek medical attention from a professional chiropractor every year. For those who aren’t quite sure of the growing niche, this begs just one question; what is a chiropractor?
The Basics of Chiropractic
As healthcare professionals, chiropractors specialize in neuromuscular disorders and believe in treatments based on spinal manipulation and manual adjustments. Depending on the issue you experience, there are some key goals for chiropractors;
- Reduce pain and discomfort
- Boost the functionality of patients
- Prevent future injuries from occurring (or returning)
- Provide advice on diet and exercise
- Educate patients
Although categorized as complementary or alternative medicine, the benefits of such treatment are becoming clearer and this is why so many people are paying for professional treatment.
Key Beliefs of Chiropractic
When asking the question of ‘what is a chiropractor?’, it’s important to understand their beliefs as medical professionals. For example, the most important relationship is the one between spine and nervous system. Chiropractors believe that the nervous system is directly affected by structural and biochemical derangement of the spine.
When the spine is misaligned or otherwise out of position, this puts pressure on the neurological tissue and can lead to a number of health conditions. Therefore, chiropractors believe that relieving this tension will reduce the pressure, boost mobility, and improve the health of the patient.
After first visiting a chiropractor and getting assessed, treatment plans will be based around realigning the spine and improving mobility. By doing this, any irritation the spinal nerve was experiencing is removed and it should also re-establish altered reflexes.
Common Ailments Treated by Chiropractors
What is a chiropractor? On a very basic level, it’s a medical professional who excels in the art of spinal care. As we’re going to see a little later, there are many benefits to choosing this route. Firstly, what kind of conditions can they treat?
For the most part, neuromusculoskeletal disorders will be the most common area treated by a chiropractor. However, this doesn’t mean that they treat the musculoskeletal and nervous systems exclusively. Other ailments include;
- Arthritic pain
- Lower back pain
- Sciatica
- Headaches
- Repetitive strain
- Car accident injuries
- Sports injuries
At this point, we should also clear up a common misconception that chiropractors work alone or see their field as one that can resolve any problem. This isn’t the case, and they frequently refer patients to professionals in other fields. At Appleton Chiropractic Center, we have a network of specialists and medical professionals with whom we work whenever a patient needs extra care.
Benefits of Choosing a Chiropractor
What is a chiropractor? Hopefully, we’ve now answered this question and you understand more about how it all works. To finish this short guide, we want to answer another question; why is it a popular solution these days? Why are 30 million people now visiting chiropractors on a yearly basis?
- Treating the Source
Firstly, go to a doctor with lower back pain and the first thing they will do is get out their pad and write a prescription for drugs. While medication will certainly remove the pain, it’s only a temporary measure and it will only return again in the near future (with a vengeance!).
Sadly, medication masks the real problem. On the other hand, chiropractors work towards treating the underlying issue. As we’ve discussed, they want to realign the spine and relieve all tension in the neuromusculoskeletal system. If the treatment plan goes well, the individual will enjoy freedom from pain and discomfort that has plagued them for many years.
- Non-Invasive Treatment
At Appleton Chiropractic Center, we believe that surgery should only be used as a last resort. These days, people are being referred to surgeons before other methods have even been attempted and this is a real problem.
Before putting your body through the stress of surgery, and having to suffer through the recovery period, working with a chiropractor is a non-invasive treatment with very little risk or side effects. In the best-case scenario, the need for surgery is negated. If the plan doesn’t work, then we can look towards more serious solutions.
- Overall Health
Furthermore, those who undergo chiropractic treatment are often surprised at how it focuses on improving overall health. Instead of just treating the issue and hoping it doesn’t return, a chiropractor will offer exercise and diet advice to ensure you remain healthy long into the future.
- Other Benefits
Just in case you needed another reason to contact Appleton Chiropractic Centre, we can also offer the following;
- Friendly service
- Little downtime
- Joint dysfunction prevention
- Personalized plan
- No medication
- Treatment alongside other medical fields