10 Benefits of Chiropractic Care Backed By Research
Chiropractic care is defined as restoring function and supporting the nervous system through adjustments. The purpose of chiropractic care is to eliminate or significantly reduce the need for medicinal drugs and surgeries so you can reach health goals, heal the body, and improve your quality of life.
What Does a Chiropractor Do?
Chiropractors value their role of being natural healers. This means that as chiropractors, we do not mask your injuries, conditions, or illnesses. Instead, we treat and prevent them. Additional duties of a chiropractor are to detect, eliminate, and make adjustments to your body and the source of pain.
What do science and research say about the use of chiropractic care?
Researchers have conducted many studies proving that chiropractic care positively impacts a person’s body and way of life. According to Hertzman-Miller et al. (2002), American Journal of Public Health, “Chiropractic patients were more satisfied with their back providers after four weeks of treatment than were medical patients.” According to a poll conducted, 77% of individuals who saw a chiropractor stated the treatment was very effective. Besides physical therapy, chiropractic care is considered to be very safe and very effective. [1]
Here are 10 benefits that are backed by research studies that are the result of chiropractic care
Treatment for Headaches
Research studies have proven that spinal manipulation can be used to treat migraine or tension headaches. A trial study was conducted where 72 percent of migraine sufferers felt their condition improved after chiropractic treatment. It is said that 9 out of 10 individuals suffer from various types of headaches, which means that almost 7 out of 9 people who suffer from migraines benefit from chiropractic care. The majority of them are caused by tension in the neck. [2]
Pain Reduction
Research studies have shown that individuals suffering from neck pain, lower back pain, spinal stenosis, herniations, and other types of pain benefit from chiropractic care. A study was performed on individuals that were candidates for surgery, where some received spinal manipulation treatment and others received the necessary surgeries. The improvement in both sets of individuals was the same.
Improvement in Your Quality of Life
The spine is considered to be “the root of the nervous system.” Therefore, when it is stressed, you feel it through your entire body. These stresses can come from poor nutrition, environmental stress, and physical stress. This can affect our emotional and psychological well-being, which affects our quality of life. Spinal manipulation alleviates this.
Decrease in Medication
Most individuals that suffer from pain and are treated by a medical doctor receive some form of medication. These painkillers have proven to be habit-forming and deadly. By working with a chiropractor, the need for the medication decreases, as the pain is addressed rather than masked by using pills. (4)
Help With Pediatric Stressors
The International Pediatric Association has stated that chiropractic care can help children with the stress placed on their limbs from growing. Chiropractic care can help improve your child’s overall health, including sleep, behavior, and immune system function.
Improvement in Athletic Performance
Athletes have the highest risk of injuries, causing issues that affect their range of motion, flexibility, and other biomechanics that can affect their performance. Through chiropractic care, athletes are able to focus on these areas and prevent these problems. This improves their performance and prevents injuries so that they can perform their best all season.
Mental and Emotional Improvements
Mental and emotional stress can be affected when a person is in pain. When the pain is relieved, emotional and mental stress is alleviated. Also, chiropractic adjustments activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to relax the body.
Illness and Injury Prevention
Chiropractic care is not just prevention for athletes; it is prevention for anyone from pain due to pinched nerves, carpal tunnel, or auto accidents. For example, individuals that work at a computer all day and do not practice ergonomically correct ways of setting up their desks or sitting in their chairs run the risk of joint pains, herniations, and slipped discs. Through the use of chiropractic care, these risks are addressed and reduced.
Increased Energy and Reduced Stress
When a person is stressed or in pain, it can be felt throughout the body. This causes muscle tension, and they tend to feel more fatigued. Through chiropractic care, the tension is relieved throughout the body, which increases energy and reduces stress. According to the National Institutes of Health, spinal manipulation was proven to be “effective for acute and subacute pain in the neck and lower back.”
Pregnancy
The International Pediatric Association recommends that women use chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy to help with labor and delivery. Research by Dr. Joan Fallon, DC, showed pregnant women who received chiropractic care from the tenth week of pregnancy through delivery showed decreased labor times. It helps relieve tension that builds up in various joints of the body, such as the hips, lower back, and sciatica.
How Our Adjustment Style is Unique and Different
The typical method used for a chiropractic adjustment is far from gentle. A lot of force is applied to the body by twisting different areas and popping or cracking joints. The adjustment style that we use here at our clinic in Littleton, CO, is unique, gentle, and versatile.
The adjusting technique that we use is the Koren Specific Technique (KST), which is combined with an FDA-approved adjusting device known as the Arthrostim. This form of chiropractic care is unique and different because it is gentle- without pulling, bending, twisting, or cracking.
Our style, KST, consists of three steps. The body is analyzed, the areas are checked for proper alignment, and any areas that are not in the correct position are adjusted and corrected. This is not only unique and different but a highly effective technique used in chiropractic care.
Conclusion
There has been a lot of quality research done about the benefits of chiropractic. The type of chiropractor as well as the chiropractic technique used can make a big difference in outcome. As a chiropractor located in Littleton, CO, specializing in KST and Arthrostim, we implement this technique in the care that we provide to patients of all ages experiencing various conditions, injuries, or changes in their bodies. This includes pregnant women, injured athletes, and children experiencing issues with their growth and development.
This is why you should visit our clinic in Littleton, CO. We provide you with care that is gentle and safe, not to mention it is unique from other types of chiropractic care that you will experience. Give us a call at 303-794-1737 to see if we can help!
