What Is A Chiropractor?

chiropractor doctor

Many of us find ourselves suffering from things like back pain or neck pain regularly. In most cases, some form of trauma happened to this area, and the spinal muscles have received extra pressure that leads to pain. When considering treatment for this back pain and neck pain, it is important to consider the benefits of a chiropractor.


What Is A Chiropractor?

A chiropractor is a doctor that centralizes treatment around the spine and the muscles that surround it. Anyone who is suffering from different pains like back pain or neck pain that is connected to their spinal cord can be treated by a chiropractor. Often times, these damages are done by car accidents and work-related damages where trauma to the spine and muscles in that area are injured. The chiropractor uses their hands and other natural forms of treatments to assist with these areas which are in opposition to medical and surgical treatments. It is the mission of the chiropractic practice to use these treatments to restore the integrity of the spine.

What Methods Do Chiropractors Use To Treat Back Pain?

When treating back pain, chiropractors use several methods.

  • Spinal Manipulation
  • Spinal Alignment
  • Massage Therapies

When you meet with your chiropractor regarding your back pain, they will work to manipulate your spine by placing pressure on certain points in your back in an effort to reset the nerves linked to that area. Massage therapies by licensed therapists are often required in chiropractic practices because they eliminate stress in the muscles of your back so that your Chiropractor can begin to align the spine.

The spinal alignment will be used to determine if there are any discs that are not in place, and this treatment will alleviate pressure in these areas due to a manual adjustment. During this process, the chiropractor will lay the patient flat on their back and manually move the spine and joints in an attempt to straighten the spine, which further alleviates pressure and pain.

What Methods Do Chiropractors Use To Treat Neck Pain?

  • Instrumental Therapies
  • Manual Therapies

Some chiropractors find the neck to be too delicate for some of the standard manual therapies. In this case, they use a soft but massaging instrument that massages a stressed neck muscle, relieving pressure so that the chiropractor can perform a physical exam to determine the extent of the injury. Another type of instrumental therapy is to apply neck weights when laying flat on the back to remove the building pressure. Trigger point therapy is also another instrumental therapy that focuses in on a stressed area and works to release the pressure.

Once the instrumental therapies have relaxed the neck area enough for manual therapies, the Chiropractor will conduct muscular stretches in the area to determine where the discs are misaligned in the top of the spine. Expect massage therapy prior to the adjustment during the visit. Like back pain, a manual adjustment is required to align the neck, and the chiropractor will manually adjust the spine with spinal manipulation during the adjustment.

Benefits of Chiropractic Treatment Compared To Surgery

Chiropractic treatments have the ability to restore the structure and integrity of your spine. Once you open your body up to surgery in this area, then the risks of damages are on the rise. Any wrong slice into your spine can leave you paralyzed forever. The chiropractic treatment provides you the ability to treat the pain with several visits, and then restore your spine to its previous placement. While several treatments may be required for chiropractic treatment, surgery will require your body to take on additional healing that could have been prevented with chiropractic treatment.

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1 Response

  1. Victoria Addington says:

    I have been dealing with my back pain since last month, and I’m not sure if this is because of my bad posture. Before it leads to any spinal cord problem, I want to have it checked by a chiropractor. It’s good to know that chiropractors can treat other injuries connected to the spine aside from back pain.

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