10 Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Improves neck pain

Neck pain can stem from poor posture, sitting for long periods, or constantly craning your neck to use your smart phone. Chiropractic care can help realign your spine and ease tension in the neck muscles to relieve neck pain. 

An older 2012 study found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation was more effective than medication at treating non-specific neck pain in a group of 272 adults at 8-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week follow-ups.

A 2019 study found that cervical spine manipulation may help decrease neck pain in the short-term by modifying levels of neuropeptides in your blood. Neuropeptides are proteins made in your nervous system that function as neurotransmitters or hormones.

Reduces reliance on opioid pain relievers

Going to your general medical doctor or urgent care facility for muscular pain issues like a sore back, foot sprain, or headaches usually ends with a trip to the pharmacy for pain relievers. Chiropractors are doctors with more focused knowledge of the spine and its connection to the nervous system. They do not rely on dangerous opioid pain relievers to fix pain and undergoing chiropractic treatment may help lower your need to take these over-prescribed painkillers. 

A large 2020 study compared the number of prescriptions for opioid pain relievers filled for adults who visited just their doctor or who visited both a chiropractor and their doctor to treat spinal pain.

The study found that adults who visited a chiropractor were less likely to get an opioid prescription filled for their pain compared to those who only saw their doctor.

Eases back pain

When treating short term or chronic back pain, chiropractic care is a great alternative to invasive procedures like surgery or injections. 

The American College of Physicians recommends that doctors encourage people with chronic low back pain to first seek non-medication treatments before taking medication to treat their pain.

A 2017 review of studies found that spinal manipulation was associated with moderate improvements in short-term back pain and function compared to placebo treatment for up to 6 weeks.

Reduction in osteoarthritis symptoms

Degeneration in the protective cartilage in our joints leads to our bones rubbing together causing pain. Chiropractors can help align your joints to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis. 

There hasn’t been a lot of research on the benefits of chiropractic manipulation for osteoarthritis. However, a 2020 animal study found some evidence that chiropractic manipulation may help slow down the progression of arthritis by improving the status of cartilage, bone, and the joint capsule.

Reduces headache symptoms

Spinal manipulation may be effective at treating tension headaches and headaches that originate in your neck.

A 2016 study found that 6 to 8 sessions of cervical and upper thoracic spine manipulation were more effective than movement and exercise for relieving pain in people with chronic headaches. This was still the case at a 3-month follow-up.

Cheaper than conventional medicine

Chiropractors focus on preventative measures to keep your body working at the optimum level. This is much different than conventional medicine which is by nature reactive care. Preventative medicines like chiropractic care may be a cheaper and smarter alternative to conventional treatment for chronic low back pain.

In a 2016 study, researchers looked at the potential financial benefits of chiropractic treatment for Medicare recipients with chronic back pain.

The researchers found that people who received chiropractic treatment had a lower overall treatment cost. The study also determined that their treatment duration was shorter than that of those who had conventional medical treatment.

It really works

People tend to leave the chiropractor’s office with a high level of satisfaction. I know, you think I’m just making that up to make chiropractic care look good, but seriously, we see it every day and there are studies that support my views.

For example, in a 2015 study, researchers found that a group of 544 people in chiropractic care reported a high level of satisfaction.

Also, 92 percent of the people in this study had improvements in their pain, and 80 percent reported improvements in their ability to move around.

Reduces scoliosis symptoms

Chiropractic care in has been shown to reduce the deformities associated with scoliosis. 

A 2016 study found that the Cobb angle in a group of five children with scoliosis improved after 8 weeks of chiropractic treatment. Noticeable improvements were seen after 4 weeks of treatment.

Helps improve posture

Poor posture can stem from many things, most notably sitting all day at work. It also has the potential to lead to many aches and pains. Chiropractic care can help correct poor posture and keep you pain free.

A 2017 case study examined the effect of chiropractic treatment on a 27-year-old woman suffering from back pain, neck pain, and headaches caused by hyperkyphosis posture. Hyperkyphosis is commonly known as a hunchback posture.

After 30 treatments over 6 months, she showed a significant improvement in her posture and pain relief in both her head and neck.

Great for athletes of all ages and calibers

Chiropractic adjustments can lead to increased joint mobility, reduced pain, and less soft tissue restriction.  This is great for athlete’s who want to stay on top of their game!

However, there are still some questions about whether spinal adjustments improve sports performance. A 2019 review of studies found that it didn’t improve performance in people without symptoms.

Chiropractic adjustments may be effective when used to deal with pain caused by an injury.