A chiropractor is a health care professional who deals with conditions of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system. Their services usually involve preventing problems rather than just treating them.
The founding father of chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer, reportedly restored the hearing of a deaf man by manipulating his spine. Palmer believed that spinal misalignment caused nerve compression that led to various diseases. Contact Westside Chiropractic Center for professional help.
If you have a strong immune system, you can fend off illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses. Your nerves control your cell functions, however even the tiniest misalignment can interrupt this procedure and have a causal sequence on your body’s immune system’s capability to eliminate off infections. Chiropractic care restores function to your nerves to guarantee your cells are working the way they should.
The immune system is an intelligent network of warriors that quickly deciphers germs, including viruses and bacteria, that can cause you to become ill. It does so by studying the germs up close and then developing antibodies to eliminate them. The immune system also has several other tools, including cytokines, which act as chemical messengers that tell the immune system where to go and what to do.
The nervous system, intricately connected to the spine, controls all your bodily functions, including digestion and immunity. However, spinal misalignments – called subluxations – can impede the nervous system’s ability to carry impulses to and from the brain, which could affect digestion and overall health. A chiropractor can correct these problems by adjusting the spine. This allows the nerves to communicate properly with your digestive organs, potentially improving digestion and boosting the immune system. In fact, many professional and Olympic athletes visit a chiropractor regularly to ensure their body is functioning at its best. This helps them achieve their goals while reducing the risk of injury and illness.
Less Pain
When your muscles release tension during a chiropractic adjustment, it’s common to experience some pain or soreness immediately afterwards. This is because the muscles and spinal joints are adjusting to their new positions. It’s similar to how you feel after a tough workout and should subside within a day or two.
Chiropractors use hands-on manipulation to realign the spine and other joints. They also perform soft tissue therapies to ease spasms and release tension in the connective tissues that wrap the muscles (fascia). They may also apply joint bracing or taping (Kinesio tape) to support sprained joints and muscles. Additionally, they may recommend exercise and nutritional counseling to manage pain and prevent future problems.
During the procedure, you’ll be lying down on a treatment table that resembles a massage table. You might hear cracks or pops during the adjustments, which is normal. These sounds are called cavitation and occur when the surface of the joint opens slightly during the spinal manipulation. A chiropractor’s goal is to correct the misalignment and help the body heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. They believe the neuromusculoskeletal system’s performance is related to the functioning of other systems in the body. When the spinal column is properly aligned, nerves and other tissues work better. This improves overall body function and leads to improved health. Regular chiropractic care can keep the nervous system performing at its peak.
Better Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to overall health. Insufficient rest leads to a variety of negative side effects, including a weakened immune system and an increased risk of serious medical conditions.
Regular chiropractic care has been shown to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, resulting in better quality sleep. In addition to spinal adjustments, chiropractors can also provide guidance on improving sleep hygiene practices, such as establishing a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine before bed, and eliminating distractions in the bedroom.
Poor sleep habits can lead to a number of issues, from fatigue and memory problems to depression and anxiety. Sleep disorders can even put you at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition to helping you get a good night’s rest, chiropractic treatment can alleviate insomnia and other sleep disturbances, reducing pain in the back and neck and promoting relaxation, both of which are essential to restful sleep.
Spinal misalignments and muscle tension can contribute to sleep problems, but a chiropractor can identify these issues by performing a thorough examination and assessment. They can then perform gentle, precise spinal adjustments to correct the misalignments and reduce tension, which can promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. They may also recommend massage therapy, stretches, or exercises to further enhance the benefits of chiropractic for sleep. These techniques can reduce stress and anxiety, which can also cause sleep disturbances.
Increased Energy
A chiropractor’s manual manipulation of the spine and joints (also known as “chiropractic adjustment”) is a quick, effective treatment for spinal injuries. These can stem from a single event, such as a car accident or sports injury, or occur gradually over time, such as hunchback posture, a common cause of low back pain.
Chiropractic treatments can also help you feel better overall. Rather than living in pain, taking pills or undergoing surgery, patients that visit a chiropractor can choose to heal naturally and get back to doing what they love. This can mean playing with your kids, spending time with your family, or even working at your job.
Regular spinal adjustments can also help you get a good night’s sleep. Spinal misalignments, even when they don’t cause discomfort, can interrupt nerve impulses that control body functions like digestion, and chiropractic care focuses on correcting these issues.
Chiropractors aren’t M.D.s, but they do have a doctor of chiropractic degree, and many have years of training in restoring normal function to the musculoskeletal system that consists of the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves that make up more than 60% of your body’s composition. They can also offer lifestyle advice about diet and nutrition, exercise, ergonomics, and more to promote healing. They can also recommend supplements, hot and cold therapy, massage therapy, joint bracing, and kinesio taping to support the body’s healing process.
Reduced Injuries
Rather than relying on medication or surgery for injury rehabilitation, chiropractic care can reduce your recovery time and help you heal quickly. Spinal realignment helps all of your body systems work properly, enabling oxygen and nutrients to reach the damaged area and heal it faster. This is especially beneficial for injuries to the neck, shoulder, back, and legs.
Sports injuries are another common reason people seek out chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors can help athletes prevent injuries by addressing imbalances and misalignments that could lead to pain, swelling, or stiffness. They also provide advice on improving muscle strength, coordination, and balance, which will increase their performance and decrease the risk of injuries.
Chiropractors are often able to treat personal injuries such as whiplash, which is caused by rapid jerking motions and can cause neck pain, tenderness, headaches, tingling in the arms, and minimal range of movement in the neck. They can also treat injuries to the shoulder, wrist, knee, hip and ankle, and even the elbow or tennis elbow. In addition to treating these injuries, chiropractors can also offer lifestyle advice on diet & nutrition, exercise, ergonomics and other areas that impact overall health and wellness. This makes them the ideal choice to partner with in developing an injury prevention plan that will suit your specific needs and lifestyle. This will make you less prone to injury and illness in the future.
Reduced Doctor Visits
When you see a chiropractor, you can avoid the need for prescription pain relievers. Medications are often addictive and can cause additional problems when taken over long periods of time. If you have been experiencing pain, regular visits to a chiropractor may reduce the need for medication and allow you to get back on your feet sooner.
Chiropractors use a drug-free approach to healthcare that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. They are trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as dietary, nutritional and lifestyle counseling. They also diagnose and treat neuromusculoskeletal conditions and may refer patients to allopathic or osteopathic physicians for medical evaluation and management.
During the first visit, the chiropractor will take a complete health history and perform a physical exam of your spine and joints. X-rays or other diagnostic tests may be needed to make a diagnosis. During treatment, the chiropractor will manipulate the joint with low-force thrusts to restore normal articular function and reduce pain. This type of manipulation helps re-establish a normal range of motion, improves circulation, and relieves stiffness. For those with osteoarthritis, chiropractic care may help to slow the progression of joint degeneration by reducing how much bone rubs against each other. In addition, a recent study has shown that spinal manipulation may lower the number of opioid pain relievers prescribed to people with chronic neck pain. This is due to the fact that it may reduce levels of neuropeptides in the blood, which are proteins made by the nervous system and function as neurotransmitters or hormones.