A chiropractic adjustment has a number of different benefits. A trained chiropractor can relieve pain caused by accidents, injuries, and even poor posture. These experts can even help control or eliminate pain that surgery or medication has been unable to. They can even help with joint issues and headaches. Chiropractic adjustments have been known to cure or improve issues such as ear infections, asthma, bowel regulation, and even high blood pressure.
While some people see chiropractors as little more than masseuses, the truth is that this is a regulated branch of treatment. Chiropractors go through a training period just like other healthcare professionals, and there have been a number of studies done on the benefits of chiropractic adjustments.
What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
A chiropractic adjustment is defined as a manual adjustment to the body that helps prevent or improve mechanical disorders affecting the musculoskeletal system. Spinal adjustments, soft-tissue adjustments, and joint manipulation are all manual adjustments, which simply means that a professional uses their hands to press on parts of the patient’s body.
Chiropractors focus on improving the relationship between the function of the body (nervous system) and the structure (the bones). When that relationship is in balance, there is little to no pain or inflammation.
What Problems Does a Chiropractic Adjustment Fix?
Many people go to chiropractors because their spine is misaligned. A vertebra may have slipped, or the entire spine may be misaligned. Other issues include osteoporosis or other issues that lead to changes in the spine. Joint pain can also be treated by chiropractic adjustment.
Benefits of Getting a Chiropractic Adjustment
While the problems that chiropractors can fix are fairly wide, there are many specific issues that often have people seeking out these professionals. Many people who have neck and back pain go to the chiropractor. Because this is one of the more prevalent issues chiropractors handle, there have been a number of different studies done that look at how effective this treatment is.
One study reported that 98 percent of those who saw a chiropractor for neck and back pain were at least “very likely” to return if they suffered from pain again. Many other studies have shown that patients often recover more quickly from accidents or see improvement when using a chiropractor along with or in place of other types of treatment.
Chiropractic Adjustment and Headache
Those who suffer from migraines may have tried many different means of dealing with the pain. In the end, many simply give up and assume they will live with these painful headaches for the rest of their lives. Even those who suffer from tension headaches may have given up after not being able to find anything that helped with the pain.
Many of these people had never had a chiropractic adjustment, though. Over 200 research articles and studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments can help either ease the pain of migraines and headaches or actually eliminate the pain completely. Those who are cautious of taking medication and pain relievers long-term for their headaches may also find that chiropractic adjustments allow them to scale back or completely stop using medication for the pain.
Chiropractic Adjustment for Sciatica
Sciatica is a type of back pain that originates in the sciatic nerve. This nerve, which is the longest in the human body, sits in the lower back. Branches of it run all the way down to the bottom of the feet. When a disk in the back slips or gets worn down, it can herniate. When this occurs, the center of the disk pushes outward, putting pressure on the muscles and nerves around it. Disks that herniate in the lower back often put pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to a painful condition known as sciatica. This pain can run up and down the legs and into the lower back.
Sciatic pain can be anywhere from mild and annoying to severe and debilitating. Just as with other types of back pain, taking medication may not offer much relief. A number of studies have shown that a chiropractic adjustment is effective for sciatic nerve pain. In many cases, it was more effective than either corticosteroid injections or physical therapy.
Can Chiropractic Adjustment Help with Blood Pressure?
Yes, chiropractic adjustment can actually help reduce high blood pressure. According to one of the leading experts on hypertension, George Bakris, adjusting the upper cervical can lower blood pressure just as effectively as several drugs can. His study also showed that the adjustment can affect blood pressure for over six months. Chiropractic adjustments also help those who have chronic low blood pressure improve to normal levels.
What Chiropractic Adjustment Can Do for Athletes
Athletes often seek out chiropractors for assistance while training. That’s because many of these individuals face injury while playing sports. Many professional athletic teams actually hire chiropractors full-time to assist their players. Chiropractic treatment can help with pain from sports injuries, and it can even help improve performance. Athletes may also be able to cut down their recovery time by seeking assistance from chiropractors.
Chiropractic Adjustment Studies Done on Frozen Shoulder
The condition known as frozen shoulder occurs when the shoulder joint becomes stiff. The capsule of the shoulder, which contains the tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint, can become very tight and thick from inflammation and scar tissue. While this occurs, it can be very painful to move the shoulder, if it’s possible to move it at all.
A clinical trial looked at how effective a chiropractic adjustment could be in dealing with frozen shoulder. Out of 50 patients who participated in the trial, all but one showed at least 50 percent movement improvement. Before treatment, most stated that their pain measured a nine on a scale of one to ten. However, after chiropractic adjustment, the average pain score dropped to two.
