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From back pain to headaches and plantar fasciitis – a chiropractor can treat a wide range of conditions. However, chiropractic treatments are primarily focused on the musculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, joints, and bones.
If you are considering chiropractic treatment for a musculoskeletal condition, read on to find out what a chiropractor can treat.
Chiropractors are trained to use various techniques to treat pain and painful musculoskeletal conditions. Spinal manipulations, or adjustments, are the most common technique used; these may be either manual or instrument assisted.
Adjustments aim to improve or correct spinal misalignments to help reduce pressure on nerves and restore mobility and function to the affected area. This helps relieve the pain associated with the misalignment and prompts the body to start healing itself.
Chiropractors also often employ a range of supportive and holistic therapies to support the body in its healing. These include dietary, lifestyle, and exercise recommendations.
They may also suggest changes to habits, routines, or lifestyles to address the root cause of a condition. This helps prevent future injuries or reoccurrences of the condition.
So – what can a chiropractor treat?
Here’s a short list of some of the most common complaints chiropractors see.
General, acute, or chronic back pain is one of the most common conditions associated with chiropractics. It’s also the most common reason people seek chiropractic treatment, either for generalised back pain or lumbago (lower back pain). Treatment usually involves adjustments, traction, and rehabilitative exercises.
However, it’s important to note that back pain directly associated with an accident or injury may require other types of treatment, like surgery. If this is the case, your chiropractor will refer you to the most appropriate medical treatment.
Neck pain can be brought on by poor posture, stress, injuries, and various other issues. Regardless of its origins, it can be a real pain in the neck and head. It can bring on headaches, cause neck stiffness, and make it painful to move your head.
A chiropractor can often help alleviate these painful symptoms. ‘How’ will depend on the cause of the neck pain but it may involve adjustments, exercises and strategies to improve posture and muscle tone, or lifestyle changes to reduce stress.
Cervicogenic headaches originate in the neck joints and muscles. The pain then spreads up your neck and across the back of your head. Chiropractic treatment to address cervicogenic headaches consists of spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapies, and postural correction.
Patients often seek out chiropractic care for help with migraine pain. Therapies may include spinal adjustments to ensure there are no misalignments contributing to pain along with soft tissue therapies, and lifestyle modifications.
General aches and pains are common complaints and can be caused by many things, including poor posture, stress, overuse, and injury. Chiropractors often address these with a combination of holistic techniques that include manual therapies, exercises, nutritional advice, and stress management techniques.
Athletes and sports people often get chiropractic treatment for minor sports injuries. These include muscle and ligament sprains, strains, joint pain, bursitis, and tendonitis.
Chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and rehabilitation exercises can help reduce the pain and inflammation associated with these types of injuries. They can also improve movement, and encourage healing. Chiropractors may also provide advice and information to help prevent future injuries.
Sprained your ankle? Chiropractors can use soft tissue techniques, joint mobilisation, and therapeutic exercises to help with the pain, swelling, and stiffness that comes with an ankle sprain.
If you sprain your ankles regularly, they can also show you how to strengthen them to help avoid future sprains.
Elbow pain has a number of causes, many of which can be addressed, or helped, with chiropractic care. Chiropractors use a combination of soft tissue therapies, joint mobilisation, and corrective exercises that focus on reducing inflammation, improving joint mobility, and strengthening the surrounding muscles.
The pain from cramps and muscle spasms can often be helped with chiropractic treatments like trigger point therapy, stretching, and massage. These treatments are intended to help improve circulation, relax tight muscles that cause cramping and spasms, and help restore normal muscle function.
Chiropractors can also offer valuable advice about adequate hydration, good nutrition, and muscle conditioning to help reduce or prevent these issues.
If you have pain radiating down your leg from your lower back, you probably have sciatica. Sciatica happens when the roots of the sciatic nerve in the lower back become irritated, or compressed. (The sciatic nerve is a long nerve that runs from your lower back and down your legs).
Sciatic pain can range from a mild ache to a sharp burning pain and may be accompanied by tingling, numbness, and weakness in the affected leg. Chiropractors generally work to relieve the pressure on the nerve with spinal adjustments, traction, and similar techniques.
This is not typically something associated with chiropractic care but chiropractors can help you relax by relieving muscle tension through techniques like massage, gentle manipulations, breathing exercises, and lifestyle recommendations.
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. This is a band of tissue running along the bottom of the foot to support the arch.
Soft tissue techniques, joint mobilisation, and corrective exercises can help reduce pain and inflammation, but primary therapies for the condition focus on improving foot mechanics to reduce strain on the plantar fascia.
Shoulder pain is common and can be caused by many things including strain, arthritis, bursitis, and rotator cuff injuries. It’s also a common reason for seeking out chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractors use a range of joint mobilisation and manual therapy techniques, soft tissue therapies, rehabilitation exercises, and ergonomic and lifestyle advice. The aim of these treatments is to improve shoulder function and reduce pain.
Although chiropractors can treat many things, treatment approaches vary depending on the patient’s situation. This allows for a holistic treatment approach that addresses the underlying causes of the pain and discomfort.
So – if your pain is musculoskeletal in origin, and not directly caused by an accident or major injury that may require specialised medical treatment, chances are a chiropractor may be able to help.
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