If you have experienced chronic neck or back pain, you know that untreated pain can be a debilitating experience. Whether the cause is strain, overuse, poor posture, or injury, this pain is an exhausting distraction that decreases your overall quality of life.
A chiropractor such as one from AmeriWell Clinics can often help by providing adjustments and a careful treatment plan. How can a chiropractic adjustment help to ease your pain and improve your overall health?
What Happens During a Chiropractic Adjustment?
During a chiropractic adjustment, a licensed chiropractor uses their hands or special instruments to manipulate your joints or spine. This manipulation, sometimes sudden and forceful, helps to correct the body’s alignment and restore proper function.
Chiropractors are trained to examine the entire musculoskeletal system and treat the source of the problem. Spine misalignment can cause problems with joints or movement in other areas of the body. This is why a chiropractor will sometimes adjust your spine to relieve pain in another area.
Adjustments are not the only type of treatment that chiropractors prescribe. Sometimes they may treat a patient with soft-tissue therapy, exercises and stretching, joint bracing, and other non-invasive types of treatment. Chiropractors generally do not prescribe medication or invasive treatments like injections or surgery, which makes chiropractic care one of the safest options to treat musculoskeletal pain.
What Are the Popping Sounds?
Popping noises do not happen during every adjustment, but if you do hear a loud pop or cracking noise during your treatment, don’t worry. Those pops are a normal sign that the treatment is working. When the adjustment stretches your joint tissues, gas rushes in to fill the small vacuum that occurs when the joints are separated. Think of it like the pop you might hear when you open a champagne bottle. The sound may be surprising at first, but it is safe and normal during the course of treatment.
Are Chiropractic Adjustments Safe?
Extensive research indicates that chiropractic treatment is safe when it is performed by a doctor who is trained and licensed to deliver this care. Chiropractic care, which is non-invasive and does not involve prescription medications, is recognized as one of the safest options to treat chronic pain-related issues like neck pain, lower back pain, and headaches.
Side effects after adjustments are generally short-term and mild. These symptoms may include discomfort, fatigue, nausea, or dizziness, and normally last no longer than a day or so. More serious complications are rare, and typically occur only in patients who have certain underlying conditions. A licensed chiropractor will review your complete medical history to customize a treatment plan that will be safe and effective for you.
If musculoskeletal pain is part of your daily life, chiropractic care can help to get you back to normal. Schedule an initial consultation with a licensed chiropractor in your area.