Chronic Pain

How do Chiropractors treat chronic pain?

Spinal manipulation is the name of the game. Chiropractors treat your pain by adjusting the spine that should result in less inflammation and pain.

This might sound intimidating, however, I assure you that chiropractic care is safe. Chiropractors must go through many years of schooling and practical application before they can adjust a patient of their own. Draper chiropractors have some knowledge of what it takes to be a chiropractor. One must achieve a high level of schooling and a kinesiology degree along with another vigorous schooling.

What types of pain can be treated by chiropractic treatments?

  • Chronic pain can be treated with chiropractic care. When the pain continues for a long time or even years, it would be considered chronic pain. This kind of pain will persist far beyond an expected time in which your pain should subside and your affected area should heal.
  • Another kind of pain people deal with is intractable pain. This type of pain really takes over a person’s life and they are living in constant pain that is so severe they are often on high doses of pain medications and sometimes even bedridden. When many people experience this type of pain, they have trouble finding comfortable spots, have a hard time sleeping, and over time can start to struggle with depression and mental health issues. This type of pain would be treated through surgical procedures and prescribed medications. A person with this condition would not be treated with chiropractic care.

Are Chiropractic treatments surgical?

This is a non-surgical procedure that effectively alleviates back pain that is generally caused by nerves that are being pinched by a disc, rib, or joint being out of place. When these pain symptoms occur, it’s going to cause tight muscles and inflammation.

What can cause pain that chiropractic can help?

  • Pain caused by a herniated disc, neck pain, and back pain can all be treated by various chiropractic treatments. These will help you manage chronic pain but your schedule needs to remain consistent.
  • Most chiropractic clinics and practices will ensure you acquire an x-ray and will do a thorough in-depth examination to effectively see what your current situation looks like.

How often do you see your chiropractor with chronic pain?

  • Once you’ve taken a thorough spinal examination, you will likely see your chiropractor 2-3 times a week for the first few weeks and then 1 time a week for 6 months to a year and then once every 2 weeks to a month for maintenance after that. Keep in mind that this is only an example, and the frequency of visits is determined case by case.
  • In the beginning, it’s important to treat the chronic pain area by getting more frequent adjustments. The reason you need to go more frequently is that the injured area has muscles and tendons around the area that are not quite released from the area of your chronic pain and will fight to go back to the pre-adjustment state. The more it’s adjusted in the beginning, the quicker the body will react to getting your affected area back to normal.
  • Over time and once your affected area is keeping the adjustments from your previous visit, you can space your adjustments out to a less frequent schedule to ensure you maintain the adjustments.

Your chiropractor can help manage your pain through some manual therapy, spinal manipulation (adjustments), and some physical therapy.