The spine is the foundation of your body, supporting your posture and protecting your nervous system. And when the spine is misaligned, it can cause various symptoms and conditions. Chiropractors offer a drug-free approach to health care, focusing on the relationship between the spine and nervous system.
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Relieves Pain
Chiropractors are experts in identifying, treating, and preventing mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially those associated with the spine. They also evaluate the influence of the spine and nervous system on overall health and well-being. They employ manual adjustment techniques, spinal manipulation, and specialized therapies to relieve pain and encourage recovery. Back pain is one of the most common conditions that chiropractors help manage. Other conditions they often treat include whiplash, sprains, and migraine headaches. Chiropractors, for example, Brad Kern, may also incorporate therapeutic modalities into their treatments, such as massage therapy, joint bracing, acupuncture, and electrical muscle stimulation. These techniques increase blood flow, which reduces inflammation and encourages faster healing. They also help improve strength, flexibility, and posture — contributing to better pain management. By improving your body’s functions, chiropractic care can also help reduce the medications you need to take to relieve pain.
Reduces Inflammation
Your body’s natural inflammatory response helps shield you from illness and injury by sending blood cells to fight off foreign substances like bacteria and viruses. However, the same inflammatory process can increase your risk of chronic health conditions if it becomes unbalanced due to factors like diet, stress, lack of sleep, and certain medications. While pain medications mask symptoms by covering up the underlying problem, chiropractic care gets to the root of your inflammation and reduces it naturally. Using spinal adjustments to correct misalignments, therapeutic modalities, and lifestyle recommendations, chiropractors help support your body’s ability to manage inflammation effectively. This means you can decrease your dependence on prescription medication and enjoy long-term pain relief. This also improves your immune system, making it better to battle disease and infection.
Boosts Immunity
Our immune systems protect us from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that can cause diseases. Our bodies encounter these foreign invaders daily, from the kid sitting next to your child who sneezes on their shared desk to the ball that hundreds of kids have touched at recess. Spinal misalignments compress the nerve pathways that communicate with your immune system, causing it to weaken and increase the likelihood of illness and injury. Chiropractic care designed to relieve pain and improve spinal alignment helps the nervous and immune systems to function at their best. Studies have shown that people receiving chiropractic adjustments regularly boost their immunity over those who do not receive care. This means that your child’s body will be better equipped to fight germs and recover faster when they get sick.
Improves Sleep
When a person suffers from sleeping issues, they are often prescribed medication. However, chiropractors offer many non-pharmaceutical ways to help improve sleep. Their treatments include spinal adjustments, massage, and stretches. These methods help relieve pressure on nerves and promote sleep. They also assist in addressing restless leg syndrome (RLS). RLS causes the legs to feel tingly, leading to feelings of restlessness at night. The condition can cause severe problems if left untreated. Chiropractors can also help with breathing issues that lead to sleep apnea. They can reduce the severity of apnea by improving the spine’s alignment, relieving pressure on the nerves that control breathing, and reducing stress. This can help with sleep apnea, snoring, and fatigue. It can also help lower blood pressure.
Increases Flexibility
Being able to bend, twist, and move around your body is a huge part of overall health. Flexibility can help you avoid injuries and decrease pain in your spine, limbs, muscles, and joints. Chiropractors can improve your flexibility by using spinal manipulation and corrective manual adjustments to align the joints in the torso and limbs. This helps reduce the friction that occurs as muscles and bones rub together. Chiropractors also use advanced stretching techniques, such as dynamic stretching (which starts slowly and progressively increases the stretch) and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. This helps the muscles of the limbs to increase strength and endurance while decreasing fatigue. This makes it easier to keep up with daily physical activity.