Alternative Care: Chiropractic
Chiropractic medicine focuses on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Chiropractors diagnose abnormalities and perform chiropractic manipulations, or adjustments, to correct the problem. Many times, people feel immediate relief from pain after a chiropractic adjustment.
Chiropractors are highly trained specialists in musculoskeletal problems. Most have undergraduate degrees in science and then they attend a four-year professional school of chiropractic.
As with most professions, chiropractic has a set of beliefs that guide its practice. Those fundamental principles are:
- The body has a powerful ability to heal itself.
- The structure of the body, especially the spine, and its function are closely related.
- The goal of chiropractic therapy is to restore the relationship between structure and function of the body to normal and to support the body as it heals itself.
Chiropractic physicians are alternative medical practitioners and they use a holistic approach to treatment. Most chiropractors perform spinal manipulation and that is the majority of their practice. Some chiropractors are also trained to use diet, herbs, homeopathic and Chinese therapies.
Chiropractors are finding a practice niche in sports medicine. When athletes suffer injuries or pain from stretching and overuse, chiropractors are often the practitioner of choice to treat them. Sometimes chiropractors partner with massage therapists, as their practices are complementary.
Chiropractors are effective in treating low back pain. Spinal manipulations can realign the vertebrae and relieve low back pain very effectively. The number of manipulations varies from patient to patient.
Tension headaches respond very well to chiropractic adjustment. Adjustment realigns the spine and relieves the muscle tension that causes the headache. The adjustment also opens up natural blood flow and allows the body to release toxins that have built up due to muscle tension.
Chiropractic care is one of the alternative medical therapies that people may choose to use to treat a number of illnesses and problems. Chiropractic is most effective in treating musculoskeletal problems that have produced misalignment of the spine.