People with back pain often consider it one of the worst pains they’ve ever experienced. Nearly everyone encounters back pain at some stage. Many people choose chiropractic care as a treatment, which involves spinal adjustment, also known as manual manipulation. But what exactly do chiropractors do to provide quick relief from back pain, and how long does it take for back pain to go away with chiropractor?
A chiropractor helps with your back pain by doing something called spinal manipulation. Every year, a whopping 27 million Americans get treatment for back pain from chiropractors, and these numbers tell the story. Chiropractic relief is rooted in the idea that back pain often comes from problems with the alignment of your spine.
Spine manipulation involves physical techniques like pushing, pulling, and repositioning the back, shoulders, hips, head, or neck to relieve back pain. These methods can ease pain and enhance body movement in people with acute lower back pain.
What Is Meant By Chiropractic Care?
Professionals using hands-on spinal manipulation and alternative treatment methods to relieve pain are called chiropractors for back pain. The proper alignment of the musculoskeletal system in the body, particularly the spine, allows the body to recover from the injury without any medical or surgical interventions.
Manipulation aids in restoring your joints’ mobility, which has been limited by tissue injury. Tissue injury can happen due to a traumatic event involving falling or repeated bouts of stress, such as working long hours at a desk without sufficient back support.
Chiropractic care mainly offers pain relief alternatives for joints, bones, muscles, and connective tissue, including tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. It is often used with conventional medical treatment, so the relief curve is steeper.
What Can You Expect at the First Chiropractic Appointment?
At your first chiropractic appointment, you can expect the practitioner to take an in-depth history of your back pain and a general medical history. You’ll be asked when you first experienced the pain, where it’s located, and the type of pain you feel. You’ll also be asked what helps relieve the pain and any treatments you’ve tried.
The chiropractor will perform a thorough physical exam, which may include tests such as blood pressure, respiration, and pulse. You may undergo several orthopedic or neurological tests to determine your range of movement, posture, muscle strength, and tone.
While uncommon, you may need an X-ray or MRI scan to diagnose your condition and rule out structural abnormalities accurately.
Once your chiropractor has evaluated your condition, you’ll receive a treatment plan with goals and recommendations to improve your back pain. This may include adjustments of joints, soft tissue healing, strengthening exercises, stretches, and massage. Your chiropractor may begin this treatment through manipulation and adjustments at your first appointment.
How Long Does It Take For Back Pain To Go Away With Chiropractor?
While there is no simple answer to how long it takes for back pain to go away with a chiropractor, each individual responds differently to chiropractic treatment, and the chiropractic plan and time frame are driven mostly by the patient’s age, fitness level, type of injury, duration of pain, and level of discomfort.
For chiropractic care to be effective, care typically takes 2-4 weeks with visits of 3 times a week. Once improvement is experienced, a chiropractor can begin to recommend home-based care that you can do yourself with the help of ergonomic tools like elastic bands, foam rollers, and dietary support.
The average person needs between 18 and 24 adjustments over approximately 9-14 weeks to complete all three chiropractic care phases (pain relief, stabilization, and rehabilitation).
Based on the severity of the spinal injury, patients often feel a reduction in pain of 40 to 80% following their first visit. However, general improvement happens within 1 to 4 weeks of chiropractic therapy.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments
Pain-Relief
A chiropractic adjustment is a type of treatment that doesn’t involve surgery. It’s used to address issues with the musculoskeletal or nervous systems, like lower back pain, neck pain, and various other conditions.
The procedure involves a chiropractic specialist applying specific techniques and a controlled, sudden force to the vertebra through their hands or small instruments to treat and maintain your spinal cord and its surrounding structures, improving spinal motion and your body’s physical function.
Boosts Immunity
Chiropractic care also has the potential to improve immunity. Misalignment of your spine can disrupt your nervous system and dramatically reduce your body’s immune system to function at its optimum level.
A chiropractic adjustment can bring the spine back into shape, potentially improving your nervous system and functionality. A stronger body means a stronger immune system to fight common colds and influenza.
Improves Breathing
Chiropractic treatment can also help improve your breathing, as well as your energy levels. Your lungs depend on a fully functioning nervous system, and any misalignment can cause lung abnormalities that might contribute to asthma or other breathing difficulties.
Reducing tension in your body, specifically your spine, and improving the function of your nerves naturally boosts your energy, causing you to feel less tired and run down.
Is It Time to See a Chiropractor?
Most people are unaware of all the ailments that can be relieved through chiropractic adjustment. Still, if you are experiencing any of the problems listed below (aside from chronic back pain), it might be time to visit your chiropractor.
Extremity Pain or Tingling
Chiropractic adjustments can relieve nerve pressure that causes pain and tingling in the arms, legs, feet, and hands. With the right specialist, prescription medication can sometimes be reduced or eliminated by correcting the source of the pain.
Chronic Headaches and Migraines
Chiropractic treatment can relieve headache and migraine sufferers by releasing tension and nerve pressure. Headaches and migraines can harm one’s quality of life, and medication isn’t always the most effective approach to improve someone’s condition.
Poor Range of Motion
If you are experiencing a poor range of motion, chiropractic adjustment can help by realigning bones and joints to ensure they function optimally. Even if the poor range of motion doesn’t cause pain, it can hinder your day-to-day activity.
Seasonal Allergies
Believe it or not, chiropractic care could relieve some symptoms of seasonal allergies. A lack of efficiency within the immune system is a common cause of allergies, and improving the functionality of the central nervous system through a series of adjustments has helped many see an improvement in their seasonal allergy symptoms after regular appointments.
Lack of Sleep
Many people lose hours of sleep every night due to back, neck, and joint pain. Chiropractic adjustments alleviate pain in these areas, giving you a more restful night’s sleep.
High-Stress Levels
Lastly, when the nervous system is misaligned, and tension is built up in the spine, it can hinder brain function and ultimately affect how we deal with stress. Once tension is released, your body can feel relaxed and notice a noticeable elevation in your mood.
Is your back pain affecting your quality of life? Please reach out to us today! Our chiropractic professionals are well-trained and experienced, so you can rest assured that you’re in good hands with us! We got your back!