Monday 18 January 2010

Chiropractic Treatment Offers Effective, Drug-Free Pain Relief

By Stephen Daniels

Sufferers from chronic pain may think they must resort to prescription medications to make life bearable. While drugs do offer pain relief, they serve only to counteract the symptom while ignoring the real problem. Fortunately, chiropractic treatment offers drug-free relief for many conditions while treating the underlying issues that are causing the pain.

Drug-based treatment of pain often has problematic side effects and the possibility of addiction to prescription medications. Even over-the-counter medications can cause damage to the liver or kidneys when taken frequently, as is often the case when people are self-medicating their chronic problems. Blocking the ache of an injury or other problem with medication can actually cause you to injure yourself further without knowing it. Furthermore, drugs can lose their effectiveness over time, leaving the patient with few options for relief. In many cases, opting for chiropractic care instead of drugs can be a safer, more effective solution to pain in both the short and long term.

Chiropractic manipulation is the practice of properly aligning the spinal vertebrae through manual adjustment. This practice has been used for centuries to treat many different kinds of medical issues and pain, with its earliest uses being documented in ancient Egypt and Greece. Today, chiropractors undergo special training and are licensed by the state. Many feature facilities with advanced technology such as x-rays for prompt diagnosis of vertebral alignment and other problems. Most procedures are now covered under both Medicare and private insurance.

Chiropractors believe that the body is very good at regulating and healing itself. However, when a disruption in the flow of nerve impulses occurs, it can have a negative effect on the body's ability to detect and address problems. Such disruptions may result from spinal misalignment, muscle tightness, or slipped or herniated discs. Chiropractic manipulation aims to correct or improve the alignment, or subluxation, of vertebral joints. This can restore the flow of nerve signals. This sort of adjustment often results in immediate, drug free pain relief. It may also serve to reduce stress and muscle tension while helping to increase range of motion and strength.

Recent developments in chiropractic treatment have made spinal manipulation more effective, more comfortable and even safer than ever before. Depending on the diagnosis, a practitioner may choose to manually adjust the vertebral column as well as hip and shoulder joints. Treatments may involve manipulations done with the aid of tables, weights, and other instruments. Active Release Techniques use a type of massage therapy to treat issues with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Modern chiropractors may employ hundreds of different methods.

Modern chiropractic care encompasses much more than just spinal adjustment. Many practitioners offer a variety of holistic, drug-free treatments that work together to promote good health and not only relieve pain, but prevent it in the future. Massage therapy, acupuncture, foot orthotics, and flexion-distraction techniques to treat problems with discs between vertebrae are some of the on-site treatments that may be available.

Even more importantly, chiropractors can often help you to identify the sources of your chronic pain. They frequently recommend corrective exercises that can be performed at home to counteract these problems and prevent pain going forward. Many offer lifestyle and nutritional advice to help enhance your body's ability to heal itself.

If you're about to take yet another pill to dull that ache, perhaps it's time to consider chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors can help you find the source of the problem. They offer alleviation of pain in the short term as well as long term options for reducing and even eliminating pain, enhancing overall health and life quality for years to come.

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