Did you know that chiropractors treat an average of 35 million Americans (both young and old) each year?
All of the forecasts are showing constant growth, which makes sense considering the push for better healthcare and alternative ways to deal with pain management and a variety of physical issues.
You might have started to hear friends and family raving about how their chiropractors. They say that they have healed headaches, joint pains, and back pains that have been going on untreated for years.
But, if this is the first time you’re learning about the benefits of chiropractic adjustments, no worries. You’ve come to the right place.
Keep on reading for our full breakdown of what chiropractic adjustment entails, as well as the main benefits you get to enjoy after finishing a session.
What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Before we start our deep dive into the different benefits of getting a chiropractic adjustment, wait a moment. Let’s make sure you have a solid baseline of what even chiropractic adjustment means.
This is a medical procedure that’s also known as spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment. And, it involves the use of either hands or instruments to apply sufficient pressure or force to a specific spinal joint.
The main goal of a chiropractic adjustment is to increase the mobility of your body. Specifically, ease the movement of your spine, improve bodily functions, as well as reduce pain.
What to Expect in a Chiropractic Treatment
When you show up for a chiropractic adjustment appointment, you can expect the following things to happen.
Your appointment will start off by talking with your doctor about the issues you’ve been dealing with lately. Afterward, a quick canvas of your body and identifying areas where there’s misalignment.
Then, your doctor will give you a heads-up and apply a short and forceful thrust to the targeted area using a tool or their hands.
They aim to release any trapped gas in your joints, which relieves any build-up joint pressure and tends to make an audible “crack-like” sound.
This is the point where you get to enjoy instantaneous relief in your problem areas or even the sudden disappearance of pain.
Besides, some people can experience a faint feeling of nausea due to the sudden removal of pain, especially chronic pain.
If you’ve been wondering when to see a chiropractor, the simple answer is whenever you feel like you need it. This is doubly true when it comes to dealing with joint pain, chronic backaches, and headaches.
The Key Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments
There are some rather well-known benefits of chiropractic adjustments, and others that only those who get regular treatments get to enjoy.
Let’s take a look at the most common ones, and make our way to the lesser-known perks.
Of course, you’re already familiar with the natural pain relief capabilities of getting a chiropractic adjustment. But, there are other advantages that you’ll want to know.
Stress Reduction
There’s no escaping the fact that we’re a nation besieged with stress and anxiety. Which has negative effects not only on our mental health facilities but also on our physical bodies.
After all, stress can raise our blood pressure. And even cause what seems like other unrelated problems like indigestion and insomnia.
You’d be surprised at how simple adjustments to your spine can boost your overall well-being, both physical and mental.
You’ll start experiencing faster pain relief, without the side effects of medication. This will make you more cheerful. And, you’ll be able to recover from mental and physical injuries much quicker.
Refining and Reactivating Joint Movements
Generally speaking, if you don’t use your joints enough (or properly), they can seize up.
Those are body parts that are designed for continuous movement. So, if you’d describe your life as more sedentary in nature, this will add stress to your joints.
The tighter your joints get, your surrounding muscles tense up as well. This also adds pressure on nerves in the area. Basically, it’s a three-pronged problem.
When you show up to your chiropractic treatment, your doctor will help the muscles loosen up. This, in turn, will ease the pressure placed on your nerves and stiff joint.
Once your joint is relaxed, your chiropractor can work with you on restoring the full mobility of your problematic joint.
Yet, you’ll want to keep in mind that sometimes joint pain is an indicator of a larger health issue. If that’s the case, your chiropractor can work in tandem with your primary healthcare provider to help you manage your pain and symptoms.
Eliminating and Preventing Headaches
You might have been dealing with headaches, and their terrible cousins, which are migraines. But, we’re happy to tell you that frequent chiropractic adjustments can eliminate headaches.
In addition, these adjustments can decrease the frequency of attacks as well.
Moreover, if your headaches and migraines are extra-stubborn and tend to last for long stretches of time, these adjustments could (at the very least) lower the intensity of your pain.
Your neck pain is the actual aggressor and the driver of your headaches. In this case, your chiropractor can help you figure out a long-term solution. Or, identify if there’s a different underlying cause.
Healing Old and New Traumas
YouTube is awash with thousands of videos of patients getting pain relief at the hands of their chiropractors.
They help them release pain from old traumas, like ones acquired from car accidents, and other violent occurrences.
You might have been dealing with chronic pain due to an old injury. Or, you’re fresh out of rehab from a new injury.
By getting chiropractic treatment, you can remove any structural problems that have been lurking in your body for a while now. Or, ones that are new on the scene.
Ready to Get Some Instant Pain Relief?
We know that it can get a bit overwhelming to learn about chiropractic treatments for the first time, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the wide world of physical therapy.
Hopefully, our article has showcased some of the most important benefits of chiropractic adjustments and gave you a bit of hope that pain doesn’t have to be chronic in nature, or numbed through medication.
If you liked our little explainer, you’ll want to learn more about better ways to treat your body and soul in our health and lifestyle sections.