Having a healthy spine depends on good posture, proper diet, exercise and enough rest. But sometimes, a person’s spinal joints and nerves become restricted in their movement and cause stiffness, pain and weakness. Those problems are what chiropractors treat, and patients report that they can experience immediate and lasting relief of back and neck pain. Increasingly, mainstream medical journals are reporting on the benefits of chiropractic. For example, a 2017 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that spinal manipulation reduces lower-back pain and a 2013 study in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage showed that cervical traction significantly reduced hip osteoarthritis symptoms.
Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) use hands-on, drug-free therapy to adjust the bones of your spine and unblock your nervous system. DCs also treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, ligaments and joints, as well as conditions that affect overall health.
Although many people associate chiropractic with back and neck pain, DCs treat a range of conditions. These include sports injuries like torn tendons and sprained ligaments; whiplash, which results when the head is forced back and forth in an accident; headaches, including migraines; and sciatica, a form of pinched nerve that causes leg pain.
In addition to spinal manipulation, chiropractors may offer adjunctive therapies, such as massage, electrical stimulation, whirlpool therapy and joint bracing or taping. Some chiropractic offices have on-site massage therapists to provide soft tissue treatment; others employ licensed massage therapists or other professionals to perform more advanced techniques, such as myofascial release and hot stone therapy.
Before proceeding with chiropractic care, you should always check in with your medical doctor. While it is rare, there have been cases in which a herniated or slipped disc worsened after neck manipulation and certain medications can cause complications with spinal manipulation.
Most insurance policies cover chiropractic treatments, though coverage varies by plan. To maximize your benefits, you should talk to your insurance provider about what types of care are covered and how often you need to visit the best chiropractor in Atlanta, GA. For example, some people require maintenance chiropractic care once or twice a year, while others need more frequent visits, such as once or more per month.