What is Chiropractic Care?

Introduction

Chiropractic care is a type of treatment that helps people with back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, and much more. Up to 85% of people will experience spinal pain in their life and the evidence is clear – regular chiropractic care can treat, manage, and prevent this problem. In this post, we’ll define Chiropractic care, discuss its importance for you, and give you  the 5 best things you can do to take care of your back!

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a profession which specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions which effect the joints, muscles, and nerves of the body. This means Chiropractors work with patients to answer three questions: 

1. ‘What is wrong with me?’

2. ‘Why has this happened?’

3. ‘What can I do about it?’

The profession has existed for about 150 years and just like medicine and dentistry, it has evolved over the years as we learn more and more about how we can help patients feel and move their best. Chiropractors spend 5 years studying, in the UK, to graduate from specialist institutions which teach them how to diagnose, treat, and manage patients.

Using a mixed treatment approach, Chiropractors help patients with chiropractic adjustments (clicking-popping joints), mobilisations (gentle movement of joints), soft tissue work (massage, stretching, etc), exercise prescription (rehab), and lifestyle advice.

Why is Chiropractic important?

Anatomical drawing of the spine

Pain from your muscles and joints, particularly back pain, is on the rise and is the leading cause of disability worldwide! In fact, up to 85% of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Our experience and the evidence is clear, if patients engage in regular chiropractic care they can manage and prevent back pain from affecting their day to day life.

A recent study showed that maintenance care with a chiropractor can reduce sick days from back pain by up to 13 days a year…that’s over 2 weeks of work! Further, evidence is clear that chiropractic care can help prevent migraines, often reducing the frequency, intensity, and duration of the pain you suffer. 

These are just two examples of why it is so important to see a chiropractor to help treat your pain when you have a flare and why you should see your chiropractor for maintenance care between painful episodes.

#Tips and Reminders from your Chiropractor

1. See your chiropractor — both for treatment of painful episodes and management to prevent future episodes.
2. Reduce sitting and keep moving — walking is one of the best things you can do for back pain! Take breaks from sitting every 30-45 minutes to allow your spine to decompress and your muscles to lengthen.
3. Do your exercises — regular exercise, especially gentle weight training, pilates, and cardio training are great ways to keep your muscles strong and prevent pain from the strains of life.
4. Get your zzz’s — sleep is when you body repairs, ensuring you get enough of it (7-9 hours) is important for overall health and for muscle/joint health specifically. 
5. Healthy diet and supplements — food can be inflammatory and making sure you eat a diet that is suited to you can help reduce complications. Also supplements (like vitamin D) are important for muscle and joint health.

Closing

The important things to remember are: pain is normal, back pain effects up to 85% of people. Chiropractic care can help, and you’re probably a good candidate! Prevention is better than cure, so deal with problems early and you’ll be back to fighting fit in no time!

If you’d like to book a consultation follow this link: https://move-shrewsbury.uk2.cliniko.com/bookings or visit our website: www.moveshrewsbury.co.uk

As always — Move Better, Move Stronger!