It is thought that millions of people around the world suffer from some kind of pain but never go through with getting it checked. This is mainly people who have minor pain that they decide to live with, or don’t decide it’s worth bothering a doctor with as they’re not sure what they could do to help.
Chiropractic treatment is a way to take care of your body, using treatments specifically designed to relieve pain and stop symptoms. Read on to learn more about chiropractic treatment and some of the symptoms that may indicate you need it.
What Is Chiropractic Treatment?
Chiropractic treatment is a form of alternative medicine where a chiropractor uses their hands to help relieve bone, muscle and joint issues. It is considered a non-conventional form of treatment as it falls outside of mainstream healthcare. It can be used to complement conventional medicine, or as an alternative to it.
Often people with these issues can suffer from other issues because of it, such as weight gain, depression and anxiety. This is why it is essential to deal with your problems as they turn up, so you don’t end up suffering even more from other conditions.
Chiropractic is mainly used to help with back, neck, shoulder, elbow and osteoarthritis pain. Usually, at your first appointment, a chiropractor will assess your symptoms to determine the most suitable treatments for you. This can include spinal manipulation, short thrusting movements, pulling, stretching and moving your joints.
It is designed to not be painful, but you may experience discomfort, especially if you have major issues that need to be addressed. You may experience aches and pains for a few days after treatment, but this will be mild and pass quickly compared to the pain of your actual issue.
Signs You Should Look Out For
Now you know a bit more about what chiropractic treatment is and why it is important, here are a few signs you should look out for that could mean you need to seek chiropractic treatment:
Headaches
While you may think a headache could be unrelated to a bone, muscle or joint issue, it is actually one of the most common signs. A misalignment in the spine can cause pressure on the nervous system. This pressure in the cervical vertebrae can lead to headaches due to interrupting the nerve messages from the neck to the brain.
Poor Vision
Having poor vision can actually lead to issues where you may need chiropractic treatment. Issues can start to occur if your eye muscles are straining too much, as they put pressure on the optic nerve. This pressure will then lead to headaches and muscle strain.
A chiropractor can help relieve the pain caused by eye strain by adjusting the upper cervical vertebrae.
Trapped Nerve
A trapped nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve. This could be from bones, muscles, cartilage or tendons. Pinched nerves can lead to a series of symptoms, including pain and numbness. A trapped nerve can appear in many places in the body, but the back and neck are some of the most common areas it may occur.
Trapped nerves can be easy to avoid, with tips including maintaining good posture, incorporating strength training into your exercise program and maintaining a healthy diet. Most people can recover from a trapped nerve quite easily, with plenty of rest. But for more severe cases or persistent pain, chiropractic treatment may be a good idea. They can work to help free the trapped nerve, relieving you of your pain.
Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder is a medical term used when your shoulder is painful and stiff for a long period of time, often months or years. Frozen shoulder is often not clear as to how it starts, but is caused when the tissue around your shoulder joint becomes inflamed. It then tightens and shrinks, causing pain.
Pain relief is a common treatment for this, including taking pain relief and steroid injections. Chiropractic treatment can also help with a frozen shoulder. It can help you get movement back into your shoulder as it heals, using stretching and strength exercises.
Wrist Pain
A common misconception is that a chiropractor can only help with issues to do with the spine. But they can assist with issues that affect any part of the body, including the wrist. The muscles and bones in the wrist are incredibly delicate, so injuries can be common. Overuse of the wrist can lead to stiffness, soreness, tingling or numbness. If sharp pain continues in your wrist, a chiropractor should be able to help.
They then can use two different therapies to help with wrist pain, realignment and stretching. This involves manipulating the joints and muscles in your wrist to relieve some of the tension and prevent inflammation.
The Soles Of Shoes Wear Out Differently
One sign you may need chiropractic treatment is if you notice the soles of your shoes are wearing out differently. Your body weight should be perfectly aligned between your two feet, so the soles of your shoe should ideally be wearing out at the same rate. If they aren’t, this could be a sign of an issue such as high arches, posture or joint mobility issues.
This can lead to pain and weakness in your joints. The pain can also begin to travel up, affecting your hips, back and neck. Chiropractic treatments can help get to the root of the issue, and offer solutions to fix your imbalance.
Shooting Pains
Shooting pains are commonly caused by nerve pain. It can manifest as a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation in your body. They can be mild or extreme, and commonly come on very suddenly. Shooting pains can be incredibly hard to live with, as they can make activities that would normally be easy extremely difficult.
Common causes of shooting pains include an injury to the brain, spine or nerve. Sciatica is a pressure on the nerves of the lower back that can cause pain in your legs. This is normally accompanied by pins & needles numbness and weakness.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that will cause burning or aching pain in various parts of the body. Chiropractors can help treat nerve pain and reduce symptoms, though surgery might be necessary in extreme cases.
Poor Posture
If you suffer from poor posture, a chiropractor is a great way to help you fix the existing issues and teach you ways to maintain your posture in the future. They’ll start by asking you a few questions about your lifestyle to try and determine any factors. Then they’ll examine your posture hands-on to find issues to solve.
Afterwards, they can make adjustments, such as joint movements and muscle-strengthening exercises. Finally, they can give you tips on how to carry yourself to ensure no further posture issues develop further down the line.
Involved In An Accident
Many people decide they need a chiropractor after an accident. A car accident can cause a whole host of common injuries, such as neck pain, back pain, whiplash and more. These should be treated as soon as possible to prevent them from developing further. It can offer instant relief immediately after your accident, as the impact can cause a lot of pressure and strain on your body that could need solving.
Injuries can often take months or weeks to appear, such as the symptoms of whiplash. Visiting a chiropractor immediately can diagnose your injury early so you can start treatment and not suffer from pain later on. Having immediate treatment is also important for insurance purposes. If you need to claim for an injury later on, how soon you went for treatment may be a factor in the process.
Forest Hall Chiropractic Clinic
If you have any of these symptoms or believe you may need chiropractic treatment, work with Forest Hall Chiropractic Clinic today. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, we offer professional chiropractic adjustment treatments and advice for customers of all ages, from young children all the way to pensioners.
We start with a full consultation so we can get an idea of what your issues are, and help us plan a treatment that will get you one step closer to being pain-free and as back to normal as possible. If you’d like to make a no-obligation consultation appointment today, give us a call at 0191 216 1100 now.
There’s no need to live with pain that can be rectified, so get in touch today.