Long-Term Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments
Chiropractic treatments improve pain and help you recover from injuries. Visits to the chiropractor also offer lesser-known long-term benefits.
Pain Control for Chronic Conditions
Chiropractic adjustments keep the vertebrae in the spine properly aligned, which reduces pain, enhances joint flexibility, loosens tight tissues, and decreases inflammation. Adjustments take seconds and involve quick pressure that moves the vertebrae back into their normal position.
Visiting the chiropractor on a regular basis can help you keep these and other painful conditions under control:
- Arthritis
- Bulging or Herniated Discs
- Tennis or Golf Elbow
- Bursitis
- Spinal Stenosis
- Sciatica
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
- Fibromyalgia
- Scoliosis
- Nerve Pain
- Chronic Back or Neck Pain
Better Nerve Health
Adjustments can also improve nerve function by decreasing pressure on nerves by misaligned vertebrae, tight tissues, or bulging discs. Good nerve function is essential for normal organ function and also helps your immune system work efficiently.
No Insomnia
Sleeping is difficult when you're in pain. Chiropractic adjustments relieve pain, helping you get the sleep you need. Adjustments also prompt your body to produce serotonin and endorphins, hormones that ease pain, reduce stress, and help you feel calm and ready for a good night's sleep.
Fewer Headaches and Migraines
Do you struggle with migraines or tension headaches? Adjustments, massage, and other treatments can reduce the intensity of your headaches and decrease the number of days you experience headaches or migraines each month. In a research study published in the European Journal of Neurology in 2017, participants who received cervical (neck) spinal manipulation saw significant improvements in migraine intensity and improved scores on the headache disability index compared to the control group.
Improved Control of Chronic Health Problems
Chiropractic could help you manage your chronic health condition or diseases. Do you have asthma and feel like you can't breathe as deeply as you would like? Spinal manipulation may offer relief by loosening tight breathing muscles. Treatments also improve functioning of your gastrointestinal system and may relieve gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) symptoms. Adjustments decrease pressure on nerves leading to the stomach and intestines, improving the function of the gastrointestinal system.
Flexible Joints and Tissues
Adjustments help your joints, muscles, and tissues move freely and easily. Poor flexibility or range of motion due to misaligned vertebrae or tight tissues increases your risk of injury and can affect your balance. Chiropractic treatments keep your joints and tissues limber, helping you avoid painful falls, strains, and sprains.
Better Sports Performance
Professional athletes, like Seattle Mariner's first baseman Ty France, rely on chiropractors to improve their performance. When a spinal misalignment, or subluxation, made turning his neck difficult, France turned to chiropractic care for relief. The subluxation caused him to open his shoulders when swinging the bat, according to a July 25, 2023 sportskeeda article. A chiropractic adjustment and advice from a hitting coach improved France's form.
Adjustments could be just as beneficial to your sports performance. Misaligned vertebrae can lead to imbalances that affect speed, fluid movements, balance, and reaction time. Regular adjustments correct subluxations, ease aches and pains, and ensure that you're able to compete at the highest level.
Posture Correction
Poor posture stresses your neck and spine, causing pain. Unfortunately, it's difficult to improve your posture when your muscles and tissues are tight and your vertebrae are misaligned. Monthly visits to the chiropractor eliminate tightness and misalignments, making it easier to maintain good posture.
No Text Neck Pain
Do you use a laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone for work or fun? Looking down at your device strains the neck, shoulders, and upper back, causing text neck symptoms, like pain, headaches, sore muscles, muscle spasms, and numbness and tingling in your hands and fingers. Eventually, text neck may cause disc degeneration or a hump on your back. Fortunately, chiropractic adjustments, massage, trigger therapy and other treatments can help you avoid the long-term complications of text neck. Your chiropractor can also show you exercises to strengthen your neck and back and offer posture suggestions.
Radiology Case Reports noted how successful chiropractic treatment was for a YouTuber with text neck. After nine months of adjustments and traction therapy, the young man experienced improvements in neck curvature and muscle tension.
Would you like to take advantage of the benefits of chiropractic adjustments? Contact our office to make an appointment.
Sources:
NCBI: Radiology Case Reports: Preventing the Progression of Text Neck in a Young Man: A Case Report, 3/2022
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8784282/
Sportskeeda: Fact Check: Did a Chiropractor Fix Ty France's Swing? Mariners Slugger Reveals Surprising Tweak to His Game, 7/25/2023
European Journal of Neurology: Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Migraine: A Three-Armed, Single-Blinded, Placebo, Randomized Controlled Trial, 1/2017
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27696633/
Cleveland Clinic: Chiropractic Adjustment, 4/25/2022
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21033-chiropractic-adjustment