Most experts in the field of medicine estimate that about four out of every fifth person is bound to experience low back pain at least once in their lifetime. There is a definite reason behind this, as today’s world is technology oriented, people have no choice but to sit continuously for long hours in front of their laptops and computers to make a living. As such low back pain is a common problem that affects individuals.
In the United States, among people seeking back pain relief solutions, the most common one remains chiropractic treatment. About 22 million Americans undeniably visit chiropractors each year. Out of these, 7.7 million, or about 35% seek relief from back pain through low back pain management Atlanta GA. There can be various reasons that cause back pain including sports injuries, accidents, and muscle strains. At other times, the complaint from patients includes pain in the arms, neck, shoulders and frequent headaches.
Chiropractors also apply spinal manipulation with other alternative treatments. They believe that ensuring proper alignment of the musculoskeletal structure of the body, in particular, the spine will enable the body to heal well itself without the need for medication or surgery. Manipulation also helps to restore mobility to the joints that experience restrictions caused by traumatic events such as stress, falling or sitting without a good back support.
What Is Chiropractic Care?
In the field medicine, chiropractic care is a treatment procedure that helps to give patients instant relief from joint, muscles, bones pain and connective tissue such as ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. Sometimes, Kroll Care experts use in conjunction with other traditional medical treatments.
What Does Chiropractic for Low Back Pain Involve?
Usually, during the chiropractic session, an experienced chiropractor will take your medical history, carry out some lab tests, perform a complete physical examination or use diagnostic imaging in order to determine if the treatment plan is appropriate for your back pain or not.
The plan of treatment can involve one or multiple manual adjustments in which the expert or chiropractic doctor manipulates the spine and joints using sudden but controlled force to help improve the quality and range of motion. Most chiropractors also incorporate nutritional counseling along with rehabilitation/exercise into the plan of treatment. The goals of a chiropractic expert can also include the prevention of injury and restoration of function in addition to relief from back pain.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care and spinal manipulation, in general, is an effective and safe treatment plan for acute low back pain, often the type of sudden injury resulting from moving heavy objects. Chronic low back pain in most cases can last for about six weeks and it typically gets better on its own. Studies and research also show chiropractic care helps in treating headaches and neck pain. In addition, people battling with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and osteoarthritis also respond well to moderate pressure chiropractors use during deep tissue massage.
Usually, the treatment depends on accurate diagnosis of the low back pain a patient would experience. During the initial consultation, it is important to inform the chiropractor of all your medical history, including common medical conditions, lifestyle factors, current medications, and surgical history. Although it is rare, there are some cases in which, the treatment worsened a slipped disc or a herniated disc or neck manipulation, resulting in spinal cord injury. In order to safe, it is always advisable to check with your medical doctor to make sure your condition will recover through chiropractic care for pain relief.
How Often Does One Need Chiropractic Care?
In common cases of low back pain, about six to twelve sessions over a course of two to four weeks are enough or standard. The initial sessions of treatments help to emphasize on passive or non-exercise approach to the manual therapy. This helps to relieve pain and improve the function of the area under pain. They soon apply the active or exercise method to increase the function and ultimately help to return a patient back to their normal lifestyle.
If the Pain Doesn’t Go Away
Frequently, there are many times when the acute symptom does not resolve within the first session and takes about a four-week period. However, it is also possible that the pain becomes chronic and ends up lasting for about twelve weeks. Sometimes, a few patients may end up a plateau in their process of recovery, also MTB or Met Therapeutic Benefit). Chiropractors would also want you to see if withdrawing from the treatment has any residual effect, exacerbates the pain or reduces the function and activity performance. If so, it is best to have a management regimen. For example, if the chronic pain is a mild one, it can take a patient about one to six visit, at a two to three weeks treatment rate. In rare cases, the patients may need ongoing care for about one to four visits per month.
The Importance of Reevaluation
Chiropractors do not continue with low back pain management Atlanta GA if they are not helping the patients. Every two to four weeks, the chiropractor re-evaluates the patient in order to see if the treatment is still having any beneficial effects on the patient. In chiropractic care, there are some common criteria for the low back pain, including:
- The patient has MTB and the condition worsens when not treated
- The patient still a good response to the treatment
- There is enough proof that self-care alone is enough to maintain MTB
Continuing the Treatment
For most people, living with chronic low back pain is often a challenge, but chiropractors also emphasize that self-therapy is an important component of the pain management. This usually includes rehabilitation and a range of motion exercises. On the other hand, chiropractors could also encourage a multimodal approach, incorporating yoga, massage therapy and psychological counseling along with other options in treatment that are beneficial. The treatments and benefits that one gain from the session can vary from every person, this is why it is important to be communicative, proactive and establish a good relationship with your chiropractors.
When you experience any form of pain in your joints or spine, make sure that you visit a chiropractor near you, who can help to ensure that your treatment plan works best.