Chiropractor back pain Wheaton, MD

Chiropractor back pain Wheaton, MD

Chiropractic Adjustments: How Safe Are They?

A Chiropractor for Back Pain in Wheaton, MD at AmeriWell Clinics has seen how adjustments of the musculoskeletal system can help decrease the need for patients to take prescription medications for pain and inflammation. Chiropractics encompasses the belief that the body has its own internal mechanisms to recover itself during times of stress, injury, or illness. But, when the spinal column and other joints of the body are out of proper position, it can hinder the body’s ability to heal. 

While the use of medication can be helpful for the short-term and to address severe levels of pain quickly, they aren’t intended to be used prolonged. Unfortunately, in today’s society traditional doctors may be too quick to prescribe and continue these medications for longer than they should, while the root of the problem goes on unaddressed.

Chiropractic Adjustments: How Safe Are They?

Chiropractic care is nothing new. It’s been around for years and has provided positive improvements in patients’ lives. Despite how long chiropractic visits have been around, it doesn’t change that there are still people who question whether it’s safe. After all, there are a lot of misunderstandings about chiropractic care. The truth is that chiropractic care is a therapy with few fallbacks and with a proven record of accomplishment. Still, if you’re like most people, you probably want to have a little more reassurance than that. If you would like to learn more about how a Back Pain Chiropractor  Wheaton, MD can help you, then read on.

Who Is Chiropractic Care Safe For?

Chiropractic care is safe for almost everyone. Some people may be advised not to have an adjustment. Usually, these are patients with conditions such as osteoporosis or certain types of cancers. Most people, however, may receive a chiropractic adjustment with no adverse effects. In fact, chiropractors are even trained to treat pregnant women. Adjustments have been known to reduce labor duration and pain.

In addition, chiropractic visits are safe and recommended for children. It may improve their sleep patterns, help their immune system and improve their behavior. A Wheaton, MD Chiropractor for Back Pain can focus on health and wellness throughout the body. The whole family could benefit from a chiropractic visit.

When it comes to chiropractic medicine, there are a lot of misunderstandings about it. What it generally boils down to is that people don’t understand how safe it is. They don’t know the facts. Chiropractic adjustments are safe and natural. They relieve pain without the need for any extra medications or operations. It should always be an option if you are suffering from back or neck pain.

What’s Better, Chiropractic Care or Medication?

If you go to the doctor experiencing pain from your neck or back, then odds are they will prescribe you medication and bedrest. After that, if there is no improvement, you may even be accepted for surgical treatment. The risks involved in traditional medicine far outweigh what a Maryland Chiropractor for Back Pain in Wheaton can do for back pain. A chiropractor knows how to reposition the vertebrae into the proper position. This will take the pressure off the nerves where you were feeling the pain. This is a safer and less invasive treatment than medicine and surgery.

When it comes to any form of medicine, there are going to be risks. This is the same if you go to a traditional doctor for an operation. There are risk factors involved. Still, chiropractic care for back pain is relatively safe.

What Do the Studies Show?

During your visit, a chiropractor may talk with you about how studies show that regular adjustments can decrease a patient’s need for prescriptions, specifically opioids. In fact, a patient’s opioid use can be reduced by more than half if chiropractic treatments are a component of the treatment plan. Here are a few reasons why a chiropractor at AmeriWellness Clinics may recommend chiropractics as a way to relieve pain naturally:

• Chiropractics identify and target the root of the problem, versus masking it temporarily by applying a medication “band aid”
• Chiropractors create plans for treatment for every patient as an individual, and are designed with the idea in mind that the body can heal itself
• Chiropractics is a safer option for patients that have long-term issues, since medications can come along with intrusive side effects
• When combined with other small lifestyle changes, chiropractics can help improve a patient’s overall health and wellness

Back Pain in MD? See a Chiropractor

Back pain is a common problem. Whether you work a heavy job such as construction, sit at a desk all day, or spend your entire shift on your feet, it can be hard on your back.  You don’t have to suffer. There are fortunately ways to combat back pain.

Lift Properly

In addition to seeing a chiropractor for back pain in Wheaton, MD, following proper lifting procedures can also help avoid spine problems. Always lift with your legs, not your back. Get a secure grip on the load and hold it close to your body. As the chiropractors at Ameriwell would advise, never twist your upper body to turn with a load. Always turn your legs. For really heavy loads, get help or use equipment. It’s far too easy to subluxate a disc which can be extremely painful.

Practice Good Posture

If you sit at a desk or stand all day, poor posture is your enemy. A chiropractor for back pain in Wheaton, MD can examine you and adjust any spine problems found. But you can help yourself by always sitting up or standing straight, shoulders back and head up. Set up your monitor so that you look straight ahead at it. A good chair with lumbar support can be very helpful for good posture and avoiding back pain. 

Good shoes that fit well and provide cushioning and support can also help you avoid back pain. At Ameriwell, you would be advised not to slouch, keep your feet firmly on the floor, and place needed tools within easy reach. Having to constantly stretch and strain to access things you need can harm your back.

It’s also important to take frequent breaks. Sitting for hours at a time can be very harmful. Get up, stretch, and take a little walk every two hours. If you stand for a living, sit down when taking a break. 

Exercise

Staying active is good for your entire body and that includes the back. Strong and toned abdominal, as well as lower back muscles, help support the upper body on the lower and take strain off the back. Exercise can burn calories, helping you stay at a healthy weight that won’t strain your spine. An active lifestyle also helps you stay flexible, which can go a long way toward preventing back pain.

There are many things you can do to keep your back healthy. Should you experience any problems, see a chiropractor for back pain in Wheaton, MD. Chiropractic care can ease back pain and help prevent it from recurring.

3 Misconceptions About Chiropractic Care

For many people, seeing a chiropractor for back pain in Wheaton, MD is a completely new experience and they approach it with a good deal of anxiety. It can be frightening to try new things, especially when it comes to something as important as your physical health. Making the anxiety worse is the misconceptions about chiropractic care that many accept as fact. 

You’ll Have Maintenance Visits for the Rest of Your Life

Most people come to see a chiropractor because of pain or injury that has resulted in misalignment of the spine. For many, that misalignment may have existed for some time. Once your spine shifts, your body adjusts in an attempt to continue to support your skeletal structure. Although the chiropractors at Ameriwell Clinics may be able to correct your alignment in one visit, the surrounding muscles, ligaments and soft tissue may continue to attempt to return your spine to its previous position. This is the reason that it may take a series of visits to correct the issue.

You’ll only need to have lifelong regular visits with your chiropractor if you choose to. Many find that seeing their chiropractor regularly, as they do their dentist, provides maintenance and preventative benefits that have great value to their health.

Chiropractors Aren’t Really Doctors

Patients are often confused by the fact that chiropractors don’t hold the title of MD or medical doctor. Although this is true, all chiropractors are required to have their Doctor of Chiropractic degree in order to practice, so your chiropractor for back pain in Wheaton, MD will have a DC title after their name.

To earn their degree, chiropractors must attain a bachelor’s degree in a related field and then attend three years in an accredited chiropractic program. They must also pass a rigorous certification process. Additional to the average seven years of schooling, some chiropractors at established practices like Ameriwell will undergo even more schooling to specialize in a particular type of treatment or field of care.

Real Doctors Don’t Trust Chiropractors

This may have been true in the distant past when the field of chiropractic treatment was new and unknown, but today many medical doctors commonly refer their patients to DCs. Medical doctors that continue to be hesitant to use chiropractors may do so out of a lack of understanding of the kind of treatments DCs offer. It is important to remember that just as a chiropractor is not an MD and would not be the best person to see if you have the flu, medical doctors are not DCs and typically have little to no training in the science of spinal adjustment.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Caring for a Back Injury

Do Try Putting Heat or Cold Packs on Your Back

For the first 24-48 hours after an injury, put ice packs on your back for 15-20 minutes at a time, three or four times a day. After that, the inflammation and swelling should have gone down enough that it’s safe to use heat. Your Ameriwell chiropractor back pain in Wheaton, MD, may have specific recommendations for your case.

Do Try Taking Non-Prescription Pain-Relieving Medications

Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen are all over-the-counter pain medications you can try taking for your back pain. Make sure you follow the dosing instructions of whichever one you choose. It may take some trial and error to figure out which one works best for you.

Do Sleep in a Position That’s Comfortable for Your Spine

Sleeping on your stomach is a no-go for spine comfort. It puts strain on your neck and upper spine. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees for maximum back comfort. For that comfort sleeping on your side, put a pillow between your knees. Your chiropractor back pain in Wheaton, MD may have suggestions for the best pillows for you. 

Do Move Around and Stretch

Long gone are the days where back pain meant bedrest. A chiropractor back pain in Wheaton, MD might have a list of exercises and stretches for you to do to recover faster from back pain. Injuries to your back need movement to heal properly.

Don’t Try to Play Through the Pain

Have you ever heard the phrase, “no pain, no gain”? It gave generations of people the idea that if they didn’t hurt from physical activity, they weren’t going hard enough. The fact of the matter is, if you keep going when you’re experiencing pain, you could be further injuring your back. 

Don’t Do Intensive Back Exercises

Be gentle with your back after an injury. Do only the exercises your Ameriwell chiropractor back pain in Wheaton, MD, gives you. If you try to improvise or do intensive back exercises, you could further injure yourself. No pull-ups, rows, flies or lat pull-downs of any variety. 

Don’t Lie on a Soft Mattress

A soft mattress doesn’t give you any back support at all. You want a firmer mattress to help your spine and back relax the right way. Sinking into a soft mattress may feel wonderful after a long day with a back injury. However, it’s the worst thing for your back injury.

What Are the Side Effects of Pain Medication?

A Chiropractor for Back Pain in Maryland at AmeriWell Clinics can answer any questions you have about the benefits of chiropractics versus taking only pain medications. As we stated previously, medications for pain can be such a helpful resource to alleviate suffering in those who experience immense pain related to their musculoskeletal system. But then once that gets under control, we advise meeting with us to learn more about lasting treatment options that truly address the issues brewing underneath. Medications that are intended to ease pain can cause serious side effects on the body, including: 

• Constipation
• Digestive issues
• Depression
• Infertility
• Hormonal imbalances
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Drug dependency

What Conditions Need Pain Management?

Patients who have to deal with daily pain related to conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, and arthritis can see a decrease in their level of pain with chiropractic intervention. Once a chiropractor at AmeriWell Clinics performs an adjustment of the spine, the body releases properties that help heal itself in addition to reducing pain. Chiropractics don’t put a temporary band-aid on the symptoms, they help fight off free radicals while encouraging DNA repair on a cellular level.

What Is the Graston Technique?

The Graston Technique utilizes an instrument to aid in the manual therapy of soft tissue in order to treat back pain. After a diagnosis of your condition, a chiropractor from Ameriwell Clinics may recommend this method of treatment to reduce your pain and increase your body’s range of motion and ability to function. To learn if you are a candidate for treatment using the Graston Technique or other chiropractic approaches, call us today to schedule a consultation.

What is the Purpose of the Graston Technique?

The Graston Technique is intended to help a chiropractor identify a patient’s scar tissue and to break it up, which allows improved mobility for the patient. In addition to chiropractors, other medical providers also use this technique, including massage therapists, athletic trainers, osteopathic physicians, and physical therapists.

What are the Goals of the Graston Technique?

A Wheaton Chiropractor for Back Pain may use the Graston Technique to lower a patient’s pain level and increase their body’s functionality by doing one or more of the following:

• Stretching the connective tissue which reduces the patient’s physical restriction. In this way, the chiropractor rearranges the soft tissue structures of the affected ligaments, muscle, tendons, or fascia.
• Breaking down scar tissue restriction that often develops after a tendon, fascia, muscle, or ligament suffers trauma.
  
  

The Benefits of the Graston Technique

Back problems are common. Soft tissue injuries are often the cause of back problems. The back is comprised of many soft tissues: tendons, muscles, fascia, and ligaments. Excruciating pain and limited mobility can result from even a “minor” muscle strain. When a chiropractor employs the Graston Technique, the patient might enjoy these results:

• Faster recovery and rehabilitation time after an injury or surgical procedure.
• Reducing the total amount of time required for treatment.
• Lessening the need for the need of anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Provide healing for conditions that were previously diagnosed as chronic and  permanent.
  
  

How Does the Graston Technique work?

When employing the Graston Technique, your chiropractor will use special handheld instruments in conjunction with massage methods that identify and break up the patient’s scar tissue. Graston Technique tools are made from stainless steel and have various shapes but are not sharp. Your chiropractor will use them to detect fibrotic tissue that is damaged. Once the doctor has identified the damaged tissue, treatment can begin.

The method of massage your chiropractor uses is cross-friction. This involves rubbing or brushing against the scar tissue grain. In addition, your doctor will reintroduce minimal trauma to the area to increase the amount of blood flow. This encourages the body to naturally heal that area and improve the health of the damaged soft tissues. It can also cause inflammation but this should be temporary.

If you are not familiar with the many forms of treatment offered by a doctor of chiropractic, contact us at Ameriwell Clinics to learn if a chiropractor for back pain from Wheaton, MD may be able to help reduce or eliminate your pain from soft tissue damage.

 

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