Chiropractic treatment has many documented benefits, and it can alleviate (or in some cases eliminate) health problems you might not even consider. Migraine headaches are a great example. Some people suffer chronic migraines due to an imbalance in the cervical spine – and this problem can continue for years before being diagnosed. When such a spinal imbalance is corrected and the proper alignment is restored, the experience of migraines can often be drastically reduced.
The medical evidence documenting the benefits of chiropractic care is growing all the time. Because it’s a non-invasive treatment that does not rely on drugs or surgery, more and more people are gravitating toward it. The ability to treat a number of different common health problems in a natural and non-invasive way is a rarity, and the discipline of chiropractic treatment continues to evolve as time goes on.
People often don’t realize that doctors of chiropractic spend roughly as much time in post-secondary education as medical doctors, and they possess an extensive knowledge of biology and human anatomy. It’s true that massage therapy is complementary to chiropractic care, in that both disciplines use natural movements and adjustments to correct imbalances and restore greater health to the musculoskeletal system. However, chiropractic care requires far more training. It takes an average of 7 years of post-secondary education to be certified as a doctor of chiropractic.
To learn more about how chiropractic care works in practice, let’s look at the three phases of chiropractic care:
1. The Acute Phase
This is the phase in which adjustments are made to correct imbalances in the spine and set the body on a path to self-healing. It may involve just a few adjustments, or it may involve several over a period of time. This is when alignment and health is restored to the spine – but it’s not the end of the process.
2. Stabilization and healing
The results of chiropractic treatment are not always immediate. It can take days, weeks or even months for the body to fully adjust, and for the benefits to be fully experienced. This is really a “case-by-case” situation, and your chiropractor will help you create a personalized treatment plan that works for you.
3. Maintaining your health
No reputable chiropractor wants their patients to keep coming back indefinitely. The point is to restore optimal health, and to give patients the tools and knowledge they need (posture is a great example) to maintain better health over time.
What to look for in a chiropractic care professional
Just as with medical doctors, there are chiropractors with different styles and different approaches to treatment. There are those with very good reputation in their communities, and those whose reputations leave something to be desired. Reputation is actually the best place to start when researching chiropractics. You could start by looking for practitioners who went to the best schools and have the most years of experience in the field, but these factors are usually reflected in in the positive experiences described by patients themselves. Once you find a reputable practitioner, it’s always good to seek information about their training and experience.