Since Halloween is this month and October is National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) we would like to highlight not only how chiropractic care can be an important part of your overall health and well-being but how it also helps improve your musculoskeletal system. Most people think of chiropractic care in terms of helping back and neck pain, or even headaches. However, chiropractic is an effective, drug-free approach for improving many different acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems, and other health problems.
About Chiropractic Care
According to a survey by Gallup and Palmer College of Chiropractic, more than 35 million Americans visit a chiropractor each year. Chiropractors practice a patient-centered, non-drug approach to pain management and health promotion that includes patient examination, diagnosis, and treatment. Best known for our expertise in spinal manipulation, we are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises and to provide nutritional, dietary, and lifestyle advice.
Covid-19 Has Increased Musculoskeletal Pain
For most of us, Covid-19 has significantly altered our lifestyles and daily routines. Many of us are still doing what we can to reduce our potential exposure to COVID-19 and protect others: Avoiding crowded, public spaces; working from home; traveling by car instead of taking a flight; ordering food and supplies online; avoiding gyms and health clubs, etc. Because of this new normal, many of us are moving a lot less. As a result, some of our patients report increased musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. We encourage our patients to prevent or alleviate musculoskeletal issues by being active and adaptive during this challenging time.
Our Approach to Musculoskeletal Pain
Our chiropractic care is a holistic care program that includes not only the treatment of MSK-related pain but a comprehensive education on the musculoskeletal system, how to optimize wellness, and prevent injury. We help our patients pay extra attention to getting enough movement during the day, being aware of posture and ways to improve it, getting adequate rest, and managing stress in healthy ways.
How Chiropractic Can Support Overall Health and Well-being
Here are some of the ways we support our patient’s overall health and well-being in addition to their MSK-related pain:
- We Help Manage Pain Without Drugs – Being in pain is stressful. Increased stress, especially chronic stress, impairs immune function, affects mood and mental health, contributes to cardiovascular problems like hypertension. Our adjustments and treatments help relieve the pain, and we provide guidance on how to manage pain without drugs. Research has shown decreased use of opioids when people utilize a chiropractor for their pain-related issues.
- We Help Reduce Anxiety – There can be a lot of fear and anxiety around “What is wrong with me?” – especially if you have been to multiple practitioners with no real results. There can be other factors in your life that contribute to stress and anxiety as well. We will look at the bigger picture of your health by conducting a thorough evaluation. We will help you understand what is going on, provide our insights and guidance on your short and long-term care.
- We Encourage Good Posture – Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, or lying down. Good posture is the correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity. We educate you on proper sitting and standing postures, including recommending exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles. We can also assist you with choosing proper postures during your physical activities, helping reduce your risk of injury.
- We Customize Your Exercise – We recommend activities and exercises for every type of ability and lifestyle. Pain may limit your ability to stay active and do the very types of physical activity you need to do to stay healthy and strong. Besides finding ways to get you out of pain, we will discuss ways to safely help get you moving again.
We Offer a Holistic Approach
Through a whole-person, patient-centered approach, we elevate the health and wellness of our community by helping people of all ages live more fully and actively. We help your overall health by acting as a coordinator between other members of your health care team to help you find the most effective, preferably drug-free treatments as we walk beside you on your journey to full recovery.