Many people with pain think that the best thing for them is to see a chiropractor. This might work for some, but as with anything there are pros and cons.
There are good and bad things that everyone says about seeing the chiropractor. Here we’ll look at a few things that people are saying about the pros and cons of seeing a chiropractor.
Related: Finding the Best Chiropractor For You
What is a Chiropractor
A chiropractor practices a form of alternative medicine that focuses principally on the spine. They suggest that the nervous system affects general health. Treatments consist of manipulating the spine, joints, and soft tissues. People who seek chiropractors are typically looking for relief from back pain, or lower back pain.
While there are many success stories from people helped by chiropractors, it has yet to be backed by scientific studies and evidence. There have been many clinical studies for chiropractic treatments, but they have yielded conflicting results.
What is a Chiropractic Treatment?
Chiropractors perform spinal manipulation, which is called a spinal adjustment or chiropractic adjustment. It involves thrusting on joints to increase the range of motion. The adjustments are done to the back, spine, and neck areas.
There are various techniques for treatment and a chiropractor may use one or more techniques for your care.
Activator chiropractic technique – using a spring-loaded tool to deliver adjustments.
Diversified chiropractic technique – full-spine, arm, and leg manipulation.
Gonstead chiropractic technique – spinal evaluation and non-rotational adjustments.
Koren Specific Technique – (KST chiropractic) – may use an ArthroStim for assessment and spinal manipulations.
Nimmo Receptor-Tonus chiropractic technique – using muscle testing for diagnosis.
There may be a popping noise during treatments. It’s similar to cracking knuckles, as small air pockets form and are released from the joints. There is no damage from this.
Repeat visits are often necessary because treatments require a cumulative effect to work. The repetition conditions the body like a stone sharpens steel.
Chiropractor Pros
Let’s start out by looking at the pros of seeing a chiropractor. The first thing that some will find about seeing a chiropractor is that it’s cost effective. One gets a lot of care for little money. It’s one of the cheapest forms of medicine out there.
It’s easy to try. A simple appointment is all that is necessary to get things started. Depending on your situation, the chiropractor may suggest that you come in 2-3 times per week for 3-4 weeks. You can decide at anytime whether to continue or not. There are no side effects for stopping treatments.
It is generally safe. Most people hate other treatments for extreme pain, because of side effects or other safety risks. Other things out there have many precautions and so forth. Using a chiropractor is all natural in that there are no medicinal addictions or side effects to worry about.
The biggest pro of this is that it can work and reduce pain.
Chiropractor Cons
Nothing is ever one hundred percent good. There are flaws with everything. So, one needs to look at the cons of seeing a chiropractor. The biggest complaint about chiropractors is that there is some discomfort after treatments.
The other thing is that while it is cost effective, the costs can run up. There is also a possible downfall. In some cases, insurance companies won’t cover chiropractic treatments and one is left to pay for the office visits out of their own pocket. This can add up because you have to go repeatedly.
The other thing is that some people may have difficulty getting to the chiropractor. While a chiropractor can help with many things, you have to actually go in to see them. It might be too painful to make the visit. Thus, there are some people who have illnesses where seeing a chiropractor isn’t such a wise idea.
Finally, there is a small risk for damaging an artery that results in a stroke or death when manipulating the neck. This has not been scientifically proven, however.
One needs to weigh the good and the bad about seeing a chiropractor. There are many things that are good about this as well as many things that aren’t so good. One has to see if the chiropractor can meet their needs or not. Many think that just because it’s not invasive then anyone is a good candidate, but that’s simply not the case.
Have you seen a chiropractor? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments below.
Learning about the different methods that a chiropractor can use to treat you was extremely interesting. Rather than try and guess what kind of treatment will be best for the kind of back pain I’m experiencing, leaving it up to a professional will probably be the best way for me to get rid of all of that pain right away. As soon as I find a chiropractor in the area, this is exactly what I’ll ask from them when I get treated.
Thanks for explaining how a chiropractor could get you back to a working state after giving you a spinal adjustment. My friend is losing confidence in his work because of his back pain. I think it might be a great idea if we find a chiropractor where he could try this out in the future.
Thank you so much for clarifying the safety of chiropractic care. I feel like this could really help me become more confident in this procedure and finally get the back pain treatment that I deserve. Once I find a chiropractor in the area, I’ll definitely have them take a look at me and do what needs to be done.
Thanks for pointing out that regular trips to the chiropractor will eventually condition the body. I’m considering to undergo a chiropractic weight loss program soon because my current diet can only do so much about the weight I gained recently. I hope that I can get used to the massages fast since my body can be quite tense and sensitive.
I appreciate that you listed some pros and cons of seeing a chiropractor. It’s been weeks since my lower back has been aching. I’m starting to worry that this may lead to a serious concern, which is why I thought about visiting a chiropractor. I like what you said that it is safe and can help reduce the pain I’m experiencing. With that said, I shall then ask referrals from trusted friends and some relatives.
It’s great to know that there are almost no safety risks in seeing a chiropractor that’s why it’s also very easy to make an appointment. I’ve been having chronic pain on my right for almost a month now about a pretty bad fall during a sparring session in the gym back then. Perhaps I should see if this could be corrected by a chiropractor before this leads to something worse.
Chiropractic treatment might be painful, but it gives long term relief of pain.