Given how many chiropractors there are practicing in the United States — nearly 45,000 — you almost certainly have access to chiropractic services. But you may have been hesitant to stop by your local chiropractic clinic and get treatment, especially if you don’t know much about the profession. That could be your loss; chiropractic care has been shown in multiple studies to be effective in relieving pain (particularly back pain). Here are five more good reasons to consider chiropractic care:
- Chiropractors Address a Range of Injuries
Chiropractors are best known for treating general backaches, but in reality they can do much more. If you’ve been injured in a car accident or a sporting event, for example, then a chiropractor can do diagnostic tests and help to correct any damage to your alignment (and properly document your treatment should you need to file a third-party insurance claim or personal injury suit). Some people even turn to chiropractors with issues such as asthma and high blood pressure.
- Chiropractors Don’t Prescribe Drugs
Mainstream medical doctors tend to prescribe painkillers for pain. That may sound like common sense, until you realize that painkillers don’t help to diagnose the cause of pain, they just interrupt the way pain is transmitted through the body and brain. Chiropractors treat pain as a symptom, always seeking to correct the underlying cause of pain instead of just masking it.
- Chiropractic Takes a Whole-Body Approach
Beyond simply avoiding drug treatments, chiropractors tend to be advocates of whole-body wellness. That means that they’ll help you take a look at your overall lifestyle — everything from fitness level and posture to diet — and determine how it could be causing you pain or lost function.
- Chiropractic Treatments Are Low Risk
Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be safe time and time again (that popping noise you hear when a joint is being adjusted just has to do with the release of gas bubbles in the joint, and is nothing to be concerned about). So even if it doesn’t completely relieve your pain, it’s extremely unlikely to make it worse or set off side effects. That’s something few health interventions can offer.
- Chiropractic Is Covered By Insurance
If you take a look at your insurance benefits, you might be surprised to find that chiropractic is on there. In fact, the vast majority of insurance plans cover some level of chiropractic treatment. So you probably won’t need to spend much out of pocket to see if chiropractic works for you.
Why else might someone want to try chiropractic care for the first time? Join the discussion in the comments.