CRACK, POP, Ohhhh. Those are the sounds that you normally hear in a chiropractor’s clinic. Chiropractic adjustments have made waves on social media, giving a lot of the viewers a sense of relief watching someone else have their spines “realinged” and “adjusted”.

But with any medical procedure, when is it necessary to seek chiropractic care? As much as the idea of getting your whole being adjusted and realigned with the satisfying feeling of hearing your bones and joints crack, it may not be what you need right now.

In this post, we will explore what chiropractic care entails and who should be receiving and seeing a chiropractor for adjustments. 

So before you head on to your nearest Chiropractor, it’s best you read up and assess yourself with the help of this post!

What are the benefits of seeing a chiropractor? Chiropractic care is safe and effective.

Before we jump to the benefits of getting chiropractic adjustments, it needs to be said that chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine. 

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to improve your health by reducing pain and discomfort as well as improving your range of motion, strength, and endurance. A chiropractor will also be able to provide advice on how to prevent future problems. 

A lot of patients who have chiropractic adjustments done say that they are able to feel relief from some annoying pains or even grave pains in their body from the adjustments made. 

Looking at it from an anatomical point of view, what happens when you “get your bones cracked” is that your spinal joints are realigned for better range of motion. As you age, you experience different things that can misalign your spine and in effect cause a lot of pains like the common lower back pain.

Some patients who have greater musculoskeletal issues like forms of scoliosis are able to straighten their spines to a degree with the help of chiropractic adjustments.

And of course, another benefit, which a lot of us have already reaped at this point is that there is a form of relief of relaxation that patients or even just viewers on social media feel when they have or hear the sound of chiropractic adjustments.

What are the signs that you need help from a chiropractor?

Lower back pain may or may not be the best way to tell if you need to see a chiro. There are a lot of ways to tell, and there are a lot of resources telling you different things. The most common would be to know if you need a chiropractor is to listen to your body. 

If you’re feeling tired, stressed, or tensed, then it may be time to see a chiropractor.

Other signs that may indicate you need help from a chiropractor include:

• Severe back pain that persists for more than a few days
• Pain in other areas of your body, such as your joints or muscles
• Headaches, migraines, or dizziness
• Frequent colds, flu, and other illnesses
• Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
• Reduced range of motion in your neck, shoulders, or back
• Waking up with stiff joints
• Problems sleeping and concentrating
• Difficulty walking or performing daily tasks
• Chronic pain that has no known cause

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s time to see a chiropractor! The sooner you go, the quicker your body can heal.

BUT WAIT! 

Let’s take a look again at those signs. If you notice, a lot of them can be addressed by other Medical specialists who in fact may be able to give you more specific care and tests. And for most of these, as simple as they may seem, they might be precursors to graver medical issues that you would need medical specialists to see and diagnose first. This again falls back to our first point that — Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine. 

Before you jump the gun and run to a chiro, there should be other steps done. Some chiro clinics do offer medical assessments prior to you getting an adjustment, but it would be best to see a physician prior to doing so. 

What is outside the scope of chiropractic care? 

To fully understand when chiropractic care is medically necessary we must understand when it’s not. 

Chiropractic care is not a substitute for physical therapy or other forms of exercise programs. 

It is recommended for patients to stay active and healthy through regular exercise as part of their wellness plan. As mentioned, our spine and joints do experience some form of anatomical changes due to the activities we do, food we eat, and even with how we sleep. As much as it sounds right to have your spine adjusted if you have lower back problems, it’s best to see a physical therapist to see what you need to do first. Some physical injuries may need the attention of a surgeon, getting chiropractic adjustments first before that may worsen the injury. 

And ultimately, chiropractic is not a substitute for immediate or emergency medical care.

If you are experiencing piercing pain in your joints, pounding headaches, and anything that may or seem to be cured with chiropractic adjustments, it’s best that you first head to the nearest emergency room and seek the medical advice of doctors first. 

So when should you get Chiropractic Care?

And to answer the question for those who still haven’t gotten it. It’s best to see a doctor first before you opt for chiropractic care. There’s no doubt that chiropractic care has helped a lot of people, from annoying back pains to debilitating issues, and to some extent some genetic related issues as well. 

What’s important is that Chiropractic care is used and implemented within a whole comprehensive wellness plan. 

In some cases of people who do have TMJ, after getting their wisdom teeth/tooth taken out, they would still have some recurring headaches. Chiropractic adjustment can help in making sure that these headaches don’t come back, as long as it’s cleared by the dentist and orthodontist. 

For people who have psycho-social disorders and difficulties, the relief that they experience from chiropractic adjustments can help ease their emotional pain, even if it’s not due to any physical injuries. 

Patients who have motor-disorders have seen and experienced a lot of relief from the pain of physical therapy and have been able to help correct some of their motor-disorders with the help of chiropractic care.

What’s important is that you don’t just have your bones cracked, but rather that you receive and are put on a comprehensive chiropractic care plan that covers all the areas and is tied up with your doctors.

Chiropractic care is a great form of alternative medicine that alleviates musculoskeletal-related pains and issues.

But for your bone cracking and popping to not just be plain bone cracking and popping, it needs to be well thought of, planned out with your medical doctors, and ultimately done by professionals.

Getting adjustments is just like getting a massage when your body is tired, it may or may not make your body feel better. There is a chance that it can make it feel worse and worsen existing injuries and problems that you may not know of. 

In essence, chiropractic care is much more than just adjustments; some chiropractors offer a comprehensive approach that utilizes other treatments, such as massage and rehabilitation exercises. By leveraging this holistic strategy, patients will benefit from improved overall health outcomes.

So now that you know when and when not to see a chiro, and what you should be getting from a chiro, the last thing you need to make sure is that the Chiropractor and the chiropractor clinic that you are going to is reputable and sterile, and the people are trained and licensed.