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Can a Chiropractor Help with My Health Problems?

March 10th 2021

Featured Contributor:

Dr. Kevin McKamey of East Park Integrative Chiropractic

Depending on what you're struggling with, the answer may very well be, YES!
Many chiropractors are trained to handle more health issues than you may realize. Here is a checklist of 7 situations when it could be a good idea to visit a chiropractor.

1. Range of Motion Restrictions or Asymmetries

A range of motion problem makes it difficult to fully move your arm, leg, shoulder, hip, back, knee, or other joints. Inflammation, joint injuries, stiffness, and scar tissue can cause mobility problems. Pain may also be a factor. If it hurts too badly to move a joint, you may subconsciously limit its movement to avoid triggering the painful sensations. A good example of a range of motion restriction is Adhesive Capsulitis such as in a “Frozen Shoulder”.

Chiropractic manipulation therapies treat the source of your pain and improve range of motion issues by improving joint mobility and alignment, decreasing inflammation, and increasing blood flow to the restricted joint.

2. Acute or Chronic Muscle or Joint Pain

Poor posture, stress, strain, and injuries can lead to joint fixations (motion restrictions), misalignment and asymmetries of the vertebrae that make up your spine. Even minor fixation of one or several of the joints of your spine can cause problems that affect the joint itself as well as the associated muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves in your back, neck, and other areas of the body. Your chiropractor may call these joint problems a “subluxation”.

A chiropractic “adjustment” also called “spinal or joint manipulation” can restore proper function and realign your spine. The adjustment is performed with a quick, hands-on thrusting motion. Adjustments not only improve joint function but also reduce muscle tension or spasms which can be responsible for pain and stiffness.

3. Headaches

If you've been struggling with tension headaches or migraines, chiropractic adjustments to your spine may offer a drug-free relief for your painful symptoms.

Adjustments and other treatments can help improve mobility, relax tight muscles and increase blood flow to your head. Chiropractic treatment can improve migraines and headaches that originate from the neck, according to evidence-informed practice recommendations offered by The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

4. Sciatica

Sciatica is one of the most frequent complaints chiropractors successfully treat. Chiropractic care offers a natural way to decrease the intensity and frequency of sciatica, an annoying condition that sends pain shooting from your back to one or both of your legs. Sciatica happens when nerves in your back become inflamed and irritated. The problem may occur if a herniated disc or a fixation in a vertebra causes pressure on the nerve.

Fortunately, your chiropractor can treat sciatica with adjustments, cold therapy, massage, spinal decompression, ultrasound, and electrical nerve stimulation.

5. Spondylosis (Arthritis of the Spine)

Stiffness and inflammation in your back or neck may be a problem if you have osteo-arthritis, a condition that can be caused by age-related wear and tear.

Adjustments improve range of motion and reduce pain, while flexion-distraction therapy decompresses and stretches the muscles surrounding the vertebrae and decreases the internal pressures on intervertebral discs. Your chiropractor may also recommend massage, traction, spinal manipulation, ultrasound, and other therapies.

6. Injuries from a Recent Accident

Chiropractic adjustments and physical therapy modalities can help you recover more quickly from a car accident, fall, or another injury.

Restoration of range of motion and improvements in mobility following a chiropractic treatment can help to improve blood flow to the injured area, speeding healing by removing metabolic waste products and bringing oxygen and healing nutrients where they are needed most. Soft tissue treatments may also relieve muscle spasms and stiffness and work to break apart scar tissue before it can restrict your range of motion.

7. Numbness and Tingling

In a condition called “neuropathy” a reduction of blood flow or nerve compression issues may be to blame if you experience numbness or tingling in your hands, feet, legs, arms, or other parts of the body.

Adjustments to the spine or other joints may help decrease pressure on the nerves and blood vessels, reducing pain and improving blood flow.
Sources: The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics: Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Headache, 6/11

American Chiropractic Association: Whiplash: More than Standard Neck Pain, 3/15

U.S. News & World Report: Surprise: Chiropractors Can Treat These 5 Conditions, 11/30/15

Chiropractic is a "Hands-On" System of Healthcare

The word chiropractic is a combination of two Greek words; CHIRO meaning “hand” and PRAKTIKOS “practical or the practice of”. An English translation means: “practiced with or done by an action of the hand”.

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, as well as, the effects of these disorders on general health and wellness.

Chiropractic care is used most often to treat a variety of common neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, sciatica and headaches.

Doctors of Chiropractic – referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians – practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment.

Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling. Chiropractors are trained in the art of manipulation of the human spine and other articulations (joints) to remove restrictions thus restoring mobility allowing the body to fully express its ability to heal.

Chiropractic Philosophy: The power that made the body, heals the body

Chiropractors generally believe that the health of the spine and overall health are related in a very fundamental way, and that this relationship is mediated through the central nervous system. Chiropractors relate structure and function of the spinal column along with joint biomechanics to the function of the muscular systems and nervous systems forming a wholistic picture of what they believe is the root to the disease process.

Your chiropractor is well-trained and licensed by the state

In Maryland chiropractors are licensed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and regulated by the Maryland Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Doctors of Chiropractic must possess a Bachelor’s Degree and graduate from a chiropractic college accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education a national accreditation board. Chiropractors whom have completed the additional training requirements and obtained the appropriate endorsement may provide physiotherapy services such as therapeutic exercise, manual therapies and physical modalities.

Spinal Manipulation

When performed by a trained professional, spinal manipulation is a safe and effective therapeutic intervention performed on one or several of the synovial joints of the spinal column. Spinal manipulation has roots in traditional medicine and has been used by various cultures, apparently for thousands of years.

Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine" used spinal manipulative techniques, as did the ancient Egyptians and many other cultures. A modern re-emphasis on manipulative therapy occurred in the late 19th century in North America with the emergence of osteopathic medicine and chiropractic.

In Western medicine, spinal manipulation is most commonly performed by chiropractors, osteopathic physicians, and physical therapists. Chiropractors generally refer to spinal manipulation as an “adjustment”. Properly applied adjustments are painless and can be effective at restoring mobility to spinal segments and reducing pain, spasm and some sensory abnormalities such as numbness or tingling.

Would you like to find out if chiropractic might help with your condition? Call Dr. McKamey's office to schedule a consultation.

Dr. Kevin L. McKamey of East Park Integrative Chiropractic

1340 Belmont Ave, Suite 504

Salisbury, Md.; 443-880-3830