NCCIH Cites Chiropractic as the Optimal Drug Free Chronic Pain Treatment
Alternative medicine is making serious strides in health care today, and chronic pain treatment by chiropractors is a key target.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health recently said chronic pain is one of the key reasons millions of Americans turn to chiropractors, and other alternative medicine resources for drug free relief.
The agency said these integrated approaches can often offer a higher degree of patient safety and help to reduce the overuse of opioids.
The agency noted that more and more doctors of chiropractic are working in integrated or multidisciplinary settings, collaborating on care with other types of providers, benefiting the patients they serve.
How Chiropractors Help with Chronic Pain
I have known an assortment of people of all ages suffering from chronic pain. Many of them were very much opposed to using pain medications, and that led them to see a chiropractor. When they did, they found a skilled experienced staff who maintains the mission of seeking pain relief without medication or surgery.
One example was an aging senior who had advanced arthritis and had also suffered a fall and a broken leg. Moving through the rehab process she was forced to use pain meds in the initial recovery stages. But as soon as she could, she stopped using them and sought additional help from her chiropractor.
At that point the chiropractor was able to help her with an ongoing program of therapy, and expert advice on relaxation and strength exercises, coupled with a healthy diet and some good stress reduction techniques. The end result was a smiling senior who was able to continue living independently in her home and had recovered from her fall, remaining active and amazingly young for her age.
If this sounds like a chronic pain resource that you would like to know more about, see your chiropractor soon.
Visiting Your Chiropractor
The chiropractor will do a spinal manipulation to evaluate overall spinal health, review daily routines and look at medical history. The goal will be to relieve pain without medication or surgery. Together the patient and the chiropractor will fashion a treatment program with the goal of restoring normal activity. Stress relief, strength exercises, possible weight loss with a healthy diet and many choices for staying active may all come up for discussion. In the case of the senior that I knew, this approach worked beautifully to keep her retirement years comfortable and active, just the way she wanted them.
If that sounds like a good approach to you, make an appointment today.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of anton petukhov