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Most people just think of back pain when they think of going to a chiropractor. But the truth is there are so many more ways a chiropractor can help you with pain that’s not specifically in your back. Here are six other types of pain you may be experiencing that can be treated without drugs by a chiropractor.
1. Neck Pain
Posture Plays a Role in How Your Neck Feels
The neck is a fragile part of the spine. It can be easily strained and as a result the discs might bulge, which is a common cause of neck pain. Many of us are guilty of looking down at our phones, tablets, and laptops more than we are looking ahead at what's in front of us. Most Americans spend more than 10 hours a day staring down. If your neck is sore or stiff after all that time spent hunched over, you may be experiencing neck pain and the headaches that often come along with it.
Chiropractic care can help relieve these symptoms by realigning your spine, through spinal manipulation, to its natural position. This reduces stress on your joints and muscles and increases blood flow to your brain—allowing you to feel better physically and mentally. Another treatment option for neck pain is spinal decompression, which can reduce the pressure on the discs in the affected area. Your chiropractor may suggest cold laser therapy. This therapy focuses on the affected area in your neck and helps facilitate healing. Electric muscle stimulation and massage therapy can also help as they often relieve the pain in the soft tissue in the neck. A combination of several treatments may be needed depending on how much the neck starts to loosen up and feel better.
Neck Pain Caused by Arthritis
Arthritis in the neck and spine is a very common problem as we get older. It’s what causes you to feel stiff and have pain when you stand up and try to move around. There are multiple ways that a chiropractor could address your specific type of arthritis. The chiropractor might help by offering massage therapy, cold laser therapy and/or electric muscle stimulation (EMS) which can relieve the pain, tenderness, and stress in the joints of the neck. They could also suggest certain exercises or stretches that you could do at the chiropractor or at home.
Related Read: How Chiropractic Care Can Help Neck Pain
2. Painful Headaches including Migraines
Chiropractic care can be beneficial for people who experience chronic headaches and migraines. By applying pressure on certain points in your neck, upper spine, and lower back, a chiropractor may help release muscle tension pulling on nerves in these areas. They may also teach you ways to avoid headache triggers such as dehydration or stress.
Another headache trigger that chiropractic care can help with is inflammation that leads to migraines. A visit to a chiropractor may be able to help relieve migraine symptoms and provide long-term relief from chronic headaches.
Related Read: 6 Tips for Preventing Tension Headaches
3. Shoulder Injuries and Pain
Pain in many areas of the body can be treated by a chiropractor, including pain in the shoulders. Shoulder pain and problems are common issues among athletes who use a lot of overhead motion as well as office workers who spend long hours hunched over a computer or desk. There are other causes, but these are some of the most common causes of shoulder pain we see.
Chiropractic care can offer relief from shoulder pain and related aches and pains for these patients through different therapies like electric muscle stimulation and cold laser therapy. Spinal manipulation to realign the shoulders with the spine can sometimes help. Each patient’s treatment plan is based on their specific type of pain and the cause.
Related Read: How Chiropractic Care Can Help Shoulder Pain
4. Wrist Pain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If you feel wrist pain, numbness, or weakness in your wrists, talk to your chiropractor. This could be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome, and it may get worse if not treated right away. Carpal tunnel is caused by pressure being placed on your median nerve as it passes through a narrow channel in your wrist. The most common symptom is tingling and numbness in your hand and fingers.
If you have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel, you may want to consider chiropractic care as part of your treatment plan. Using manipulation and other techniques patients can get pain relief and sometimes even avoid surgery.
Related Read: How Chiropractic Care Can Help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
5. Hip Pain Can Be Treated by a Chiropractor
One of the most common treatments at the chiropractor is the treatment for hip pain and knee issues, as they can be caused by misalignment of the spine. Adjusting the alignment of the spine is a chiropractor’s specialty and can help your hips sit evenly which keeps you from feeling as much pain.
This includes patient management and stretches to help strengthen your hip flexors and hopefully prevent future pain. Chiropractors are trained in several methods to help with these issues, including spinal manipulation and massage therapy.
Related Read: Causes of Hip Pain and How to Find Relief
6. Causes of and Treatments for Knee Pain
There are many causes of knee pain including osteoarthritis, meniscus tears, and other strains of the ligaments or joints.
If your knee pain is caused by bone rubbing against bone, use of the Knee on Trac tool over several sessions could be part of your treatment plan. This helps to gently make space in the joint, relieving pressure and allowing blood flow to help the area heal.
Your chiropractor can help relieve your knee pain through cold laser therapy, manipulation, massage, stretches and exercises as well as other therapies.
Related Read: Knee Pain Relief with Cold Laser Therapy
Getting Started with Chiropractic Care in The Woodlands
If you're experiencing any of these pains and ready for pain relief today, get started by calling Village Chiropractic in The Woodlands. We'll perform an exam and discuss your situation so we can provide recommendations to help you achieve your goals.
