Your Local Chiropractor Should Incorporate These 5 Pain Management Treatments

At this point in the world of pain management, it is not enough for your local chiropractor only to perform spinal manipulations to alleviate your pain. Last year, a study by the Institute of Medicine showed that over 100 million Americans suffer from a pain problem. The recommendation out of that study was for medical providers providing pain treatments to incorporate more comprehensive regimens for better outcomes.

Over the last 15 years, there have been numerous pain treatment methods that have become available to chiropractic doctors. Here are the top 5 treatment options available that you should look for when seeking a local chiropractor.

1. Physical rehabilitation - along with performing chiropractic manipulations, chiropractors should incorporate rehab exercises into their programs including stretching and strengthening exercises along with offering home programs to their patients. Physical rehabilitation exercises are essentially the same as physical therapy exercises. The stretching and strengthening exercises are the same and include core strengthening, active and passive mobilization techniques, along with ice, heat, and electrical stimulation.

2. Massage therapy and acupuncture - these therapies have been shown in numerous research studies to be extremely effective for a lot of musculoskeletal problems that are either acute or chronic. Both maintain a very low risk profile and are performed as outpatients in one hour or less. They can reduce pain, reduce the need for narcotic medication and due to their effectiveness more insurance companies are including them on reimbursement schedules.

3. Spinal decompression therapy - this treatment was FDA cleared back in the late 1990s and is revolutionary for relieving neck pain, back pain, arm and leg pain as well. This pain may be either do to sciatica, degenerative disc disease, facet syndrome, spinal stenosis, failed back surgery, and much more. It involves approximately 20 treatments and costs much less than spine surgery. Make sure your chiropractor is specifically certified in this treatment technique.

4. Tens units - these devices are about the size of an iPod and fit on a patient's belt and can be worn during the day. They emit slight electrical impulses that go into the skin by way of a foam pad placed over the area of pain. These may alter the way the brain perceives pain signals and reduce pain and individuals. This may lower the need for narcotics, or help in a situation where surgery is not indicated. These also have very low risk and are inexpensive.

5. Manipulation under anesthesia - this is a treatment that has been available for over 6 decades. It works well for situations such as frozen shoulder where a patient develops scar tissue and cannot increase their range of motion sufficiently. Building up of scar tissue can be painful and as a last resort prior to surgery and manipulation under anesthesia with the chiropractor can be very helpful.

As you can see from this list, chiropractic treatment in the modern age involves many more options than simply chiropractic adjustment's. Make sure to look and see exactly the treatments that are offered by a local chiropractor prior to enlisting for treatment.