5 Reasons to See a Chiropractor

History of the Chiropractic Profession

Chiropractors have been in business for 122 years. The profession began in 1895 with D.D. Palmer, the first official chiropractor. Palmer was in his office when the janitor, Harvey Lillard, entered to empty the trash can. Lillard was working shirtless and when he bent over to grab the trash can Palmer observed a misaligned vertebra. Palmer asked Lillard how the vertebra got out of alignment. Lillard responded stating that he made an awkward movement and heard a “pop” sound. He claimed that incident caused him to lose his hearing. Palmer had Lillard lie face down and he proceeded to adjust his back. After the adjustment, Lillard claimed his hearing returned. This discovery led to Palmer opening a chiropractic school a couple years later.

Reasons to See a Chiropractor

Although, typically we don’t consider chiropractics to be a common solution to deafness, the treatment does have several uses. The following are some common reasons a person may see a chiropractor:

  1. Relief or prevention of neck pain. A study conducted by the Annals of International Medicine reported chiropractic care was more effective at reducing and relieving neck pain than pharmaceuticals or exercise.
  2. Relief or prevention of back pain. Consumer Reports list chiropractic care as the top solution to treating back pain; above physical therapy, acupuncture, medical care, and even pharmaceuticals. Studies support that patients of chiropractors achieve relief faster, and longer than with alternative treatments.
  3. Relief or prevention of headaches and migraines. Headaches suggest there are issues with the central nervous system. The spine is an integral part of the central nervous system and the spinal alignments have proven to be an effective solution to preventing and treating headaches.
  4. Allergy Relief. Patients report less seasonal allergy symptoms after receiving chiropractic adjustments than when they receive seasonal allergy medication.
  5. Numbness, tingling, or pain in an extremity. By removing pressure on specific nerves, chiropractors can alleviate symptoms for certain types of Sciatica and Cervical Radiculopathy.

Back pain tends to be the main reason patients visit a chiropractor. Since the realignment and adjustment of the spine is such a critical component of chiropractics, it’s often the best method of treatment. It is estimated that at any given time 31 million Americans experience lower back pain. Victims of car accidents often report back or neck pain. Contact a personal injury lawyer if you have experienced back or neck pain as the result of a car accident or as the result of another party’s negligence. Someone else may be held accountable for your chiropractic expenses.