Chiropractors understand that mobility and flexibility are key to a healthy lifestyle, and any conditions that impede your movement can really hold you back.
Holistic chiropractors, like First Choice Chiropractor Brisbane, practice alternative medicine focused mainly on the spine. They aim to treat musculoskeletal mechanical disorders – basically any problem affecting your bones and muscles – to relieve strain on the rest of your body.
If you are affected by muscle aches, joint pain or issues with your back, then visit a chiropractor to ease your pain and learn exercises and behaviors to keep it from returning. Doctors often refer patients to chiropractors, showing that it is a respected and effective area of medicine.
Here, we’ve listed ways in which holistic chiropractic treatments can improve your health and lifestyle, and can erase muscle and back pain through massage and spine and neck adjustments.
Massage Therapy
Muscle pain in the back can seriously affect your everyday life, especially if you work in a physically demanding job.
Deep tissue massage helps to ‘release’ and relax deeply tensed muscles. In effect, it offers a synergistic method of caring for your spine, working to realign your bones.
Muscle pain in the back usually occurs due to incorrect posture, where your muscles are overcompensating to relieve bad posture. Massage therapy restores integrity to the spine by putting everything back in its place and taking the load off your tensed back muscles.
In conjunction with massage therapy, spinal adjustments may be made to fully remedy your problem. Also called spinal manipulation, these adjustments are administered through pressure on the misaligned joints and is a practice also administered by osteopaths.
For a quick fix to get you back in working order after a bout of back pain, check in with your local chiropractor and feel the difference.
Spinal Orthotics
In more severe cases, back pain can stem from trauma like car accidents or fracture. In these events, spinal orthotics or a back brace may be necessary to correct the problem.
If you have had spinal fusion surgery, or suffer from a disorder like Scoliosis, you may be referred to a chiropractor for a custom brace fitting. Spinal braces are also effective to treat less serious problems that require vertebrae support, or as a preventative measure for degenerative spinal conditions.
Wearing a brace may limit your movement in the short term, but is vitally important to restore your mobility in the future.
Foot Leveling
Did you know that your foot alignment has serious effects on the rest of your skeleton?
Foot levelers are orthotic inserts for your shoes which support the three arches of the foot and should always be custom-made to suit your specific needs. Leveling those arches (the plantar vault) will ensure your bones and spine are aligned correctly as you stand, and will improve your posture.
A chiropractor can determine your unique requirements and advise on whether you could benefit from foot leveling – which most of us could. If you are experiencing posture-related muscle, back or knee pain, orthotic foot leveling treatment will benefit you from the ground up.
Sleeping in Comfort
In addition to these treatments, chiropractors may also recommend restorative pillows to use on your bed to help keep your spine aligned when you sleep.
Sleeping with piled-up, soft pillows may seem best for comfort, but is extremely bad for your spine and neck, causing muscular problems and eventual pain. Switch to an orthopedic pillow, and feel how rejuvenated and comfortable you become.
Orthopedic pillows can be expensive, but are a necessary investment for your health. Check with your chiropractor for recommended brands.
Dietary Advice
Chiropractors offer nutritional advice to support their treatments and improve your quality of life. Health supplements, including mushroom, enzyme and iron tablet supplements may be advised depending on your chiropractic issue.
As holistic chiropractors take a full-body approach to their work, they go by the mantra ‘you are what you eat’ and believe that a balanced diet is key to maintaining whole body wellness.
Foods high in antioxidants are recommended to all patients for anti-inflammatory effects, and foods high in saturated fat and sugar are discouraged. Diet and weight are monitored in chiropractic treatment, as being overweight can be a major factor in causing strain on the skeleton.
