Nine Different Issues That a Chiropractor Can Potentially Help With — and Three Things You Should Know

Chiropractors examine and treat musculoskeletal health conditions. That means they help people with bone, joint, and muscle problems.

There are various issues within that field that a chiropractor can potentially help with, so let us explore nine.

1. Temporomandibular Joint Problems

If you have pain or discomfort in the joints and muscles of your jaw, a displaced or dislocated jaw or condyle fracture, or inflammation of temporomandibular joints, a chiropractor can help.

Chiropractic treatment is very effective in relieving the pain associated with temporomandibular joint problems. A chiropractor can use professional techniques to relax your muscles, adjust your joints, and reposition your jaw.

Symptoms associated with temporomandibular joint problems like jaw locking, neck pain, ear pain, and headaches can be relieved.

2. Neck Pain

A chiropractor can also help with neck pain, whether that pain is mild discomfort or severe chronic pain, via adjustments, physical therapy, and exercise recommendations. Neck pain can affect the ligaments, nerves, and blood flow to the head and shoulder region.

But with professional realignment, the neck and shoulder region vertebrae can be restored to help alleviate the issue.

3. Shoulder Pain

Following the last point, chiropractors can help people with certain shoulder pain via manipulation, physical therapy, and exercise recommendations. Therefore, people who have shoulder pain from things like fractures, inflammation, and arthritis, could benefit from getting treatment from a professional chiropractor. 

4. Lower Back Pain 

Lower back pain is often associated with spondylosis, which refers to the degeneration of the spine that commonly happens as people age.

Chiropractors can treat spondylosis and other lower back pain problems, like herniated discs, sprains, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis, via manipulation and physical therapy exercises. 

5. Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a spinal deformity that involves a sideways curvature of the spine. It typically occurs during growth spurts in girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. It can lead to other problems like back pain, arthritis, and respiratory problems.

Chiropractors can detect and treat scoliosis. Treatments involve corrective spinal manipulation, physical therapy, and structural strengthening exercises.

While such treatments cannot actually correct the twisted curvature of the spine, they can provide pain relief and improve function. 

6. Hip Bursitis

Hip bursitis is caused by inflammation of the bursae, which lies below the hip muscle. People with hip bursitis typically respond well to chiropractic care. 

7. Plantar Fasciitis

Chiropractor treatment is also effective for plantar fasciitis, which involves the thin tissue at the bottom of the feet becoming inflamed or irritated. A chiropractor can relieve the pain that people with plantar fasciitis experience by using soft tissue therapy and custom orthotics. 

8. Tennis Elbow

This condition refers to a painful elbow caused by overuse, typically from playing tennis and other racquet sports, hence the name. Overuse or repetitive motion of the elbow can cause inflammation of the muscles and tendons in the forearm, which leads to muscle weakness and pain and tenderness on the elbow’s outer side.

A chiropractor can use professional techniques like mechanical correction and physical therapy to help people with tennis elbow to make quick and full recoveries. 

9. Fibromyalgia 

The condition of fibromyalgia involves widespread musculoskeletal pain and other symptoms like fatigue and issues with memory, mood, and sleeping. With a combination of chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, massage therapy, and medications, the symptoms of severe cases of fibromyalgia can be improved.

Three Things You Should Know

You now know about some of the main issues that a chiropractor can help with. But if you are considering getting help from a professional chiropractor, you should also know the following three things.

1. Is a chiropractor a medical doctor?

Yes, a chiropractor is a medical doctor. Chiropractors hold degrees as doctors of chiropractic. Though, when comparing chiropractors and medical doctors, there are differences.

The former cannot do things like prescribe medication or perform surgery. But they can treat things that interfere with the central nervous system and have expertise in anatomy and physiology to perform manual adjustments and provide other treatments. 

2. What is the difference between chiropractors, physiotherapists, and osteopaths?

If you have an issue like lower back pain, you may wonder whether it is best to see a chiropractor, physiotherapist, or osteopath. Each can help with lower back pain and similar health conditions, but their treatment approaches differ slightly.

We have already looked at how chiropractors can assist. Physiotherapy focuses on restoring movement and function to your entire body after you have experienced an injury or illness by looking at how your bones, muscles, and nerves are affected and using manual therapies and exercise therapy to treat the problem.

Osteopaths aim to ensure all of your bones, joints, and muscles are functioning smoothly together by using manual therapies.

3. How do you find a chiropractor?

Most chiropractors work in the private health sector. You can find chiropractors by searching online. But it is best to first make an appointment with your local doctor.

He or she will be able to identify whether a chiropractor is the best person to see for your specific health problem and give you advice on how to receive free treatment or where to find a professional chiropractor in your local area.

In Conclusion

As we have seen, chiropractors can help to treat a wide variety of different issues related to musculoskeletal health conditions. So, chiropractor treatment could undoubtedly be beneficial if you have one of the nine health issues listed above or another similar health condition.

To recap, chiropractors can help with the following:

1. Temporomandibular Joint Problems.

2. Neck Pain.

3. Shoulder Pain.

4. Lower Back Pain.

5. Scoliosis.

6. Hip Bursitis.

7. Plantar Fasciitis.

8. Tennis Elbow.

9. Fibromyalgia.