Almost nobody is exempted from the wrath of chronic back pain. A study by the National Center for Chronic and Disabilities Research estimates that 149 million lost days of work each year can be attributed to low back pain. The condition is also costly, with the total cost estimated between 100 and 200 billion dollars, two-thirds of which are due to lost wages.
The best chiropractor in Atlanta, GA can provide various treatment options, including spinal manipulation (also known as manual manipulation), exercise advice, and self-care strategies. One study found that spinal manipulation can relieve pain and increase function in people suffering from acute low back pain, which is deemed to be the most common type.
What Conditions Does Chiropractic Care Treat?
There are mostly spinal conditions that concern us, such as pain in the lower back, called the lumbar spine, as well as pain in the upper back, called the thoracic spine, and in the neck (cervical spine). Some of the patients are struggling with this issue for several years, while others have just experienced it due to an injury.
A variety of factors contribute to spinal pain, including disc problems and muscle spasms. In addition to chronic back pain or neck pain, many patients who seek chiropractic care experience leg, arm pain or headaches. Chiropractors work with a variety of ailments including knee, shoulder, and other injuries.
Can a Chiropractor Help With Your Chronic Back Pain?
The kind of conservative care the best chiropractor in Atlanta, GA offers is often preferred to treatments like injections and back surgery by many clinical care guidelines. So your patients may want to consider chiropractic care, physical therapy, or acupuncture before getting injections or undergoing back surgery. Most of the time, chronic back pain disappears with this type of treatment.
Does Our Clinic Provide Chiropractic Treatments?
Manual manipulation is our primary method of treating patients. This is done by using our hands to enhance joint mobility. If joint mobility is improved in a certain area, such as the neck, mid-back, or lower back, muscle tension can be reduced. We sometimes prescribe other treatments, such as exercise routines or self-care recommendations, if we are noticing nerve irritation running through the arm or leg; this can cause numbness or tingling, pain, or even changes in strength.
What Other Benefits Are There to a Chiropractor Visit?
As health care practitioners, most of our time is spent talking with our patients and listening to them. Let us talk about flexibility, let us talk about retraining, and let us talk about balance. Let us find out what your ergonomics are. How do you bend, turn, and lift? How do you drive?
To understand why you are experiencing pain or other symptoms, it is important to try to identify what may be contributing to your pain or the symptoms you may be experiencing. We often try to help patients by saying “yes you can” or “when things like this happen, try this instead of that.” Patients do not anticipate pain and as a result experience more pain and muscle spasms. Scientists have found that anticipating pain can affect pain intensity, number of episodes, muscle spasms, headaches, and more. Informing patients of how to anticipate pain is imperative.
We aim to help people regain interest in activities that are vital to their lives, such as professional, family, social, and recreational activities. Active people are usually healthier and more satisfied with their lives.
What Should People Expect During Their First Visit to a Chiropractor?
Essentially, it will be the same as what you are used to with other medical professionals. We will ask you several questions, including: how did your chronic back pain start? How does it affect your pain when you do this or that? And at what level are you in pain?
Your pain will then be evaluated both medically and mechanically, using tests that will address both factors. During a physical examination, we will observe what your alignment is, what your muscle tone is, how your nerves function, how your body moves, as well as what the types of movements that mimic your symptoms are. If X-rays need to be ordered, we can arrange for them.
On the other hand, most patients do not require imaging on their first visit. After the exam, the doctor will then explain what they think is going on with the patient’s spine, what treatments we would recommend, and how they may help. In a team environment, if we believe a patient may benefit from a consultation with physiotherapy, a physiatrist, a spine surgeon, or another supplier, we will also suggest such a referral.
Are We Able to Conduct Virtual Visits?
As part of our video appointments, we provide virtual exams, diagnosis, and patient education. You may need to schedule an in-person appointment if you need manual treatment or additional assessment. We recommend personal care at home, such as heat therapy or stretching.
Do Spinal Manipulations Carry Any Risks or Cause Pain?
Patients may experience some muscle soreness and feel tired during the following 24 hours, but these side effects usually disappear quickly. Manual manipulation causes few complex side effects.
Do Chiropractic Treatments Have Any Risks?
Every form of therapy indeed consists of inherent risk, but chiropractic care has a very low rate of complications. In rare cases, chronic back pain patients have experienced worsening of the disc or compression of their spinal nerves. It is recommended that patients seek the advice of the best chiropractor in Atlanta, GA before trying to opt for chiropractic care because they are less likely to apply too much force or adjust their joints too frequently.
Ask the Best Chiropractor in Atlanta, GA for Help With Your Chronic Back Pain
Our Atlanta injury treatment center focuses on the musculoskeletal system to reduce chronic back pain by ensuring optimal alignment of the spine and relieving underlying pain. The patient’s physical condition and the underlying cause of your chronic back pain will determine whether a chiropractor can help you. Call us now or email us at the given address.
