According to Merriam- Webster, chiropractic is defined as, “a system of therapy which holds that disease results from a scarcity of normal nerve function and which employs manipulation and specific adjustment of body structures.” But what might sound complicated beginning of a Chiropractor Tulsa OK dictionary, may be a tried and true method, tested for hundreds of years , that has been wont to treat a variety of ailments. A brief history, consistent with the American Chiropractic Association or the ACA, chiropractics are often traced all the way back to past . Manipulation of spine to ease pain are often seen in writings dating all the way back to 2700 B.C. But the credit for contemporary American chiropractic are often given to Daniel David Palmer, who began the practice in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa. Since Mr. Palmer’s time, doctors are treating patients to alleviate symptoms like headaches, joint pain, and doubtless hottest the dreaded back pain. Research from the U.S. National Library of Medicine states that back pain is one of the most common medical problems, in fact 8 out of 10 people will suffer from some sort of back pain. The frequency of back pain is probably the main reason why chiropractic has such a long history. But it has not been until recent times that the medical community has really given credit to how effective chiropractic is for treating back pain.
Many back pain suffers are heading to the chiropractor instead of mainstream doctors for a variety of reasons. In a story done by Fox News, one among those reasons is to reduce the utilization of medication to treat pain. Chiropractors only use techniques of manipulation and adjustments. In addition, they specialise in the body’s self-healing proprieties to treatment pain; successively no drugs are used. Traditionally, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle-relaxers, and narcotics are prescribed to treat patients affected by back pain. All of these drugs accompany the danger of tolerance, which suggests increasing dosages after long periods of use and therefore the risk of addiction. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 116 million people in the country are suffering from chronic pain, and of those people addiction rates to prescription drugs can be as high as 40%.
Another reason people are choosing the chiropractor treatment is that it is less invasive than surgery. Chiropractic is hands on, but there is no cutting of the body. When having surgery to relieve back pain, one is risking major infection, scarring, blood loss, and even death. In addition, surgery does not give any guarantee to work; in some cases patients need multiple surgeries. Also, after surgery the pain might stay the same or worsen. At the foremost , a patient who uses chiropractic might experience muscle soreness like the soreness felt after exercise. One major reason people are flocking to chiropractors is because is it cost effective. Currently, Americans are spending a minimum of $50 billion dollars a year on back pain treatments. In one study done by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee over a two year period, when watching the care of a patient given by a licensed chiropractor versus a medical doctor the cost was 20% lower. Researchers estimated that this type of care would save about $2.3 million dollars annually.
Lastly, if statistics and facts do not convince you that chiropractic is an effective means for back pain take my own testimony. When I was 20 I was in a mildly traumatic car accident where my modest 1988 Honda Accord was T-boned. Though I did not sustain any life threatening injuries I did develop chronic lower back pain. For month I went around in pain. It even got so bad that my school and work were affected. Finally, after suffering through with only pain medication and my hot pad my father suggested i’m going to his chiropractor. At first I was skeptical and slightly afraid. All I could think about was that this doctor was going to popped one of my appendages out of place. At the top of my first appointment i used to be sore, but all body parts intact. To my surprise, after a couple of appointments i started to seek out some relief. I began this routine of visiting my chiropractor twice every week for about 10 weeks. Though my car accident was years ago, I do still enjoy going to the chiropractor. Currently, I visit mine once a month. Chiropractic has progressed leaps and bonds over the century in the eyes of the medical community. Today about 20 million people are seeking out treatment for various pain ailments. By seeking help from a chiropractor one will receive quality care that is effective, less invasive, and fiscally responsible. As Hippocrates, the great Greek physician once declared, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases”.
