Although medical doctors, surgeries, and prescription medications have been traditionally utilized by injury sufferers in the past, many people now are also turning to chiropractic care to treat ailments. Chiropractors can alleviate the issues caused by chronic pains, joint and muscle injuries, and alignment/compensation problems from broken bones.
Sport Injuries
It is important to exercise, but sometimes sports can bring on strains, sprains, and breaks. It is important to stretch, before and after exercise, and to know personal limitations. Still, accidents can happen. Even household chores can lead to a sports-type injury. Rest is important, but chiropractic can help with a balanced treatment approach. “Chiropractic adjustment (can) return spinal segments to their normal mobility and…help the supportive tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments)”. With proper alignment, athletes can maximize their performance.1
Automobile Accidents
Car accidents may not seem to cause injuries at first, but over time some initially unseen conditions can worsen. For example, a person can develop any of the following: “muscle stiffness or spasm, neck pain, headaches, numbness and tingling, back pain, difficulty sleeping, irritability, memory loss, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and many other difficulties”. In addition, one can get osteoarthritis, which can cause a humped back or chronic stiffness. Pills a medical doctor might prescribe don’t address the underlying tissue or musculoskeletal injuries. Of course, there are often legal and insurance entanglements from car accident injuries. Some chiropractors specialize in helping the client wade through the legal and medical referrals in order to help the patient receive the necessary care out of the process. Chiropractic adjustments can be an alternative treatment to medications and surgeries.2
Work Injuries
Heavy lifting, repetitive stress injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back injuries are just some of the workplace hazards. Recently, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) started an ergonomics program to help prevent workplace injuries. OSHA predicts it will “will spare 460,000 workers painful injuries and save an average of $9.1 billion a year”. “Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are the No. 1 workplace injury in America,” said Charles N. Jeffress, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor. Chiropractors are trained in treating MSDs. The American Chiropractic Association supports the new OSHA standard. Employers must warn employees about the injury risks of jobs, provide ergonomic support for injured workers, reassess “problem jobs”, and “ensure medical attention”. Chiropractors are considered “hands-on practitioners”.3
It can be beneficial to look at alternative approaches in injury recovery in order to avoid potentially unnecessary surgeries, or even painkiller addictions. Chiropractors seek to help the patient with the underlying causes of their pain.
References:
1 http://www.chiroweb.net/chiropractic/sport_injuries.html
2 http://www.chiroweb.net/chiropractic/auto_injuries.html
3 http://www.chiroeco.com/news/Archieve/osha.php
