Finding a reputable chiropractic treatment is essential for everyone who wants to take preventative measures to safeguard their health as well as for those who need to repair damage after years of poor posture or trauma. There are few occupations on the earth that may prevent neuromuscular disease as well as chiropractic. Because of this, I have personally had adjustments for more than ten years and advise my patients, friends, and family to do the same.
Don’t rely just on my word, though. The numerous therapeutic advantages of chiropractic are supported by the data from medical research papers, systematic reviews, and case studies listed below.
1. Sciatica
Few interventions can start back pain alleviation and healing like chiropractic adjustments do, compared to the majority of medical treatments. Results from a scientific investigation that showed how chiropractic adjustments had a 72 percent effectiveness rate in treating sciatica-related symptoms were published in the European Spine Journal. This is comparable to a 20% success rate for physical therapy and a 50% success rate for corticosteroid injections as treatments.
Active chiropractic treatment manipulations had a greater impact than simulated manipulations on patients with sciatic nerve pain who were staying in rehabilitation medical centres, according to a different randomised, double-blind trial that was published in the Spine Journal. Active manipulations reduced the number of days that patients had moderate to severe back pain and other symptoms related to sciatica, and they also caused no known side effects.
2. Low back and neck discomfort
In one study of chiropractic patients with neck pain, the majority (96%) of participants said they were either “Very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the care they received, and the majority (98%) said they “Definitely would” or were “Very likely” to choose chiropractic care again if they encountered a similar issue.
A 2003 study that appeared in the British Medical Journal randomly assigned 183 patients with neck pain to receive either manual therapy (spinal mobilisation), physiotherapy (primarily exercise), or general practitioner care (counselling, education, and medication) over the course of a 52-week period. Clinical outcome measurements revealed that chiropractic adjustments led to a quicker recovery than physiotherapy and medical care from a general practitioner. In addition, the overall expenditures of the chiropractic care for the patients were roughly one-third those of physiotherapy or general practitioner care.
One month after therapy, patients with chronic low-back pain treated by chiropractic treatment exhibited more improvement and satisfaction than patients treated by family doctors, according to a different study that was published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. A higher percentage of chiropractic patients (56 percent vs. 13 percent in the physician group) indicated that their low-back pain was better or much better, which led to higher satisfaction scores for these patients.
According to about one-third of medical patients, their low back pain was significantly worse or even got worse after treatment. Similar findings from other research have been reported: after receiving chiropractic care, the majority of acute and chronic patients report less pain, less functional disability, and higher levels of patient satisfaction.
In a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 272 participants were split into three groups: those who received spinal manipulation therapy from a doctor of chiropractic (DC), those who received pain medications (over-the-counter painkillers, narcotics, and muscle relaxants), and those who only followed at-home exercise advice. Roughly 57 percent of people who saw DCs and about 48 percent of people who exercised reported at least a 75 percent improvement in pain after 12 weeks. Comparatively, 33% of those who took medicine for their pain felt less pain.
After a year, almost 53% of the two drug-free groups (chiropractic and exercise) still reported pain reductions of at least 75%, as opposed to an average pain reduction of only 38% among those who solely used medicine.
3. Headaches (Tension and Migraine)
One of the most frequent conditions commonly treated by chiropractors is headaches, which is second only to back pain. Over 230 peer-reviewed studies mentioned chiropractic’s capacity to assist in the treatment, prevention, and alleviation of headaches and migraines in people all over the world at the time I conducted this research.
According to a group experiment, assaults decreased by 90% for 22% of those who received chiropractic care. In the same study, 49% of participants reported that their pain severity had significantly decreased. Few interventions, compared to the majority of medical procedures, can start headache alleviation naturally without the dangers of long-term drug use.
4. Children's Colic, Acid Reflux, and Ear Infections
Chiropractic adjustments significantly reduced colic symptoms, according to a 2011 systematic analysis that was published in the journal Explore. The research examined 26 publications in total, including three clinical trials and four cohort studies. “Our review revealed that chiropractic care is a viable alternative to the treatment of infantile colic and consistent with evidence-based practise,” the review’s authors write. “This is especially true when one considers that medical care options are no better than placebo or have been linked to adverse events.”
There are numerous case studies that show how children with conditions like otitis media (or ear infections) or acid reflux have seen full or nearly full recovery after only a few visits with a chiropractor, despite the fact that there are very few randomised control trials describing other clinical effects of chiropractic treatment care on children. According to one study, children who had acid reflux experienced “notable improvement in the patient’s symptoms within four visits and complete elimination of symptoms within three months of therapy.”
Why are adjustments from a chiropractor beneficial in these circumstances? There are many different explanations for this, but one constant is that nerves in the gut and brain are particularly vulnerable to neurological injury brought on by spinal subluxations. The connection between the gut and the brain is strengthened by realigning the spine and releasing pressure on specific nerves. Both adults and children can benefit from this in the same way. At any age, a healthier, “happier” stomach can support improved immunological function, decreased inflammation, and decreased discomfort throughout the body.
5. Psychiatric Disorders
Upright MRI images are being used in exciting research to examine the effects of upper cervical modifications on various brain-related diseases. What we have seen thus far is just amazing. Researchers have noticed that cerebellar invagination, which occurs when the cerebellum descends below the skull line, is being reversed, as well as brain plaquing, which is frequent in multiple sclerosis patients, disappearing after a chiropractic adjustment, as shown by MRI scans! One illustration is the well-known TV host Montel Williams, who was questioned regarding his experience as an MS sufferer receiving chiropractic care. See how it affected his life by reading this article.
There is also evidence to support the use of chiropractic treatment care to assist in resolving spinal subluxations that contribute to epilepsy and seizures. According to one study, all 15 juvenile patients who received upper cervical chiropractic therapy had successful outcomes. Chiropractic therapy may serve as a non-pharmaceutical method of treatment for children with epilepsy, according to the study’s results.