Happy National Chiropractic Health Month!

What Does a Chiropractor Do?

In a nutshell, a chiropractor is a healthcare professional that focuses on diagnosing and treating neuromuscular disorders. We go through specialized training to be able to utilize manual adjustment techniques to adjust your spine or joints and eliminate the restrictions in the spine that may be causing a wide range of health problems.

The goal of any chiropractic treatment we do is to reduce or eliminate any pain the patient is feeling while improving the function of the body. We also work with patients who have a wide range of injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, involving the muscles, ligaments, and joints.

For nearly 60 years, Kalkstein Chiropractic has been providing long-lasting relief care for patients struggling with back and neck pain, sports injuries, auto accident injuries and those who strive to live healthier lives here in Towson, Maryland. This is the sort of pain that many people deal with on a daily basis and don't know they can find relief from. That's why the American Chiropractic Association's National Chiropractic Health Month is so important!

Most of our patients come to us in pain and that's why each morning, our doctors begin work with one simple goal in mind-to get our patients out of pain as quickly as possible. We've had countless patients over the years that have come to our practice with debilitating pain that stops them from enjoying life-whether that be traveling and spending nights out with friends and loved ones or professional athletes eager to get back to the game they love. Whatever the case, we develop a custom treatment plan for each individual that we see, tailoring your adjustments and time with us to meet your specific and unique needs.

Every chiropractor offers different services and our services don't just stop at relief from back and neck pain. We're proud to offer patients an excellent facility for functional exercise and rehabilitation designed to strengthen the body in order to prevent injury from reoccurring. Our doctors take pride in helping patients live their best lives not just through chiropractic, but also with nutrition and exercise recommendations. We also offer dry needling, massage therapy, and spinal decompression so we can provide the right treatment for your specific and unique needs.

Who Can See a Chiropractor?

Whether it's Chiropractic Health Month or not, many people don't realize that just about anyone who is experiencing back, neck, shoulder, knee, ankle, or any other joint pain can find relief by seeing a chiropractor. We also regularly work with patients who have muscle pain, sports injuries, headaches, and injuries from car accidents. That includes both pregnant women and children!

Any woman who has ever had a child can tell you that pregnancy comes with all sorts of pain and discomfort. When pregnant, a woman's center of gravity shifts to the front of her pelvis, resulting in added stress and discomfort in the lower back and the various joints of the pelvis. At the peak of pregnancy, the curve in the lower back (lordotic curve) can increase to the point of causing serious impact on the vertebral joints, the sacrum, and the hip joints.

The nerves that travel to all other parts of the body have their origin in the spine. When the spine is compressed, these nerves can become irritated causing the pain to radiate to other areas of the body. Sciatica is a condition commonly stimulated by pregnancy, involving pain that radiates from the lower back all the way down the legs. The good news is that pregnant women don't just have to deal with this sort of pain and can find relief by seeing a chiropractor.

Chiropractic practitioners can provide safe and effective personalized care throughout your entire pregnancy and in the postpartum period. A thorough examination will determine the best treatment to address your discomfort and prepare the body for the height of pregnancy and childbirth. There are specialized adjustment methods to accommodate pregnancy so don't think that you can't get relief from a chiropractic adjustment just because you're pregnant! These treatments may even reduce the need for pain medications throughout the delivery as well as help reduce labor time. Follow up treatments can assist in realigning the body after pregnancy and speed up the transition to a healthy post-pregnancy body.

Chiropractic treatment is always carefully tailored to the patient which is why we're able to treat both pregnant women and children of all ages. Just about anyone who wants to can see a chiropractor.

What are the Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor?

In short, relief! 

Chiropractic care can provide powerful pain relief. In fact, some studies like this one have found that chiropractic treatment can reduce pain faster than pain medication without the side effects and addictive properties. Chiropractic care is a drug-free pain management option that could be perfect for you. In addition to relieving pain, chiropractors treat the source of the pain, not just the symptom itself. That's the takeaway we really want you to have this Chiropractic Health Month.

Chiropractors have many different techniques and tools available to them so we can create custom treatments for each and every patient. No matter what pain you have or mobility issues you may have, we can find a way to work with you.

As chiropractors, we go beyond what we do in the office for you. We can provide nutrition and exercise suggestions for you to take home with you and help you make ergonomic changes that can help prevent painful issues in the future.

Is your pain interfering with your sleep? You're not alone! When you're in less pain, you sleep better and your sleep is an integral part of your health. When we can treat the cause of your pain and relieve it for you, you get a better night's sleep and improve your overall health and function.

In addition to providing pain relief, chiropractic care can give your wallet some relief as well. One particular study found that patients who used a chiropractic care doctor as their primary care physician saw a 60.2% decrease in hospital admissions, 59% fewer hospital days, a 62% reduction in outpatient surgeries, and an 85% reduction in pharmaceutical costs compared to people who used conventional medicine physicians. 

Patients experiencing back pain can save money by visiting a chiropractor first instead of heading directly to the hospital or to their family doctor. All too often patients in that situation wind up having to pay for X-rays and MRIs in addition to prescription pain medication before ever getting any results. That is a costly route and one that keeps you in pain for longer than necessary.

We could go on and on about the benefits of seeing a chiropractor this National Chiropractic Health Month but we think you probably get the point that chiropractic care is helpful for so much more than just having your back cracked. 

Do you think you could benefit from chiropractic care this National Chiropractic Health Month? Click here to schedule your appointment!