Doctors of Chiropractic, or DCs, are health care professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders. Their goal is to improve neurological function for whole-body health.

Neck pain is one of the most common ailments chiropractors treat. The pain usually stems from an injury or a sedentary lifestyle.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness. Chiropractors realign vertebrae to improve spinal function and decrease pain.

Spinal Manipulation

The goal of spinal manipulation, also known as spinal adjustment, is to restore the spine’s normal motion. The technique involves using a quick short lever arm thrust to precisely target the vertebrae in question. Sometimes other joints are also targeted. A patient may experience an audible cracking sound at the point of impact. The noise is caused by a release of gas from the joint. Chiropractors may use heat or electrical stimulation to relax the muscles before performing a spinal manipulation.

While it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of chiropractic care using traditional research methods, some studies have found that spinal manipulation reduces pain and improves joint mobility. It is also thought to reset the position of spinal cord and nerves, allowing for proper biomechanical functioning.

Muscle stimulation and Spinal manipulation is often performed by professional Chiropractor Essendon. It is based on the theory that spinal misalignments or subluxations can interfere with the nervous system and cause health problems.

During a treatment session, you will lie on a table while the chiropractor adjusts your spine or other joints. In addition to spinal manipulation, chiropractors will provide advice on posture, movement, exercise and diet. They can even treat sports-related injuries, such as torn rotator cuffs, tennis elbow, and shin splints.

Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger points are those painful knots that therapists find in your muscles. They start small and you only know they’re there when pressed on. Over time, they grow and irritate the surrounding muscle tissue, causing it to spasm. This creates a vicious cycle that keeps growing and leads to the pain you feel.

A trigger point can be caused by a lot of things, including tightness in the calf muscles (plantar fasciitis), tightness in the neck, shoulder (trapezius), or any area that has a muscle that has become overworked and locked into a shorter, more contracted state. Trigger point therapy involves a series of steps to help soften these knots and relieve the tension they cause.

Some of the tools your therapist may use to release these knots include massage, dry needling, or injections. Dry needling is similar to acupuncture, except that sterile needles are used to prick the knots in the muscle rather than just applying pressure. A physician trained in this technique can perform this procedure.

Some patients experience a little discomfort during their session because the therapist is pressing on sensitive areas of the body, but this should dissipate quickly as the knots are released. You’ll also likely experience a bit of soreness in the treated area for one or two days as your body processes the pain-inducing chemicals that have been released during treatment.

Soft Tissue Mobilization

Many musculoskeletal issues are not caused by a sudden injury or trauma but rather from repetitive motions over time. These types of injuries can be treated with soft tissue mobilization techniques which include stretching, massage or other hands-on methods to ‘free up’ the muscles and other tissue in the body. This may involve breaking up scar tissue and myofascial adhesions (inflexible fibrous muscle tissue), moving tissue fluids, relaxing tension, and improving posture.

This technique can also help with neck pain and headaches, which are often due to pressure on nerves in the head. For example, if a person sleeps on one side for long periods of time, or their shoulders slump forward when they sit at work, this can put extra pressure on the head and neck muscles. Getting regular chiropractic care along with a good exercise regimen can alleviate the problem over time.

Chiropractors can also provide lifestyle counseling to patients. They can teach patients how to manage their musculoskeletal injuries/conditions and improve their overall health. They can help with ergonomic changes to reduce musculoskeletal injuries, therapeutic exercise, proper diet and weight management, smoking cessation, stress reduction, and dietary/lifestyle recommendations. They can also perform joint bracing and taping and use heat/cold therapy and ultrasound. Chiropractors can also assist in the coordination of patients with medical doctors and other healthcare providers to promote a more wellness-focused approach to patient care that supports the goals of district-based primary healthcare services.

Exercises

Chiropractors may use soft tissue therapy and kinesio taping to ease spasms, tension and stiff muscles. They might also give you tips on stretching and exercise to do at home. This can help with sports injuries, such as torn rotator cuffs and tennis elbow. It can also prevent injuries and help you maintain peak physical condition. That’s why many professional sports teams have chiropractors on their medical staff.

They’re similar to physical therapists, but chiropractors put more emphasis on hands-on manipulations and may treat your whole body. They also take a more holistic approach, considering the interconnectedness of your musculoskeletal and nervous systems. This helps patients understand how lifestyle, biological and environmental factors can affect their health in different ways. It’s a critical understanding for a preventive healthcare system aimed at improving long-term wellness.

Chiropractors don’t have an MD degree like a medical doctor, but they’re considered doctors because they study the same subjects—physiology, anatomy, microbiology, radiology, and more—and spend the same amount of time on patient experience. They’re also licensed to practice in the same way as medical doctors. Integrating them into Hong Kong’s healthcare system could reduce costs by reducing referrals to specialists and scans/surgeries and maximizing the use of existing resources for primary care. It can also improve health outcomes by enabling better self-care through early intervention and healthy lifestyle teaching.