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Chronic muscle pain is debilitating. You shouldn’t feel like you have to rely on constant over-the-counter pain medication just to ease the aches throughout your body. If you’ve talked about your pain with loved ones, they might have recommended visiting a chiropractor. Learn if chiropractors are doctors to better understand if they could improve your quality of life.
Chiropractors are licensed health care professionals who help the body treat itself through patient-forward care and muscle manipulation. After learning each patient’s pain level and typical symptoms, they create care plans that involve treatments like stretching and joint maneuvering.
Chiropractors are health care professionals, but not doctors. They don’t complete medical school or residencies before treating patients. However, that doesn’t mean they lack training.
Anyone interested in becoming a chiropractor must earn a four-year Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree that includes a clinical internship. After passing their fourth year, they take a licensing exam provided by the state. They must maintain an active license through ongoing training throughout their career as well.
State and federal laws restrict chiropractors from writing medical prescriptions because their education doesn’t include medical training. Their methods of treatment focus on joint, muscle and spine manipulation to relieve pressure. Some chiropractors might also offer advice on natural remedies for pain relief, but their recommendations aren’t prescriptions and don’t extend to medications.
Research confirms that chiropractic care is a scientifically effective treatment for issues like musculoskeletal discomfort. The muscle and joint treatments relieve the tension causing the pain in many cases. Chiropractic care can also treat seven other common conditions such as:
While it’s important to consult your doctor about any symptoms related to these conditions, visiting a chiropractor could be a helpful addition to your treatment plan. It depends on how your body responds to the joint and muscle movements after your initial appointment.
If you feel hesitant about considering chiropractic care, it might be because you’ve heard a few myths about the practice. Check out some of the most common to debunk them.
A placebo pill contains nothing that affects the body. You might be able to say chiropractors provide placebo care if they did nothing with their patients. However, they employ techniques that relieve pain through muscle tissue manipulation and joint pain relief. People who have positive results feel their treatments working in real time because their chiropractor is applying targeted movements to their chronic pain.
The American Medical Association (AMA) dealt with a lawsuit in the 1970s that accused the organization of placing systemic barriers around the practice of chiropractic care in the U.S. There was no medical evidence disproving chiropractic treatments at the time, but doctors with the AMA called them baseless.
Although the lawsuit in the 1970s found evidence of barriers and allowed chiropractic research to skyrocket, the general public still held onto the notion that there wasn’t proof of its efficacy. Some people still repeat this myth today, regardless of the scientific evidence that it does relieve pain in many cases.
The loud pop of a cracking joint can feel unsettling. It’s especially a strange feeling when the pop comes from your neck or back after a chiropractor turns your joints in specific directions. It makes people think a chiropractor could cause damage — or worse — by doing so repeatedly over time.
When you crack your joints, the popping sound means you’re relieving the pressure built by gases forming between the joints. Researchers call it the vacuum phenomenon and confirm it causes discomfort as the pressure grows. Some of the pain relief provided by a chiropractor comes from releasing those gases. Your joints will still work and remain connected without the gases there.
There are no laws or regulations preventing minors from receiving chiropractic care. It’s helpful at all ages. Researchers are even investigating whether chiropractic treatments can help kids with ADHD, although more time is necessary to study the topic further. For now, you can take your child or teenager to a chiropractor as long as the chiropractor confirms that they treat minors.
You might have spent your whole life cracking your knuckles and twisting your spine. If that’s all chiropractors do, can’t you copy their pain relief techniques at home? The truth is that most muscle and joint manipulation requires a relaxed position and external perspective. You won’t be able to maneuver specific body parts into place and apply effective pressure simultaneously.
If you’re thinking about making an appointment with a chiropractor, consider a few factors before grabbing your calendar. You’ll better understand if their treatments could be a good fit for your needs by not jumping into things.
Some health insurance companies include chiropractic care coverage in some of their tiered plans. If you pay for monthly coverage, call to inquire about your specific deductible. You might not have to pay much out of pocket for your appointment if anything at all.
If your chronic pain comes from an extensive health history, bring some notes. Your chiropractor will need to know if you have any diagnoses and which medical treatments you might have tried before. They’ll better understand how to treat you if they know the full picture.
Your chiropractor will ask you to sit in different positions to effectively treat specific joints and muscle groups. You might need to bend over completely, raise your arms above your head or twist before they apply pressure. A loose or moderately form-fitting T-shirt and comfortable pants are your best options.
Asking if chiropractors are doctors is just the first step in your potential non-medical pain relief journey. Explore common myths to get answers before consulting local chiropractic offices. You might get even more pain relief alongside whatever treatments or medications your primary care provider recommends.
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