Analysis of Chiropractic Practice - Research Paper Example

? Chiropractic Chiropractic The practice of chiropractic care for solving acute or chronic pain or disabling conditions of the musculoskeletal system has been for long under discussion. The benefits and adverse effects are controversial and for many years the chiropractors have been trying to establish themselves as authentic health professionals. Chiropractors have faced persecution and discrimination from governments and medicine groups of various countries. However, with the passage of time chiropractors have established themselves as significant health professionals and are currently the third largest group of health care providers. The foundation of chiropractic was first laid by Daniel David Palmer on September 18, 1895. He manipulated the spine of Harvey Lilliard and as an outcome Mr. Lilliard’s sense of hearing was restored. The successful outcome founded the practice of chiropractic. Chiropractors are currently licensed in fifty states of U.S.A. (Shekelle, 1998). The benefits of chiropractic mainly focus on lessening pain caused by majorly joint, muscular or bone problems. The basic concept of chiropractic practice, its benefits in back pain and arthritis and the scientific studies supporting the effectiveness of chiropractic treatments will be discussed. Chiropractic practice differs on various grounds from the other forms of traditional medicine. It does not rely on any surgical interventions and pharmacological strategies to improve the individual’s condition or cure the disease. The central idea of chiropractic practice is to improve the body’s ability to heal itself. On the basis of this basic theory, chiropractors perform spinal adjustments to remove any kind of misalignments in the normal contour and shape of the spine. This process is also called spinal manipulation. Through spinal manipulation, various causes of back and neck pain caused by spinal deformities or instability are alleviated by the chiropractors. Other than spinal manipulation, chiropractic practice also employs the aid of exercises, healthy dietary components, nutritional supplements and improved lifestyle options. These additional practices are used to enhance the condition of the individual and improve his health status, aiding recovery from pain and discomfort. However, most of the chiropractors mainly rely on spinal manipulation as their major mode of treatment (Shekelle, 1998). Chiropractic encourages self-healing aided by spinal adjustments and improved lifestyle options. People who do not prefer surgical and pharmacological interventions rely on chiropractic treatment for their prolonged spinal problems. Arthritis is the inflammation of various joints of the body and occurs predominantly in the older years of life. If not managed properly and at the right time, it is associated with extreme pain and discomfort. It is a disabling condition and the affected individual is faced with restricted mobility of affected joint and difficulty in performing daily activities. Chiropractic adjustments are most beneficial when they are used as a preventive tool. Chiropractic procedures focus on spine alignment and normal function. Since, spine encases the spinal cord and nerve roots it proved protection to these structures. The normal alignment of spine is necessary in order to maintain the normal function of the nerve roots and spinal cord. Chiropractic treatment in arthritis aids as a preventive tool helping the patient to maintain an improved health status and avoiding any nerve-related disorders (Schlines, 2003). Chiropractic adjustments, thus, help the arthritis patients to attain an enhanced health status with a protected and normal functioning nervous system. Some of the main benefits of chiropractic is that it promotes postural correction. The individual has greater flexibility in daily life movements and activities. The restricting mobility caused as a result of arthritis is reduced and freedom of movement is provided. Stress reduction at joints, improved sleep, enhanced immune systems, increased energy, and relief from headaches and recovery from any past-experienced trauma are some prominent benefits of chiropractic. Patients who had successfully defeated arthritis have mentioned the application of chiropractic in their course of treatment as an effective and successful strategy (Schline, 2003). Back pain is a common clinical feature prevalent in our society. More than 80 percent of the Americans are suffering from back pain and it is highlighted as a common yet conspicuous medical complaint. It can either result from cumulative misuse or a single traumatic injury. Most of the time back pains are caused by excessive work conditions, inappropriate sleeping and sitting postures, lifting practices and walking postures. Pain is caused by stress on the facet joints of the spine or straining of the discs between vertebrae causing irritation of the nerve roots. Chiropractic spinal adjustments are effective in relieving back pain and it has been observed that patients also have more satisfaction as compared to the traditional medicine. Chiropractic is effective in improving the individual’s condition as it focuses more on body’ own healing capabilities instead of interfering with surgeries or drugs (Tuchinsky, 2000). Scientific and clinical trials have been conducted to signify the scientific reliability of chiropractic. According to a follow-up study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, it was observed that chiropractic care served as an effective means of alleviating back and neck pain in the majority of the patients. Through questionnaire investigation of three-hundred and sixty-nine patients visiting a chiropractor for the first time with the complaint of neck or back pain, a report was maintained. Patients presented results with a high level of satisfaction with the chiropractic care and reported with improvement in pain. It was, hence, established that chiropractic care provided satisfactory medical services to the patients of neck and back pain (Verhoef, Page, & Waddell et al., 1997). The study supports the beneficial role of chiropractic care in improving the health condition of individuals presenting with neck or back pain. Chiropractic care has a restricted horizon in terms of therapeutic services as it only caters to a particular group of medical complaints and conditions. Chiropractic care, as evident from the discussion, focuses on symptomatic care rather than providing a solution to the underlying cause. It will only provide relief to headaches, pain in spine or discomfort in joints and it cannot treat the main cause of the presenting features. Along with spinal adjustments, focusing on provision of properly aligned spine and secure nervous system, chiropractic care also encourages its patients to adapt better lifestyle options like improved dietary habits, exercise and better standards of living. The currently available scientific data, supporting the chiropractic care is still insufficient; nevertheless, a majority of people come across this practice as a solution to their chronic problems. References Schlines, A. (2003). Stop arthritis: How I defeated it naturally ; my program revealed. College Station, Tex: Virtualbookworm.com. Shekelle, P. G. (October 08, 1998). What Role for Chiropractic in Health Care?. New England Journal of Medicine, 339, 15, 1074-1075. Tuchinsky, D. B. (2000). Back pain: Its cause and solution. S.l.: Iuniverse Com, Inc. Verhoef, M. J., Page, S. A., & Waddell, S. C. (January 01, 1997). The Chiropractic Outcome Study: pain, functional ability and satisfaction with care. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 20, 4, 235-40. Read More