Chiropractic Care in Chicago

If you are a little confused about what chiropractic care means, you most certainly aren’t alone. Many people are confused about the nature of chiropractic treatment and the somewhat poor reputation associated with chiropractic care. Let's find out more about this highly successful form of alternative medicine that offers relief to millions of Americans every year.

What is chiropractic care?

Various forms of manipulation have been used therapeutically for centuries. However, it wasn’t until the 1800s that scientific basis for the practice was established, and the word ‘chiropractic’, a translated form of the Greek words cheir and praktos, which essentially mean ‘done by hand’, was established.

Chiropractic care refers to the manual manipulation of the body with the purpose of alleviating problems with the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system comprises of the bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints and other connective tissues that provide shape, support, stability and movement in the body. When there are problems within the musculoskeletal system, it can cause mild, chronic or extreme pain, limited mobility, and difficulty in carrying out our usual day to day tasks.

A chiropractor can treat a variety of spinal conditions and their side effects by manipulating the spine by hand – a process that sounds much more intense and painful than it really is. In actual fact, spinal manipulation is a precise, swift adjustment that aims to release the pressure on the nerves in your back. In doing so, the body can begin to heal itself.

What issues can chiropractic care help address?

Chiropractic care has been successfully used to treat a wide range of spinal conditions, although most tend to occur either in the lower back (lumbar) or neck (cervical spine). Some of the most commonly seen conditions treated by chiropractors include: