Most people have experienced back pain at some point in their life and know how debilitating it can be. A back injury can cause pain that shoots through your entire body any time you move or lingers with a deep, constant ache. Anything from slipping and falling, turning the wrong way, lifting something with your back instead of your legs, or even simply sleeping in a particular position can trigger an injury. When back pain strikes, people frequently turn to chiropractors to help them remedy the situation. Still, not everyone knows there are two main approaches to chiropractic care: relief care and corrective care.
- Relief care is focused on treating immediate pain and involves a series of treatments designed to correct an injury after it has happened. Relief care is an important aspect of chiropractic care, but some patients may find they continue to have similar injuries time after time. Repeat injuries or pain indicate that a deeper, more significant issue is at play; this is where corrective care comes in.
- Corrective care seeks to find and correct misalignments within the body that can cause pain or injuries. Because misalignments or inflammation in one part of your spinal column may cause symptoms in another, a chiropractor will typically perform a complete assessment of your spinal column as part of your corrective care treatment plan. They’ll examine your neck (cervical region), mid-back (thoracic region), and lower back (lumbar region) to help pinpoint the source of your pain and create a plan for readjusting your body to relieve your pain, as well as helping to prevent future injuries.
Chiropractors who provide corrective care tend to approach the problem comprehensively and may use various methods like adjustments, stretches, and exercises to fix the root problem. Patient participation is integral to corrective care, and your chiropractor will likely ask you to perform stretches or exercises at home and adjust some of your daily activities.
Corrective chiropractic care seeks to go beyond temporarily relieving pain, working to hunt down the source of your discomfort and correct it. In addition to having less pain in their lives, many patients experience increased overall well-being, including getting better sleep, having higher energy levels, and feeling more alert.
Relief care and corrective care are both important aspects of chiropractic services. Knowing the difference can help you communicate with your chiropractor to ensure you are working together to create a plan of care that will not only treat your pain but also help you avoid it in the future.