Back pain: Surgery, Drugs or Chiropractic...To Cut, numb or correct?

Living with back pain is very debilitating, and individuals are faced with a number of options in pain management. As with all choices involving health, it is important to ensure that the appropriate practitioners are consulted before deciding on a course of treatment. However, it is also key to note that there are more choices and options available for pain management.This may not always have been the case in the past. Nowadays, the option of chiropractic care is a choice that many are choosing over the traditional methods of surgery or drugs. So why is this a path chosen rather than having an operation, or prescribed medicines to deal with pain?

Surgical procedures

Surgery is an invasive process, it is a process that takes the body some time to heal and recover from. The use of anaesthetics, either local or general, still stay in the body for some time. Hence, opting for surgery has a number of issues for the patient to consider. Any kind of chiropractic care that can help avoid this form of treatment, help manage, and treat pain issues is one that should be considered by the individual.

It is important to be able to discuss all options with a medical practitioner, and to fully understand all the risks associated with surgical procedures as well. This also includes aftercare, and treatment to help heal the body after such an invasive procedure. Keeping the area clean and free from infection is a secondary problem faced by the healthcare professionals as post operative infections can still occur in patients who are given antibiotics.

Understanding the need for surgery is also important, obviously the pain from an inflamed appendix requires an operation to remove the appendix, which could otherwise burst and cause peritonitis. However, if the pain is linked to mobility issues such as back or neck pain then chiropractic care along with the gentle adjustment of the joints, and holistic care, is an option that presents far less risks than those associated with surgery and post op care.

Pharmaceutical drugs

Drug therapy is another way to manage pain relief in patients. A number of medicines can be purchased over the counter without the need for a medical prescription, so it is not surprising that individuals tend to use this as a “fast fix” route to pain management. The problem is that they have not considered the root cause of their pain and are treating the symptom and not the cause. Taking pain medication such as ibuprofen may give some relief for a short period of time, but this does not last and has some unpleasant side effects if it is continued to be taken without proper medical guidance.

These forms of anti-inflammatory drugs can cause problems to the lining of the stomach if not properly monitored. Other prescribed drugs are known to have addictive properties. Patients become reliant on taking them, and in some instances, this can lead to an overuse. There are very strict guidelines for the medical practitioners who prescribe these drugs, but it is still a risk to those who take the pills to manage pain. It is far better to look at the root cause of the pain. For example, migraine suffers should discuss the neck and spinal issues that lead to onset headaches, and this kind of pain can be relieved through chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractors are trained to treating the whole person, not just the area on the body where the pain is manifesting. They will look at the lifestyle and diet that can impact on the stresses and strains placed on the body. They will look to gentle adjustment of the joints to bring the whole body back into its proper alignment. Neck and back pain can be managed and treated through this form of holistic care. As part of the follow up treatment, exercise and other forms of activity may be prescribed.

This is a more natural form of healing that aids mobility of joints that cause pain in the body to allow the patient to regain their natural range of flexibility and motion. Being able to move around freely means that has not only corrected the problem, but has reduced pain previously experienced without recourse to invasive surgery, or addictive painkillers. More importantly, because the individual’s lifestyle is discussed in each treatment, it takes account of the day-to-day living and activities that the individual undertakes. The care provided is unique to that person, and their requirements.

Chiropractic care is non invasive and gets to the root cause of the problem which, when balanced against drugs or surgery, is a powerful argument for which path for pain relief is the best one to follow. Make an appointment today and find out how we can help you with chiropractic care, don’t just manage your pain, correct and heal it!