Wow it is October already! It is that time of the year for all ghosts and ghouls to come out. Alongside this spooky month comes the appreciation for chiropractic health. That is right, this October the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) observes its annual National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM). This month chiropractic doctors nationwide will celebrate NCHM with this year’s theme focusing on pain.
First off, what is pain? Pain is something we all have experienced before, whether it is something minor like stubbing your toe to something longer lasting such as back or neck pain. It is that unpleasant sensation you get from your body telling you that something is wrong. People often feel pain in different ways and can have various experiences. What essentially happens is that a signal travels through nerve fibers to the brain and your brain tries to interpret the messages. There are two types of pain, acute and chronic pain. Acute pain is generally described as intense but short lived. It is basically alerting you to an underlying injury. Chronic pain is a lot more longer lasting compared to acute pain. It can either be mild or severe and in most cases, there is often no cure. Pain is subjective so it is important to describe it in detail to your doctor for them to make a proper diagnosis.
When it comes to pain, a lot of patients get prescribed pain killers first instead of opening them up to other possibilities to relieve pain. With the opioid crisis currently happening in America, it is important to stress all the good that chiropractic doctors can do. Chiropractors practice the use of non-drug options for pain management. Effectively treating many conditions affecting your nervous system and musculoskeletal conditions such as lower back pain. To effectively do this, Chiropractors use their hand and non-evasive tools to apply a controlled and sudden force to spinal joint. With the goal being to use spinal manipulation to relieve any pain you might be experiencing.
This month and every month after it, we should be stressing the importance and increasing awareness and using of non-drug options for pain management. Chiropractors can give safe and effective treatment options without you having to take pain killers or go into surgery. This type of treatment option may help those people who are currently taking prescription drugs to stop taking them or at least reduce their need.
For more information on National Chiropractic Health Month, click here.
Article written by William Graves.