Many people suffer from pain daily. We either ignore it, with the hope that it will go away (and it may), or we let the pain get intolerable before we look for help in resolving it. If you are in the latter group, who do you look to? Where do you start?

Some of us begin at the primary physician to look for a diagnosis and perhaps to get a referral for treatment or pain management.  The doctor prescribes something for the discomfort, and they may suggest another doctor for more testing and treatment. The doctor uses the tools that they have to help (medication), but is that really fixing or correcting the problem? Yes, I agree, inflammation can be treated with steroids and pain with pain relievers, but why is the pain or inflammation there in the first place?   

Let me give you Dr. Shara’s quick guide to assist you with where to begin when you have a problem you’d like to resolve. There are typically three types of problems: chemical, physical, and emotional. For example, if you have the blues and go to your primary doctor, they may refer you to a therapist. This is because emotional problems are often best resolved with emotional therapy. If you have an infection or your blood work is suspicious, the primary may give you an antibiotic or prescribe another medication. Again, we see chemical issues resolved with chemical solutions.  So, why is it that when we bend over and our back goes “out,” when we feel a pinch in our knee, or when we have pain in our feet while walking, we look to take medicine to suppress the pain? Doesn’t it make sense that a physical problem resources a physical solution, such as manual therapy?

These days, we see more and more physicians leery of writing unnecessary scripts. The opioid epidemic is scary! More, now than ever, physicians are referring to physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other manual body workers. In fact, The American College of Physicians’ low back pain guidelines suggest spinal adjustments, physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage as helpful alternatives to pain medication. In a 2020 literature review, evidence of an inverse relationship between chiropractic care and the use of opioids was published. In fact, it was noted that chiropractic users were 64 percent less likely to receive an opioid prescription than non-users. So, simply put, manual medicine is safer and more effective at improving patients’ pain.  

Getting to the root of your body’s pain and discovering why the pain is there is exactly what we do as chiropractors! We perform evaluations to identify where musculoskeletal imbalances lie, and correct them with postural exercises. We correct poor movement patterns with our hands, through adjustments and muscle work. We can also make suggestions in your daily living activities to prevent the pain from returning! Reducing pain without the use of medication is why so many people are now turning to chiropractors and other manual providers for assistance.  

Photography Credit: Tina Leu