National Chiropractic Health Month

October is National Chiropractic Health Month. While it's a good idea to visit a chiropractor any time of the year, here's a reminder of how chiropractic can help you and your friends and family.

-63% of U.S. adults have had neck or back pain significant enough that they saw a health-care professional for care. Chiropractors are recognized for providing safe, non-drug, noninvasive therapies for back pain and neck complaints.

-Roughly 25% of U.S. adults visited a chiropractor in the past five years for a non-drug approach to pain.

-In 2014, almost 2 million Americans abused, or were depending on, prescription opioids. As many as 25% of people who receive prescription opioids long term for non-cancer related pain in primary care settings struggle with addiction.

-80% of the American population will experience back pain in their lives. Back pain is one of the leading reasons why people are prescribed opioids.

-All 32 American pro football teams use chiropractors to help keep players healthy and in the game. Chiropractors provide care for musculoskeletal conditions such as neck and back pain, hamstring and quadriceps strains, whiplash injuries and more.

-Poor posture can lead to excessive strain on our postural muscles and may even cause them to relax when held in certain positions for long periods of time. Several factors contribute to poor posture such as stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and wearing high-heeled shoes. A chiropractor can help correct posture to reduce the risk of injury.

-The neck’s susceptibility to injury is due in part to biomechanics. Activities and events that affect cervical biomechanics include extended sitting, repetitive movement, accidents, falls and blows to the body or head, normal aging, and everyday wear and tear.

-90% of Americans suffer from headaches. Research shows that spinal manipulation, one of the primary treatments provided by doctors of chiropractic, may be an effective option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.

We have had patients come to our office for many different health related problems, not just neck and back pain. We see patients for headaches, migraines, dizziness, vertigo, some ear problems, some vision problems, heart burn, pregnancy, difficulty getting pregnant, after having a baby, being a baby and being born, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, sciatica, sinus congestion, carpal tunnel, pain in the hands, feet, wrists, ankles, elbows, knees, hips, shoulders, and so many more things.

Think of your body like your house. In your house you have a breaker box that all the wires of your house go through, your spine is like that breaker box. If your whole kitchen goes dark, you're not going to look at each different appliance, you're going to look at the fuse box and see what's wrong. Your spine is the same way. If you have heartburn, it may be a problems with the nerves in the middle of the back, constipation may be affected by the nerves in the low back, and headaches often come from the neck, not necessarily from the head.

The next time you have an ache or pain, give us a call and see how it may be spine related!