What is the difference between a Chiropractor and a Physical Therapist?
Having pain can have a negative effect on your daily life. Taking medication alone to treat painful conditions can become costly and comes along with adverse side effects that could be more damaging in the long run. If you have taken the traditional route of seeing your primary care physician for help, the most common treatment method given are pain killers and muscle relaxers. In the short term these treatments do aid in taking the “edge off” your symptoms, but do not effectively eliminate the problem.
To get out of this pain cycle it is best to find an alternative health care provider who can relieve your pain naturally without the lingering effects of drugs and without the extensive period of recovery time from a surgery. The true definition of a “healthy person” is someone who takes the necessary steps to balance their mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health. This balance is essential to living a healthy active lifestyle.
As a chiropractor, I receive numerous questions regarding the difference between a chiropractor and a physical therapist and how do you choose between the two. What I tell people is that these two professions are vastly different with the same underling focus on patient care and pain relief.
Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on your general health. Chiropractic has been proven to alleviate most neuro-musculoskeletal complaints including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, numbness and tingling in the feet or arms, headaches and migraines as well as aid in the recovery after a car accident or personal injury.
How chiropractic works is through a detailed evaluation of the spinal structure, the treatment and diagnosis is targeted toward eliminating pain at the SOURCE of the problem which in most cases is a result of a weak spinal structure and foundation leading to pain and dysfunction. Once all the necessary tests are performed an adjustment is given to correct the spinal structure.
Now the next question people ask me is chiropractic safe and are adjustments painful? My answer is absolutely Chiropractic care is safe! Chiropractic care is known as one of the safest non-invasive and drug free procedures that treats musculoskeletal injuries and conditions. Chiropractic care has an outstanding history of positive patient outcomes. Chiropractic patients range from people of all ages with various lifestyles. This includes infants, toddlers, athletes and the elderly. Chiropractic adjustments usually do not cause pain. Discomfort is usually, but not often, felt due to the severity of the symptoms and weakness of the spinal structure the patient has while dealing with a condition.
Physical therapy is a health care profession that focuses on helping patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility without surgery and reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medication and their side effects. In this their plan is individualized to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function and prevent disability. Treatment is done in a variety of settings from hospitals, private practices, to outpatient clinics. The primary focus of PT is to strengthen and restore the muscle, ligament and joint structure.
Think of your body as a “House”. To have a strong stable home you need to have a good foundation. With a strong foundation anything you build on top of that will last and be secure. The foundation of your body is your Spine! If you have a weak foundation (spine) then whatever you place on top of it will be weak (your health). To have a pain free life style means to have a strong spine and stable muscle and ligament balance to ensure your body is functioning at its highest level of performance.
In conclusion, there are a number or differences and similarities between chiropractic care and physical therapy, in part the two greatly complement each other. Both are a drug and surgery free alternative to health care and focuses on building a strong foundation for a healthy and active pain free lifestyle. In choosing between the two take in to account that both are needed to alleviate your pain.
In looking for a chiropractor I recommended googling your State’s Chiropractic Association to find a person close to you. Or chiropractor with your zip code. Do your research! Know that each chiropractic office is not one in the same, like there are 21 different ice cream flavors there are different chiropractic styles to meet your needs.