One of the core principles of chiropractic care is the idea that spine health affects overall health. Your spinal cord is a conduit for your central nervous system, providing the route for your body and brain to send electrical signals back and forth. When the spine is misaligned, those communication lines (nerves) can become damaged or blocked, which can lead to a long list of health conditions and disorders.
So a chiropractor’s main goal is to promote overall health by focusing on proper spine alignment. There are two major types of chiropractors in terms of how they approach providing care.
- Traditional Chiropractic Care – Traditional wellness chiropractors focus on providing short-term pain relief via spinal adjustments. They fix subluxations in the spine that may be putting pressure on nerve cells, which typically provides fast pain relief for patients.
- Functional Chiropractic Care – Also known as musculoskeletal chiropractic or corrective chiropractic, this type of care focuses on achieving long-term relief from pain. Functional chiropractic care doesn’t just focus on providing adjustments for correcting spine angles, but they also administer treatment programs focused on building strength and restoring range of mobility. This ensures the spinal adjustments will remain structurally correct long term because it’s addressing the root cause of the misalignment.
One type is not better than another, and which one you should use may depend on your specific condition. For those who only need an adjustment once in a while, traditional chiropractic care could be a better option. For those recovering from injury, surgery, or who suffer from chronic neck and lower back pain, a functional approach may be needed to properly heal. Some offer a wide range of healthcare service options such as physical therapy, acupuncture, and cryotherapy like this chiropractor near Belmar NJ.
In addition to those main two chiropractic methodologies, there are also a number of chiropractors who specialize in certain types of patients or conditions. These can include:
- Sports chiropractors –spinal care for athletes to both treat and prevent injuries
- Neurological chiropractic– functional chiropractic care to treat neurological conditions
- Geriatric chiropractic care– chiropractic care for seniors to reduce pain and inflammation and restore range of motion
- Pediatric chiropractic care– chiropractic care for children
- Rehabilitative chiropractic care– is usually offered alongside physical therapy for those rehabbing from injury
Be sure to consult with your doctor if you’re unsure which chiropractor is right for you.
