Backache and Neck pains are something that almost everyone has suffered from at some point. However, how do you know if that pain you’ve been feeling lately is just a symptom of having a pinched nerve or pulling a muscle? What if it was an indication of something much more concerning, like degenerative disc disease?
In this article, we’ll be sharing with you exactly what the most common symptoms are for those suffering from degenerative disc disease and more. We also dish out the Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Chiropractic Spinal Screening and why you need this test based on the checklist of symptoms that you have when experiencing more than the ordinary neck and back pains.
What is Chiropractics?
To give you a better idea of what chiropractic is all about, although it is not a form of traditional Western Medicine such as the care we get in hospitals, it isn’t a form of Eastern Medicine either.
Instead of the usual courses of treatment that we get in traditional Western Medication (which is based on drugs and surgery) Chiropractic treatment is a form of alternative or complementary medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating the musculoskeletal system.
Known to be one of the largest alternative medical professions there is, Chiropractors commonly believe that they are primary care providers. The techniques involved in such treatment focus mainly on such therapy like manual manipulation of the spine, joints, and soft tissues. Along with this course of treatment, exercise and lifestyle counseling are sometimes included in Chiropractic diagnosis and treatment.
Chiropractic Spinal Screening
So now you’re clued into what exactly chiropractic is. The question now is, “What is spinal screening? And what does it involve?”.
As with all medical treatments, there are different methods or approaches that are used in examining you to find out what’s wrong and how to treat your ailment. This is one such method Chiropractors use to come up with a diagnosis and course of treatment.
We’ve laid out for you a list of important things you need to know about Chiropractic Spinal Screening to be sure you’ve covered all bases if and when you decide to go in for one.
Things You Need To Know…
- What is Chiropractic Spinal Screening?
This is a type of initial screening that Chiropractors use to assess your spine and overall posture. This usually takes just a few minutes to evaluate how good your posture is and what you can do to make it better. This also helps to see if there are bigger spinal problems or other structural abnormalities that may cause a problem for you in the future such as spinal degradation or slipped disc.
In some cases, the need for additional testing such as X-rays or the need for an MRI or CT-scan is also called for by the Chiropractor for additional information. But this is only in select cases, so chances are, you won’t need these extra tests to properly diagnose what you have.
- Who should go to get such screening?
As like any other physical checkup, spinal screenings are available to everybody. However, if you are suffering particularly from pain in your neck or back area, have had a prior sports or other joint related injuries in the past, need therapy on recent surgery, or just feel some sort of recurring body pain, looking into getting checked is something to consider.
- What can it help treat?
There are a number of ways that Chiropractic treatment can help you. In cases that are diagnosed through spinal screening, issues regarding your gait, posture, and other such matters are the main issues that can be caught and treated.
For instance, those suffering from scoliosis or slipped disc, the proper course of treatment for each case can be given earlier rather than later.
- What can it help prevent?
As we age, the natural progression of our body gets less limber as they are when you are younger. This brings about certain complications with our health such as body aches and pains.
There are a number of such complications that can arise. However, some of the most severe issues that a person can suffer from (if not caught early on or treated) are :
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)
There are two types of degenerative disc disease that most commonly occurs are found in the cervical spine or the neck and the lumbar spine or the lower back.
Don’t be too alarmed!
Degenerative disc disease is not as bad as you may think. This is what medical practitioners, like chiropractors, use to describe the symptoms of pain from a degenerating disc in the spine. The term “degenerative” refers to “the disc degenerating as time goes on” NOT degenerating your overall health.
The usual symptoms of those suffering from either DDD are usually chronic pain in the neck and lower back with pain levels depending on the person, intense flaring pain in the same area lasting anywhere between a few days to a few months before lessening to a dull pain, numbness or weakness radiating from the problem areas, certain activities tend to cause this pain to severe like bending or twisting, and/or inability to be comfortable unless they constantly change positions.
- Vertebral Subluxation
The official WHO definition is:
"A lesion or dysfunction in a joint or motion segment in which alignment, movement integrity and/or physiological function are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact. It is essentially a functional entity, which may influence biomechanical and neural integrity."
- Chronic Back Pain
This can be characterised as constant pain, usually in the lower area of the back, that range from nagging to intolerable. These types of pain also can be accompanied by episodes of intense pain or muscle spasms and can also be worsened by certain movements or positions like lying down or sitting.
- Research links
If you want to find out more about chiropractic spinal screening, the issues and symptoms that chiropractic can help with, and the like. Here are a list of links to sites that you can head to for more knowledge:
- Choosing Your Chiropractor
Just like any doctor’s appointment you're looking to set, a certain amount of effort must be done when choosing the right primary care practitioner that you will ultimately be going to for help. This same practice should be done when choosing your Chiropractor.
Certain considerations like location, credibility, availability, and such must be kept in mind when making this selection. You don’t want to be treated by someone you can’t trust right?
- Your First Visit to the Chiropractor
Heading into your very first appointment to your chosen chiropractor may be a little nerve-racking. This is understandable being that this is an alternative course of medication and it’s most likely that you may feel out of your element when it comes to what to expect when you enter the doctor’s exam room.
To make things easier for you, here’s a video on what to expect:
So there you have it! The 7 things you need to know about Chiropractic Spinal Screening and more. If you wish to book an appointment right away, click on this link now and get a FREE SCREENING!
