LOOKING FOR PAIN RELIEF AND TO AVOID DANGEROUS PAIN MEDICATIONS? HERE’S WHAT THE SURPRISING RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC VS. PHYSICAL THERAPY

There is an opioid epidemic in this country resulting from the overuse and abuse of addictive opiate drugs that has resulted in addiction and overdose deaths that has risen since the 1990’s. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control): “The number of drug overdose deaths increased more than 16% from 2020 to 2021. Over 75% of the nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid.”

If you suffer from significant neck or back pain, whether from a recent injury like a car collision or a longstanding chronic condition you likely want to avoid using opiate medications. They are highly addictive and over time you need an ever increasing dosage to accomplish the same pain relief. 

A recent paper published in NIH (National Institutes of Health) showed some startling results when comparing Chiropractic adjustments and Physical Therapy care. Interestingly the same results did not hold for chiropractors performing spinal manipulation. 

 

When looking at the outcomes of Chiropractic Adjustments and Physical Therapy here is what was found:

  • Physical Therapy increased Opioid use by 90%
  • Physical Therapy increased spinal injections by 53%
  • Chiropractic decreased Opioid use by 55%
  • Chiropractic decreased Disability by 313% vs. Physical Therapy

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

It is clear that the Chiropractic Adjustment is vastly more effective in reducing pain and reducing reliance on dangerous opioid medication in comparison to Physical Therapy. But, it really goes much beyond that. 

Chiropractic reduced opioid use significantly while Physical Therapy increased the reliance on these dangerous medication by 90% and increased the use of dangerous spinal injections by over 50%. 

This does not mean there is no value in Physical Therapy. What it does indicate is that when it comes to spinal related pain, Chiropractic is vastly more effective than Physical Therapy. 

 

WHY DOES CHIROPRACTIC GET THOSE RESULTS?

Pain is experienced and processed in the central nervous system, the spinal cord and brain. Over time the experience of pain becomes deeply ingrained as a pattern in the nervous system. 

There is a principle in neurology called “neurons that fire together, wire together”. What it means is that the more frequently any neurological pathway is fired the easier it becomes to activate it. 

With pain this means that the more we experience pain signals the easier it is for that pain to be expressed and the harder it is to resolve it.

 Research shows that the Chiropractic Adjustment helps change the nervous system and change the pain pattern. This ability to make changes in the nervous system is called neuroplasticity. 

 

CHIROPRACTIC FOCUSES ON THE CAUSE

The chiropractic adjustment is directed at restoring proper spinal joint alignment and motion. With proper spinal joint motion there is a drastically reduced likelihood of low back pain. This is the focus of the chiropractic adjustment, to help restore balance and proper function to the body and take stress and tension off the nervous system. 

If you suffer from lower back pain consider finding a chiropractor who practices corrective chiropractic care and delivers the chiropractic adjustment. Stay away from those practitioners who practice spinal manipulation as it has not been shown to have the same impact. 

Life Chiropractic of Grass Valley specializes in correcting spinal imbalances and loss of proper spinal biomechanics. 

About Dr. Berkowitz  

Bringing more than 3 decades of practice experience, Dr. Bill Berkowitz focuses on balancing and corrective care, applying his expertise to provide patients with predictable, repeatable and measurable results.

Dr. Bill consistently strives to enhance the well-being of his patients by addressing the root imbalances of their problems and promoting optimal balance, alignment, and function of the spine and nervous system.  

Bill’s wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to develop a nuanced understanding of the human body and its intricate connections. With each adjustment, he supports the body in returning to a state of balance that goes beyond mere symptom  

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