As a nation, America is getting older. So too is its population, with 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day.
And even if you don’t want to admit it, you are most likely experiencing the same nagging aches and pains that you thought only plagued your parents.
Assuming you’re one of the nation’s 100 million chronic pain sufferers, in all likelihood you’re looking for a safer alternative for treatment other than opioids – especially with headlines of people becoming addicted to prescription painkillers and even dying from them. To see if drug-free chiropractic care is for you, read on.
Back and Neck Pain. It’s the main reason older Americans visit doctors of chiropractic every year. And as Dr. Phillip Pizzo of Stanford University’s School of Medicine says, “We see that for many patients, chronic pain becomes a disease in its own right.”
The aging process is to blame for why even the most active seniors – weekend athletes, for example – aren’t immune from such pain: The muscles, spinal discs, facet joints, and ligaments simply become less lubricated due to lack of hydration, become weaker and less able to withstand normal stresses. Doctors of chiropractic, who are highly trained in the structure and function of the human body, can provide relief through hands-on techniques that enhance flexibility, muscle strength, and range of motion.
Osteoarthritic pain and dysfunction. If your knees or hips are acting up, doctors of chiropractic can also outline an exercise program (just as they can with back and neck pain sufferers) – monitoring your progress along the way – aimed at rehabbing and strengthening specific muscle groups.
Overall wellness. This is, it’s been said, “the wheelhouse of a chiropractor.” Exercise. Nutrition. Alignment. Posture. He or she can advise you on all those and more.
“Doctors of chiropractic are dedicated to helping patients get the best outcome from their body,” says the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress’s Sherry McAllister, DC.
