Rehabilitation: What Role It Plays In Chiropractic

If you have been involved in an accident, suffered an injury, or undergone medical treatment for which you need time to recover, your doctor may recommend that you undergo a chiropractic rehabilitation program. Here’s what you need to know about this valuable form of aftercare and how it can benefit you and your health.

What Is Chiropractic Rehabilitation?

Chiropractic rehabilitation refers to an intensive course of exercise therapy that is designed to help patients to recover their strength, mobility, and quality of life after an accident, injury, or surgery. Chiropractic care focuses on the musculoskeletal system – the structured system of bones, ligaments, muscles, and joints that work concurrently to hold our body upright and enable us to move in all of the ways that many of us take for granted day-to-day. The spine is a key component of the musculoskeletal system, and it houses the spinal cord, which is responsible for transmitting messages from the brain to the rest of the body and vice versa.

Chiropractic rehabilitation seeks to:

• Strengthen and restore the normal function of muscles
  
• Improve your endurance and stamina for general movement and exercise
  
• Increase the flexibility of tight muscles
  
• Increase overall range of motion
  
• Improve the reaction time of specific ‘lazy’ muscle groups
  
• Reduce discomfort

In the case of athletic chiropractic rehabilitation, the aim is also to help patients get back to their pre-injury performance, if not exceed it, as well as to reduce the risk of future injury.

Chiropractic Rehabilitation Techniques

There is a range of different treatment techniques that a chiropractor may use as part of your rehabilitation program. These include:‍

• ‍Spinal manipulations: This is where your chiropractor uses their hands to adjust the position of your spine. In doing so, they release any areas of pressure, bringing the spine back into proper alignment and enabling the spinal cord to function optimally again. This can help to reduce pain and improve overall health, since the central nervous system controls all other body functions.‍
• Trigger point therapy: This technique focuses on specific areas of tension and pain, called trigger points. The area is manually manipulated to release pressure and enable blood and nutrients to flow freely to it, healing any damage, reducing inflammation and pain, and improving mobility.
• ‍Massage: Massage therapy is a great way to help the body recover following an accident or injury. The technique focuses on relaxing the tissue, increasing blood flow, and reducing any inflammation that could be causing discomfort or limiting flexibility and mobility. It is also useful for keeping muscles and joints active and limber, and this could help to prevent future injuries, especially in those patients who live active lifestyles.