Back pain can be one of the most common and debilitating types of pain that Americans experience in their everyday lives. Indeed, the American Chiropractic Association reports that between 80-90% of the American population suffers from some type of back pain at some point in their life. Severe back pain can seriously impact a person’s quality of life and even minor back pain can cause distractions and be very uncomfortable. In such cases, a person might seek out chiropractic services to help alleviate their back pain. If you’re on a budget but are in severe pain, there are certainly affordable chiropractic services available that should be affordable — and some chiropractors take health insurance or will let you work out a payment plan.
How Qualified Are Chiropractors?
Training for chiropractors and education for chiropractors is very specialized. You need at least three years of undergraduate work to be considered for admission into a Doctor of Chiropractic program to study chiropractic medicine. These programs take about four years to finish. Chiropractors are required to get their Doctor of Chiropractic degree and obtain a state license.
With just short of 45,000 chiropractors currently practicing in the United States and a projected 15% growth in employment between 2012 and 2022, it might be a very appealing career for those medically minded. It’s also fairly flexible and independent; many choose to work alone or are self-employed, although group chiropractic practices are also an option. Chiropractors can expect ot make a little over $65,000, as of statistics from May of 2012.
What Do Chiropractors Do?
Chiropractors diagnose and treat individuals who have issues with their neuromusculoskeletal system. This ranges everywhere from nerves and tendons to bones and muscles. They use non-surgical methods of treating the health concerns, such as spinal adjustments and manipulation to ease back or neck pain. Don’t expect to receive medicine from your chiropractor either — you may want to see your doctor about that.
Chiropractors are especially useful for people who have been in a serious accident, who suffer from severe arthritis, or those with chronic neck or back pain, or who have encountered repeated strains. They can also refer you to other health specialists and often have a whole network built up that can be beneficial to you as a patient. If referred on, you can rest assured that these are quality referrals.
What’s the Benefit of Receiving Chiropractic Services?
With Americans spending around $50 billion a year to help remedy their back pain, it’s clear that chiropractic services are a necessary feature of our society. Jobs that increasingly involve more sitting down and looking at a computer aren’t helping our back pain, especially since many of us tend to slouch. Around 35% of patients who go to a chiropractor for care are going for mid to lower back pain and almost 20% were going to receive treatment for their neck pain. The results tend to be good, with most reporting back positively on their experience.
Receiving chiropractic services can also help your physical and mental state too. Adults who suffer from low back pain are often worse off physically and mentally than those who do not suffer from lower back pain, something that can often be remedied by a simple visit to the chiropractor.
Chiropractic services can also be a great non-invasive method of helping alleviate lower back or neck pain. Patients who have sustained back injuries are more likely to have surgery if they seek initial care with a surgeon. Over 40% of those who were injured and saw a surgeon first had surgery, as compared to barely 2% of those who saw a chiropractor first. Although some chiropractic care can be expensive, surgery is probably more expensive in the long run, and you won’t be as laid up after a chiropractic session, as opposed to recovering from surgery.
Chiropractic services are sure to continue to be in great demand as time progresses. It’s a profession that isn’t going away any time soon, and one that most of us will be glad is around at some point or another.
