Why hasn’t physical therapy and stretching worked?
The short answer: Most root problems are not muscular problems.
Physical therapy is excellent for rehabilitation, torn muscles, joint replacements, or other recovery from joint surgeries. But many of the problems that Dr. Martin sees in the office are coming from underlying structural or joint misalignments that affect the nervous system and cause the muscles to malfunction.
Let's Compare and Contrast
Physical therapy can be helpful for people with certain muscular conditions, but chiropractic corrects underlying structural misalignments and subluxations. Without addressing the root mechanical or nervous system issue, attempting exercises and stretches can result in irritation and aggravate the condition.
Physical therapy may not have worked because of its failure to correct the joints, which trigger a neurological response. If your joints are “locked up,” the muscle is unable to stretch and contract the way it’s supposed to. It’s actually working to protect you, like a splint on a sprained ankle. Stretching and exercising does not unlock the joint or get the pressure off the nerve. Working, exercising, or stretching a joint that lacks mobility may cause further wear and tear, and the underlying problem will not be resolved. It’s like your car – if it’s making weird grinding noises, it’s not the time to use it more or enter into a race! It’s already not working the right way, so don’t make it work harder.
PT programs also usually emphasize global muscle strengthening or generalized stretches. However, specific pain deserves specific, precise attention. When a spinal vertebra pinches a nerve that causes muscle contraction/spasm/guarding, it cannot be fixed only by strengthening or stretching the surrounding muscles. At Precision Chiropractic, we always take x-rays of your spine to address the structural issues so that your mobility is restored!
In the office we also like to focus on the manual adjustments over passive treatments such as heat, electrical stimulation, and ultrasound, which many PTs use. These therapies are more like temporary bandages that don’t actually correct the biomechanical root of your problem. (And they rack up your bill, so your PT can charge your insurance company more!)
Lastly, chiropractic is founded on a holistic approach of the interconnected body – joint restrictions negatively affect the nervous system and result in pain, but fixing the root at the spine can help with neurological issues, too. Patients regularly report improvements in digestion, headaches, seasonal allergies, and sleep from their manual adjustments! PTs, on the other hand, mostly focus on the musculoskeletal side, which misses the neurological signaling involved in pain regulation.
To Wrap It All Up
While physical therapy can be helpful under certain circumstances, everybody needs chiropractic care! But if you’re suffering from a specific issue that hasn’t resolved with physical therapy, we highly recommend starting with a free consult at Precision Chiropractic to get to the root of the issue. We would love to find and fix your problems with our individualized care and attentive doctor!
Read our last blog post in the Natural Healthcare series: What is supplementation, and what makes it different from medication?
Stay tuned for more blog posts in our Natural Healthcare series.
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you for choosing Dr. Martin as your trusted chiropractor for pain and wellness in the Durham area. We appreciate you for making the commitment to your health! Stay tuned for the next blog post.
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