Chiropractic & Physical Therapy: Hand in Hand at Progressive Spine & Rehab

Back injuries occur at a staggering level in the United States. It is estimated that there are over one million back injuries per year and that 8 out of every 10 individuals will suffer a back injury at some point in their life. Once you’ve experienced a back injury, statistics indicate approximately a 90% re-occurrence rate. Back injuries can be very painful and debilitating. They can not only cause back pain but radiating leg symptoms as well. They can affect every aspect of a person’s life from leisure activities, household chores, work, sleep and self care. There are many causes and combination of causes for back injuries and back pain. These include muscle sprains and strains, disc injuries, arthritis, inflammatory processes, poor posture, poor body mechanics, stress, and de-conditioning. 

Chiropractic and Physical Therapy are effective services available to assist in the healing and recovery from back injuries as well as helping to prevent injuries. Each offers a unique treatment approach that can independently be effective in reducing pain and regaining function, but together can complement each other and assist in the recovery from a back injury. 

Chiropractic Therapy

Chiropractic is not a cure all, but for musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, it has a high success rate. The goal of the Chiropractor is to restore joint function and motion. The joints that make up the spine are no different than knee or elbow joints in that they all need motion to stay healthy. Chiropractors use a number of spinal adjustments on their patients and may also provide alternative treatments — ultrasounds, x-rays and trigger point therapy. Chiropractors will also implement exercise plans for their patients to follow. At times, a more detailed rehabilitation plan is needed to strengthen the surrounding musculature, which requires hands-on guidance. This can be done with the assistance of a Physical Therapist. 

Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy offers many services to assist in the recovery from a back injury. Treatments can consist of specific positional exercises, range-of-motion movements, assisted stretching, gait retraining, balance work and even neurologically facilitating muscles to work better. Instruction and education is typically provided to improve posture and body mechanics; reducing stress on the back and other problem areas. Progression is then made towards strengthening exercises to help muscles reach maximum recovery and help prevent re-injury.

Why they work hand in hand, and why we offer both

Working together, Chiropractors and Physical Therapists can provide a unique blend of medical services that complement each other and help in the recovery process from a back injury. In this environment, your treatment could look like the figure below. The first few visits are focused on pain relief and treatment is provided by a chiropractor. Once pain has been reduced (or eliminated), physical therapy becomes the primary focus. Finally, a combination of the two is used to prevent future incident and continue to improve your overall health.

So if you’ve recently injured your back, neck, or any other area, please stop by or give us a call. We are able to offer you a unique blend of services that aren’t offered anywhere else. Our goal is always to provide our patients and athletes with the best most comprehensive therapy in order to help you get better faster and stay better longer.

Chiropractors can help to restore joint function and motion to the back. After chiropractic treatments, the surrounding muscles often need to be rehabilitated and strengthened. Rehabilitation and strengthening is where a physical therapist’s role comes into play. Chiropractors use a number of spinal adjustments on their patients and may also provide a number of alternative treatments — ultrasounds, x-rays and trigger point therapy. Chiropractors are also known to implement exercise plans for their patients to follow. This is a great example of chiropractic care and physical therapy working together for your health in Shawnee, Kansas. Physical therapists can help patients to properly execute their exercise plans as well as to help ensure patients stick with their exercise plan.

Physical therapists can help patients by teaching them exercises that help to improve their mobility, strength and muscle tone. Exercises can also help to reduce inflammation. Physical therapists also implement home exercise programs so that therapy can be completed even when a patient is not in the office. They can also help to provide soft tissue massages to patients.

The goal of working with each other to more effectively diagnose and treat patients with back pain or neck pain.

Statistics

• It has been estimated that 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives. If one adds mid-back and neck pain, nearly 100% of the population is affected. 

• The direct costs associated with the care of back pain are estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars. The indirect costs (disability, lost work time, etc.) being 1-5 times that much.

• We’re spending over $50 billion per year to evaluate and treat back pain, yet disability costs are rising exponentially!

• Primary care physicians (PCP) provide care for the majority of patients and conditions. However PCPs are provided very little training specific to the spine during school and residency. As a result, and through no fault of their own, these practitioners are ill-equipped to effectively and efficiently deal with spine related disorders (SRDs). 

Therefore the health care system desperately needs a professional dedicated to primary care for patients with spine related disorders (SRDs) – a Primary Spine Practitioner (PSP).