You might already have a primary care physician who addresses your major health concerns and preventative care.

You may have specialists who manage your chronic conditions. While it seems time-consuming to add another practitioner to the mix, there's one you may want to start visiting -- a chiropractor.

Receiving chiropractic care has many health benefits including, but not limited to:

1. Reducing Back Pain

Back pain affects about 80 percent of people at some point during their lives, making it one of the more common medical issues. The pain could range from a constant ache to sharp pain. Acute back pain could last for up to a few weeks. On the other hand, chronic back pain could last three months or longer.  

If you choose chiropractic care, your practitioner will move your vertebrae to alleviate pressure, resulting in less pain. Additionally, a chiropractor can guide you through stretches to ease tight muscle tissue and enhance your range of motion.

2. Reducing Neck Pain

Over 20 percent of people experience neck pain each year. While it can stem from an injury, we live in a world where people spend a great deal of time looking down at their phones or looking at a computer screen positioned a bit too low. Therefore, people commonly stress their neck muscles and suffer from repetitive-stress neck problems.  

Fortunately, a chiropractor may maneuver the vertebrae in your neck, so they realign with the discs. Additionally, your chiropractor might recommend exercises to stretch the neck muscles and increase your range of motion.

A neck injury could lead to constant neck pain for the rest of your life, but chiropractic care addresses the root of the problem early.

3. Tending to Car Accident Injuries

Car accidents can contribute to minor or major issues. While some injuries are acute, you could sustain an injury that causes permanent damage to your soft tissue. Some examples of injuries from a car accident include:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Whiplash
• Fractures
• Concussion

A chiropractor may evaluate the problem using imaging to determine the extent of the injury. Chiropractic treatment then revolves around the severity and location of the injury.  

4. Improving Personal Injuries

A personal injury could occur at work. Maybe, you slipped and fell on a wet spot or lifted a heavy item improperly. On the other hand, you could have sustained an injury while doing yard work around your house and falling off of a ladder.

Fortunately, injury care is part of chiropractic care. Your treatment may consist of stretches, adjustments, and lifestyle changes to ease your discomfort and promote healing.  

5. Eliminating Sleep Trouble

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that around 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleeping issues, ranging from insomnia to waking up throughout the night.

A chiropractor realizes that an overabundance of the hormone, cortisol, can contribute to sleep disorders, which chiropractic care addresses.

If you suffer from sleep apnea, a chiropractor will focus on the muscles and other soft tissue in the neck to relieve tension and optimize your breathing.

6. If You Want a Natural, Non-Invasive Remedy

When you think of the standard pain treatment and even sleep, you may automatically think of a medication that targets the problem. For instance, an analgesic helps with pain, but it only masks it. Plus, no matter what you put into your system, you could experience undesirable side effects, even addiction.

With chiropractic care, our treatments are natural and work with your body. You don't ingest any medication, and there are few side effects known from this modality. We also recommend lifestyle changes that can target the problem and better your overall well-being.

7. Stopping Frequent Headaches or Migraines

Evidence shows that poor spinal health can cause headaches and migraines. Specifically, you could have a headache when you have compression on the lower cervical spine. Tension in your shoulders can irritate the nerves and lead to headaches and migraines as well. Nutrient deficiencies are another reason for headaches and migraines.

Chiropractic care may address these issues and others that contribute to headaches by improving circulation, easing tension, and realigning the spine.

8. Helping Make Pregnancy a Little Easier

Pregnancy shifts your entire center of gravity. It doesn't help that your little one may place pressure on your sciatic nerve, causing symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling down one of your legs to a burning sensation in your lower back.  

This is also a time in your life to try to make as many healthy decisions as possible. Your overall well-being will affect how you feel during pregnancy and impact the health of your unborn baby.

When you choose chiropractic care, our practitioner provides alignments that better support the change in gravity. Additionally, our treatments may help manage back pain, leg numbness, and other unpleasant symptoms.

Our treatment may also include diet and lifestyle changes, which can increase your energy and make sure your unborn baby gets all the nutrients he or she needs to grow.

And did you know that chiropractic care may make labor and delivery easier as well?

9. Enhancing Sports Performance

Many people consider chiropractic care as just a treatment approach after you have pain. However, this area of medicine may also help improve your sports performance and provide preventative care for athletes.

First off, you'll learn techniques that will help to prevent an injury in the future. You'll work on your muscles and soft tissue, so they're more resilient and resistant to an injury.

In addition, your chiropractor will help you stretch your muscles and soft tissue to enhance your performance on the field or court.

10. Preventing Musculoskeletal Problems in the Future

Imagine the stress that your spine endures every day, holding up the structure of your entire body. Imagine the strain you put on your joints and soft tissue, as you move every day. And don't forget the stress that poor posture, among other issues, puts on your body.

Spinal and chiropractic care, in general, can help with your posture and identify areas of weakness and build on those. Chiropractic exercises can make you less susceptible to an injury and less likely to suffer from chronic problems.

These are merely some of the reasons to visit a chiropractor. If you fit into any of these categories or just want to see a change in your health and wellness, chiropractic care is for you.