Physical Therapy vs. Chiropractic Care: Which Care is Right for You?
When it comes to your health, there are endless options for health care. This includes everything from traditional to holistic care. Whether you are recovering from a recent surgery, injury, or just want to improve your health, your doctor may suggest physical therapy and chiropractic care. Let’s take a look at the differences between these popular drug-free and non-invasive treatments.
Physical Therapy vs. Chiropractic Care
When comparing the two, it’s important to look at how the treatments are alike. For example, physical therapy (or physiotherapy) and chiropractic both treat and manage pain and stiffness in the body. Physical therapists and chiropractors are both health experts with years of specialized training. Both treatments are drug-free and non-invasive, which makes it a great choice for the entire family.
Physical Therapy
A physical therapist or PT helps a patient regain function and mobility, as well as reduce pain. Thus, this helps improve the patient’s overall quality of life. A top goal of PT is for patients to obtain the highest level of mobility possible. With improved mobility, patients find it easier to function in everyday life. Physical therapy involves evaluating a patient’s needs, creating a treatment plan, helping the patient perform stretches and exercises, and educating them on how to maintain a healthy life.
Physical therapy typically includes:
- Evaluating a patient’s needs, such as their pain, flexibility, and mobility
- Performing exercises, stretches, or hands-on manipulation treatments to help strengthen a patient’s muscles and thus, boost mobility
- Educating patients about proper posture and injury and pain prevention tips
- Using heat or cold therapy and other techniques to reduce pain
- Maintaining a wellness treatment plan to improve the patient’s overall health
The number and frequency of physical therapy sessions you need depends on your health condition and how fast you regain function and mobility. In general, patients will notice an improvement after a few sessions. Since this is a drug-free and non-invasive treatment, you will not experience rapid pain-relief like you do with pain-relief medications. However, these medications have harsh side effects and only mask pain symptoms of an underlying condition.
Physical therapists must earn a doctorate degree in physical therapy (DPT) to become licensed. PTs can work in various places, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, sports facilities, rehabilitation centers, schools, and even businesses. These professionals can specialize in PT, such as sports injury.
Why Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is a great treatment for patients that:
- Have limited mobility due to an accident, injury, recent surgery, or health condition
- Have pain related to mobility
- Want to maintain or improve their mobility
- Need to build strength and address the challenges of a health condition, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, or COPD
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors are licensed health professionals with doctoral degrees that use a whole body approach to identify and treat a patient’s health concerns, such as pain, stress, or an illness. Chiropractors focus on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of the body. A primary goal of chiropractic is to allow the body to heal itself naturally with the help of chiropractic adjustments. Like physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments are drug-free and non-invasive, making them safe for the whole family!
Chiropractic care typically includes:
- Evaluating a patient’s symptoms based on a physical exam and tests
- Performing adjustments to specific areas of the body like spinal manipulations designed to reduce pain and inflammation, as well as prevent pain and injury
- Discussing other types of treatment with patients
- Recommending specific exercises to strengthen muscles, reduce pain and inflammation, and maintain lasting health and wellness
How many chiropractic adjustments you need depends on your health condition and how fast you begin to feel better. Generally, patients will notice an improvement within a few appointments. Chiropractic is also a drug-free and non-invasive treatment, so you will not experience immediate pain relief like you do with pain-relief medications. However, these medications have unpleasant side effects and only temporarily mask pain symptoms.
Chiropractors must also earn a doctorate degree to become licensed to practice. They can work in various settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, sport facilities, rehabilitation centers, schools, and businesses. These experts can specialize in different types of chiropractic, such as sports injury, prenatal, or pediatric care.
Why Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an excellent choice for patients that:
- Have back, neck, or joint pain
- Have migraines or headaches
- Have mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression
- Want to maintain or achieve lasting health and wellness
- Need to identify and treat an underlying health condition that is impacting their quality of life
- Want to avoid using harsh drugs or invasive surgeries
Which Therapy is Right for You?
The therapy that is right for you will depend on your unique health goals, budget, and lifestyle. Based on your health needs, you may find that a combination of physical therapy and chiropractic care is a great approach to achieve better health and wellness, as well as improve your mobility and flexibility. As always, it’s recommended that you talk with your doctor to determine the best type of therapy for you. Physical therapy focuses more on how the body moves and functions. PTs use exercises, stretches, and hands-on manipulations to help you regain your function and mobility, along with decreasing your pain. However, chiropractic focuses on treating disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems and uses different techniques to help the body heal itself.
We hope you enjoyed this article discussing physical therapy versus chiropractic care. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of chiropractic, contact Anchor Health Chiropractic today. Our Noblesville chiropractor would love to help you heal from the inside out!
