Chiropractic – It’s About More Than Just Back Pain

By Dr. Kevin Wafer

September 24, 2012


When most people think about chiropractic, they commonly think about ailments such as lower back pain, neck pain and headaches.

These are the type of problems that most chiropractors treat every day. But, can chiropractic help with other health problems?

If you suffer from allergies, asthma or digestive issues, is it worth trying chiropractic?

One of the basic principles of chiropractic is that the nervous system controls every function of the human body. Everything that happens in the body begins as an impulse in the brain, then the brain relays the message through the spinal cord, and then out spinal nerves to every part of your body.

So, if a vertebra were to move out of position and start to put pressure onto the spinal nerve, what would happen? The most common answer I get from patients is that they would begin to feel pain. While this may be true, only 10% of nerve fibers are related to pain. The other 90% of nerve fibers tell your body how to function. Therefore, isn’t it possible that a spinal misalignment could not only cause pain, but could also keep your body from functioning properly?

Just to clarify, as a chiropractor I don’t claim to be able to treat digestive issues, asthma or other organic disorders. I treat misalignments of the spine, what chiropractors commonly refer to as subluxations. I just believe that subluxations can cause more than neck and back pain.

For example, nerves that begin in your upper neck extend to your head and sinuses. This is a common area I check on patients if they report sinus issues or headaches. Often I find that one of the first two vertebra in the neck are either misaligned, or not moving properly. After a few adjustments, patients will commonly report that they have noticed that their sinuses have started to clear up. Once again, I am not treating their sinuses, but addressing the structural issues in their spine that may have caused the sinus problems.

The same principle holds true for asthma and digestive issues. The same nerves that begin between your shoulder blades, wrap around your ribs and go to your lungs. This is a common area that chiropractors find subluxations in patients with asthma. Further down your spine, nerves branch out to your entire digestive tract. Subluxations in this area can cause issues such as heartburn and constipation.

So, does chiropractic help with neck and back pain? Of course, but those are not the only issues a chiropractor can help with. Can a chiropractor help you with your digestive or sinus issues? Possibly, if the problem is being caused from a spinal misalignment, however, only a chiropractor can tell if your spine is the cause of your issues.

Dr. Kevin Wafer

About the author

Dr. Kevin Wafer was born and raised in Spring, TX. Since his mother worked as a chiropractic assistant, he spent much of his childhood in a chiropractic clinic and was adjusted for the first time at only 3 months of age. Click Here To Read Full Bio

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