Supplemental Treatments Chiropractors May Offer For Back Pain Relief

If you struggle with back pain for any reason at all, you can go visit a chiropractor. They will adjust your spine in a way that takes the pressure off the affected area. They'll use either their own hands or a tool called an activator to do this. Spinal adjustments can go a long way towards alleviating back pain, but for most chiropractors, they are no longer the only method in use for this ailment. Here are some supplemental treatments your chiropractor may use in conjunction with an adjustment to treat your back pain.

TENS

TENS stands for transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation. It looks scary, but it's really very mild and kind. Your chiropractor will place two small electrodes on your skin in the area where you're feeling back pain. These electrodes will deliver mild, repeated electrical impulses to the area, causing the muscles to contract and relax repeatedly. In doing so, they will basically overwhelm the pain-sensing nerves in that area, causing the nerves to stop sending pain signals for a while.

Some people get a few hours of pain relief from TENS, and others get a few days. While it does not really treat the root causes of back pain, it can make you a lot more comfortable as you heal from something like a slipped disc or misalignment.

Percussion Massage

When your spine is out of alignment or you have a herniated disc, the muscles around the affected area tend to tighten up. Until they are loosened, your chiropractor will have a hard time getting your vertebrae to stay in their newly adjusted position. One method chiropractors use to loosen your back muscles is percussion massage.

Percussion massage is generally performed with a massage gun, which basically pounds on your muscles again and again, in quick succession. This treatment can feel intense, especially if the muscles in your back are tight. However, it will only last a couple of minutes, and most people feel a lot of relief as soon as the massage is over. Patients can often wait longer between adjustments when they have a percussion massage to relax the muscles in their back. 

If you struggle with back pain, it is a good idea to see a chiropractor for back pain treatment. They are simply the experts at dealing with back pain, and these days, they can do a lot more than simply adjust the alignment of your spine.