When you are experiencing pain, you want to focus on relieving it and moving forward with living an active life. However, your journey to a pain-free lifestyle can vary depending on the underlying cause, your health, and other factors. Some therapies may be more beneficial than others, making understanding the differences between specific pain-relieving and care options, such as physical therapy vs chiropractic care, crucial.
Physical therapy and chiropractic care are sometimes lumped into the same category, but they offer distinctly different solutions to pain management. Understanding what separates and why therapies can help you find the option that meets your needs.
Key Differences Between Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Care
Physical therapy is an area of medicine that focuses on helping patients physically recover from injuries or illnesses by working on strength and mobility. The goal is to improve a patient’s range of motion, mobility, and overall functionality. A physical therapist creates a personalized plan using specific and targeted exercises, stretches, and movements that help the body perform physical movements, demonstrating how chiropractic and physical therapy work better together for comprehensive recovery. So, a chiropractor or a physical?
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic treatment care is a holistic pain management technique that focuses on issues with the musculoskeletal system, most commonly the neck and spine. A chiropractor manipulates specific joints, adjusting their positioning to help reduce pain and improve joint mobility and function.
Chiropractic care helps target and treat pain through different joint manipulation techniques. A licensed chiropractor performs these manipulations, addressing specific joint or soft tissue issues, reducing inflammation, relieving tension, and stimulating the body’s natural healing abilities.
Physical Therapy
A physical therapist designs a physical therapy plan and helps patients work through the strength and mobility exercises and movements. They can also instruct the patient on performing these moves independently, empowering them to help manage their recovery in and out of the physical therapist’s office.
Physical therapy is also a treatment option that focuses on more than joints and soft tissue problems, but can also be used to treat chronic pain, repetitive stress injuries, post-surgical recovery, and physical impairments caused by stroke or other medical conditions.
Physical therapy can also help individuals manage chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and other diseases that affect muscle movement and mobility, often leading patients to ask, ‘Is physical therapy painful?’ The answer depends on the condition, but therapists aim to minimize discomfort while promoting healing.
The Differences
At a glance, the key differences between physical therapy vs chiropractic care include:
- Different focus: physical therapy on movement, mobility, and function, and chiropractic care on joint health and alignment.
- Unique treatment methods: Physical therapy uses targeted exercises and movements conducted and then supervised by a physical therapist, and a chiropractor typically uses hands-on manipulations.
- Educational requirements: Physical therapists must earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, while chiropractors must complete a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree.
Additionally, many doctors prescribe physical therapy to patients, while individuals seek chiropractic care without a referral. While a patient may feel pain relief after one chiropractic adjustment session, physical therapy benefits individuals with its cumulative effects.
Which Should You Choose? Factors to Consider
The type of care and pain relief therapy you need depends on your unique situation and condition. Physical therapy benefits individuals needing to retain specific muscle groups after an illness or injury. It helps patients relearn how to use their bodies correctly, strengthen their muscles for pain relief, make joints more mobile, and restore or improve overall functionality.
Physical therapy techniques tend to be an excellent option for patients with:
- Sports injuries
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Chronic muscle, joint, or soft tissue pain
- Surgical recovery
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord or paralyzing injuries
- Cystic fibrosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Cerebral palsy
Overall, physical or manual therapy can help individuals work on any system in the body that helps control movement, not just the musculoskeletal system, but also issues stemming from the nervous, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary systems.
Holistic chiropractic care may be best suited to individuals suffering from the following:
- Joint pain
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Sciatica
- Stiff or aching muscles
- Frequent headaches
Since chiropractic therapy focuses on joint manipulation and alignment, it is generally recommended for people with musculoskeletal issues, pain, or discomfort.
In addition to the cause and source of the pain, a patient’s overall health, age, and medical conditions can factor into which option may be best for them. Insurance coverage can also be a factor since many plans tend to cover physical therapy, mainly when prescribed by another physician. Many plans still do not cover the cost of chiropractic care.
The Team at AllCare Health & Pain Can Help You Find the Pain Management Care You Deserve
At AllCare Health & Pain, we focus on you and your needs, personalizing rehabilitation options and pain management options so you get the world-class care you deserve. Our expert team offers chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture, and more. We focus on treating the root cause of pain with a patient-first approach to help you feel better.
Don’t let pain keep you from enjoying your life. Contact our Chiropractic care New Jersey office online or call us at 201-386-9800 to schedule an appointment to learn more about your pain management options.
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