Persistent neck and back pain; where can you get affordable drug-free relief? The advertisement on the radio was from the Princeton medical system advertising their board-certified specialists, surgeons, and therapists ready to help. For anyone who has ever visited the medical system for anything, it always comes with multiple specialists and then scheduling hoping to see someone immediately. If the problems are long-standing and worsening over time, as many problems do, many people have been taught to believe that as you get older, they will need medical interventions and specialists to understand the area that hurts. You make an appointment and are evaluated and then are sent for tests such as an MRI and blood tests. You are then sent to a therapist who gives you exercises consisting of the same protocols everyone else gets and hopefully you will improve and feel better. This is what many of us have been taught to expect as we age, and it is normal? After years of medicating and having our symptoms evaluated by members of these systems, we believed that the treatment to the area made us feel better so our problem was resolved. Later on, we experience another, and then problem causing us to experience pain. The pain may have seemed to be from lifting or bending or just playing a sport and we may have been told it was due to overuse. So many people do what you do and don’t have those problems so why you? Years later a doctor may tell us that we have arthritis, a degenerated joint, and it’s not bad enough to operate on, or perhaps it is. Then you get the bill for thousands of dollars and facility fees just because… There is a better way, but it starts with a different view of how we function and age. Unless you have an accident, things don’t just break, give out, or degenerate as many of us have been told for years. There is a process on how we got here and even later in that process, it’s not too late to think differently. Why chiropractic first for anything involving the back, neck, or joints. Go to the park and watch people walk. Can you find a back, a neck, a shoulder or a knee walking around? That’s ridiculous you may think but you have likely adopted the narrative of different specialists looking at your parts instead of looking at you. While most people are now rejecting the drug model for all things painful and mechanical, people are still dying from opioids and living on pain meds as their body functions worse over time. With poor mechanical function, whether it’s in your body or your car, eventually things break when poorly maintained. Try not maintaining your teeth and see what happens. Chiropractors have been praised for their cost-effective solutions that are evidence-based, affordable, and effective. While not everyone in the healthcare system has made access easy through networks, tiers, and deductibles, the truth is that patients are highly satisfied with the care and their relationships with their providers. The truth is, no matter what the insurance or your doctor believes, the data says go to a chiropractor first for all problems in the musculoskeletal system. It’s your body and you will leave with either the good decisions or the bad ones so you have more control over aging than you may realize. A great chiropractor will customize the care to what makes you unique. Unlike most doctors who are now working for large healthcare systems that are designed to prevent people from leaving the system, chiropractors often are in private practice and often offer a one-stop solution to why you hurt. The Annals of Internal Medicine 2017 released their back pain guidelines which are often ignored by most primary care providers and medical specialists. They recommend using a number of their mentioned treatments first and then using drugs or higher-level specialists last. Their recommendations are based on the current evidence of care. Chiropractors use a number of their listed treatment methods which enhance how you move and function. Improved movement and function improved and often resolves painful conditions quickly, and without the use of drugs or expensive tests or surgeries. If they find a medical condition, they will refer you to the appropriate healthcare provider. Chiropractors evaluate movement and will take a deep history, holistically examine you, and will look to see if there is an underlying reason for your arm, elbow, wrist, shoulder, neck, elbow, or knee pain instead of evaluating only the symptomatic part and applying therapy to it which is what people have expected from their doctors. Often, with chronic problems and acute problems as well, there is more to the story than is initially obvious. Your chiropractor is the sherlock holmes of healthcare. A knee problem may involve the lower back, hip, and foot from your chiropractors perspective. That occasional neck problem may be related to your knee problem even if the symptoms are resolved. Your wrist problem or elbow problem may be a foot or pelvis problem or a condition due to poor adaptation or from past injuries. Your evaluation will include evaluating how you move, understanding the fascial system, and how you adapted. if the injury is acute, they will evaluate the area to rule out a fracture or other pathology. For chiropractors, keeping it simple solves most problems. Treatment will include joint manipulation in both the spine and extremities, a safe and effective procedure the profession is known for. Myofascial release to the tight dysfunctional fascia surrounding the area or region prevents proper movement. Exercises are given to improve or help the person readapt and finally if there is a structural imbalance, foot orthotics are often used to level the pelvis and improve how you move. Chiropractors who are physicians will reevaluate and can change their approach on the fly to help you get out of pain as fast as possible if you fail to improve. Often a change in treatment will help people improve or the doctor will order an MRI if medically indicated and refer you to a higher level specialist. Care is personalized to your individual needs and you are not a protocol. We understand people want a quick outcome and want relief fast. We will employ every method to help you feel better quickly, and efficiently without adding risk or costs that are unnecessary are avoidable. We are evidence-based, meaning all our care using the treat test treat methodology assures you of the best available care for your condition. In pain, feel better in as little as one visit. Book online here.