Dorland’s Medical dictionary defines pain as:

“a feeling of distress, suffering or agony caused by stimulation of specialized nerve endings.”

Pain is known to all and often attacks without warning. It can be a sharp stabbing pain that happens suddenly without warning; or it may sneak up on you as a dull throbbing that does not seem to ease up. It also can feel excessively hot or dreadfully cold pain can be acute or chronic.

What Causes Pain?

Pain may be brought on by trauma such as a sports injury or automobile accident; a cut, a bruise, a fracture, a sprain, an infection, a malfunction or disease of any of the internal organs, such as kidney stones or indigestion, etc. – anything that stimulates specialized nerve endings. It may be mild or severe, begin suddenly or gradually, and may come and go.

When pain continues for six months or more it is considered chronic. Chronic pain can be mild or severe. Severe chronic pain may be accompanied by depression, insomnia, exhaustion and weight loss or gain.

Most conditions that can precipitate pain, such as those listed above among others, have at least one thing in common- nerve irritation. There can be no pain unless specialized sensory nerves are stimulated (irritated), resulting in the transmission of nerve impulses to the brain.

When spinal vertebrae misalign even slightly, or their normal mobility altered, sensory and motor nerves can be irritated or even damaged. Chiropractors have found spinal misalignment to be one of the most common causes of nerve irritation, thus one of the most common contributing factors in pain.

Finding Pain Relief

When pain sets in most people reach for a bottle of pain relievers, which offers temporary relief. When the medicine wears off however, the pain returns – it does not actually fix the ailment. Chiropractic treatment offers an alternative solution to pain relief through manual manipulations of the spine, also called spinal adjustments. Spinal adjustments, and other manual manipulations which can be used to target arm and leg pain, provide pain relief by addressing the root cause of the pain. It may require several or regular treatments to completely alleviate the pain, but the end result is true pain relief through proper alignment of the spine and body.

Chiropractic care is a safe, natural approach to pain relief and healing. Moreover, according to the American Chiropractic Association, it is the pain relief choice for 27 million Americans (adults and children) each year. Schedule an appointment today for a courtesy consultation and find out what chiropractic care can do for you.