Our health is the most important thing. However, for a good number of Australians, work, everyday stress, and poor posture caused by bad habits often lead to musculoskeletal issues, which can become chronic. Are you one of the increasing number of Aussies suffering from debilitating back pain? Have you noticed weakness in your back muscles, and in recent months, have you occasionally felt tingling sensations extending to your extremities? Are you feeling less mobile than before, and as a result, has your productivity at work decreased?

That’s an unfortunate but not uncommon story, as your case resembles the experiences of tens of thousands of people who face similar issues daily. Back and neck problems are among the leading causes of lost work productivity and represent issues affecting more and more individuals each year. Our lifestyle, office work, and unfavourable posture caused by our dependency on mobile devices all impact the health of our musculoskeletal system. In the short term, these problems may manifest as temporary pain and occasional weakness. However, if left unaddressed, they can become chronic and turn into degenerative conditions that may only be alleviated through surgical treatment.

Are you based in Sydney or the surrounding area? Do you live in Beverly Hills, Kogarah, or Hurstville? If so, your daily commute to the city center likely takes away the free time you could spend on physical therapy treatments close to home. Opting for the services of a local chiropractor in Beverly Hills is a fantastic idea, one that could prove crucial for maintaining the health of your musculoskeletal system in the long term. A chiropractor near me can help reduce your pain and be your top ally in your quest to regain lost mobility.

What Are the Benefits of a Local Chiropractor?

First of all, a chiropractor near me will be more convenient. Do you live in Beverly Hills, NSW? Then your commute to Sydney’s centre would take you around 20 minutes on average. That might not seem too bad at first glance, but with traffic included, and considering it’s a round-trip journey, that’s an hour of your life you won’t get back. Choosing someone local, like a chiropractor based in Kingsgrove, would require a commute of less than 5 minutes, which you could even do on foot. Local chiropractic treatments are convenient and are a more practical approach for people suffering from chronic pain who might feel uncomfortable travelling longer distances.

A chiropractor near me will be close to your location, available for emergency treatments regardless of your condition, and can be a tremendous help if your schedule is busy and you don’t have the time to manage an appointment at a clinic in central Sydney. Moreover, local chiropractors are often better at communicating with patients than specialists situated in the city’s central areas and are more convenient for follow-up visits or personalised treatment approaches.

Lastly, you should consider waitlists and the practitioner-patient relationship you can form with your local chiropractor in Beverly Hills. Chiropractic clinics near Sydney’s centre might be fully booked and less convenient if you need urgent treatment or require follow-up visits every couple of weeks. A chiropractor near me, on the other hand, will usually be less busy with ongoing appointments and could, therefore, manage your case with more attention.

What Is Different About Australian Chiropractors?

In short, their expertise and educational background. Globally, chiropractic treatments have a negative reputation due to some countries where practitioners’ activities are not well-regulated. However, things are different in Australia. Here, chiropractic has been a registered health profession since 1978, when the Chiropractors Registration Bill laid the groundwork for the widespread practice of this discipline. In Australia, those wishing to become licensed chiropractors must undergo a complex educational process comparable to that required for other registered health professionals.

To become chiropractors in our nation, aspirants must obtain a Bachelor of Chiropractic Science followed by a Master’s degree approved by the Chiropractic Board of Australia. In other words, you need to go through a 5-year educational cycle, with three of those years spent studying for a postgraduate degree. After graduation, you must register with the CBA and participate in CPD activities for at least twenty hours annually. The process of obtaining a practice license for Australian chiropractors is long and arduous. However, that’s the point. Australian chiropractors are specialists in this discipline and base their knowledge on scientifically-backed research.

What Is the Science Behind Chiropractic Treatments?

Despite its somewhat controversial reputation, chiropractic is a discipline grounded in biomechanics and neurology. It focuses on the cohesive relationship between the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. The central idea in chiropractic is that proper spine alignment positively contributes to addressing most issues that cause back pain, muscle weakness, and coordination loss. The services of a chiropractor near me are based on scientific research and are proven to be effective and beneficial for chronic pain.

The spine is not just a support structure that ensures our upright position but is also one of the most complex systems in the human body, housing numerous nerve endings that can be affected by misalignments of the lumbar, thoracic, sacral, coccygeal or cervical vertebrae. These misalignments are also known as subluxations, and depending on their severity, they can cause anything from irritation to nearby nerves to problems with local blood flow. The core beliefs of chiropractic treatments are backed by scientific literature. Plus, spinal alignment is proven to provide significant relief from back or neck pain and improve spinal posture.

An Efficient and Widely Available Approach

Chiropractic is widely recognised for its effectiveness in treating localised vertebral pain. Moreover, manual adjustment of the spine can significantly reduce pressure on nearby muscles and nerve endings, which can eliminate tension headaches. Chiropractic can be used as an adjunct treatment in injury rehabilitation and is effective in reducing pain associated with sciatica. Plus, according to a 2019 study published in the National Library of Medicine, the positive effects of chiropractic treatments can be partially attributed to measurable increases in oxytocin or neurotensin in the blood of patients who have undergone spinal manipulation.

Chiropractic treatment cannot help with everything. For example, there is little evidence to support the claim that chiropractic treatment can help boost the immune system or that it can be helpful for conditions unrelated to the musculoskeletal system. However, for treating neck and back pain, osteoarthritis, and headaches, the services of a chiropractor near me will be effective. Plus, there’s no reason why you can’t use the services of a chiropractor simultaneously with those of a physical therapist. Both approaches are two sides of the same coin and share a common goal: reducing patients’ pain and improving their mobility.