Chiropractic care is a form of complementary medicine based on the idea that your body can heal itself with the help of specific hands-on manipulations from a trained professional. These manipulations help realign your joints and can potentially lead to pain relief.

Chiropractic treatment may help relieve pain from conditions affecting your:

• Bones
• Cartilage
• Connective tissue
• Joints
• Muscles

Chiropractic treatment often focuses on your spine but may focus on other parts of your body depending on the particular issue you’re dealing with.
Chiropractic treatment has some similarities with physical therapy, and certain conditions may benefit from being treated with both types of therapy.
In general, chiropractors are more likely to use hands-on manipulations to relieve your symptoms. Physical therapists tend to put a bigger emphasis on rehabilitating injuries with stretches and exercises.

1. Improves neck pain
   Neck pain is a common problem, especially if you sit for many hours a day, frequently bend your neck to use your phone, or have poor posture. A chiropractor may help ease your neck pain by realigning your spine and easing tension in your neck muscles.
   A 2019 studyTrusted Source found that cervical spine manipulation may help decrease neck pain in the short-term by modifying levels of neuropeptides in your blood. Neuropeptides are proteins made in your nervous system that function as neurotransmitters or hormones.
   
   
2. Eases back pain
   Chiropractic treatment may be a good alternative to more invasive alternatives like surgery or injections for treating short-term or chronic back pain.
   A 2017 review of studiesTrusted Source found that spinal manipulation was associated with moderate improvements in short-term back pain and function compared to placebo treatment for up to 6 weeks.
   
   
3. Possible reduction of osteoarthritis symptoms
   Osteoarthritis pain is caused by the degeneration of the cartilage in a joint that causes the ends of your bones to rub together. Some types of chiropractic adjustments may help align your joints and reduce how much your bones rub together.
   
   
4. Eases headache symptoms
   Spinal manipulation may be effective at treating tension headaches and headaches that originate in your neck.
   A 2016 study found that 6 to 8 sessions of cervical and upper thoracic spine manipulation were more effective than movement and exercise for relieving pain in people with chronic headaches. This was still the case at a 3-month follow-up.
   
   
5. More affordable treatment for chronic back pain
   Chiropractic treatment may be a cheaper alternative to conventional treatment for chronic low back pain.
   In a 2016 study, researchers looked at the potential financial benefits of chiropractic treatment for Medicare recipients with chronic back pain.
   The researchers found that people who received chiropractic treatment had a lower overall treatment cost. The study also determined that their treatment duration was shorter than that of those who had conventional medical treatment.
   
   
6. High satisfaction
   Studies have generally reported relatively high levels of satisfaction with chiropractic treatment.
   For example, in a 2015 studyTrusted Source, researchers found that a group of 544 people in chiropractic care reported a high level of satisfaction.
   Also, 92 percent of the people in this study had improvements in their pain, and 80 percent reported improvements in their ability to move around.
   
   
7. Reduces scoliosis symptoms
   Chiropractic care may help improve the Cobb angle of people with scoliosis. The Cobb angle is a measurement of how much side-to-side deformity there is in the spine.
   A 2016 studyTrusted Source found that the Cobb angle in a group of five children with scoliosis improved after 8 weeks of chiropractic treatment. Noticeable improvements were seen after 4 weeks of treatment.
   
   
8. Helps improve posture
   Undergoing chiropractic treatment may potentially help correct poor posture, especially if your poor posture is caused by too much sitting.
   A 2017 case studyTrusted Source examined the effect of chiropractic treatment on a 27-year-old woman suffering from back pain, neck pain, and headaches caused by hyperkyphosis posture. Hyperkyphosis is commonly known as a hunchback posture.
   After 30 treatments over 6 months, she showed a significant improvement in her posture and pain relief in both her head and neck.
   
   
9. May help athletic performance
   Spinal adjustments may potentially improve your athletic performance. This could be due to increased joint mobility, reduced pain, and less tissue restriction.
   
   However, there are still some questionsTrusted Source about whether spinal adjustments improve sports performance. A 2019 review of studiesTrusted Source found that it didn’t improve performance in people without symptoms.
   Chiropractic adjustments may be effective when used to deal with pain caused by an injury.