Should I go to Physical Therapy or a Chiropractor?
Physical therapy and chiropractic care share many of the same qualities, but each treatment has its own benefits. First, it’s important to remember that physical therapy and physiotherapy are the same thing. Like physiotherapy, chiropractic treatments are often used to correct and treat various physical conditions, from back and joint pain to migraine headaches. However, chiropractic care requires continuous visits, while physical therapy aims to prevent your problems through education and conditioning. It’s also important to note that chiropractic care can actually worsen some injuries, while physical therapy takes a softer approach. This guide lists five comprehensive reasons why physiotherapy comes out on top in the debate between physiotherapy vs chiropractic therapy.
1) Physiotherapy Covers More Aspects of the Human Body
Physiotherapy is a comprehensive treatment that helps patients regain the abilities they had prior to injury. Physical therapy may also reduce the amount of pain you’re in from various conditions that cause chronic pain. On the other hand, chiropractic care focuses on the nervous system, skeletal system, and the muscles in the body that enable movement. Unlike physiotherapy, chiropractic therapy is also centered around the spine, regardless of whether or not the patient has a back injury. In most cases, chiropractors will adjust the spine even if the injury is related to an arm or a leg, but a therapist who practices physiotherapy will not unless it’s necessary. Physical therapy wins this round of comparison between physical therapy vs chiropractic therapy because it focuses on a wide range of problems, from sports-related injuries to weakness caused by strokes.
2) Therapists Who Practice Physical Therapy Have Better Sets of Skills
Therapists who practice physiotherapy are trained to do many of the same treatments as chiropractic therapists can do, including manipulating the spine and releasing painfully tight muscles through many proven techniques. The debate between physiotherapy vs chiropractic therapy has a clear winner when it comes to knowledge, because well-trained therapists who practice physical therapy are able to perform a variety of techniques. These techniques include Dry Needling, acupressure, and physical therapy exercises that stabilize your core to support your spine. A therapist trained in physiotherapy can also build a specialized program that will help you get back to exercise and enjoy an active lifestyle again. Unlike chiropractic therapists, physical therapists also put a strong emphasis on comprehensive therapeutic techniques that will make your body stronger and healthier. Make sure you spend time finding the best physical therapist in the Houston area — it will make a big difference.
3) Chiropractors Cannot Treat Many Problems
Although many chiropractic therapists focus on multiple areas of the human body other than the spine, chiropractic therapists as a whole use manipulation of the skeleton and muscles as their primary method of treating injuries. In some cases, chiropractic therapists only use manipulation and no other treatment techniques. Therapists who practice physical therapy know much more about the way the body works and treat it as a whole instead of focusing on just one region, even if that one region does tend to have a significant effect on the rest of the body. Therapists who practice physiotherapy have been trained to recognize a variety of conditions and injuries, and this knowledge helps them treat injuries or weaknesses that you might not have known existed. Because chiropractors usually focus on spinal issues, they do not tend to look at the whole picture to find out if anything else is wrong.
4) Chiropractors May Cause Additional Injury
Unfortunately, in some cases, going to a chiropractor instead of a physical therapy clinic can result in worsened or additional injuries. This is especially true of chiropractors who focus more on muscle and skeletal manipulation than any other technique. Some patients do not respond well to these techniques. On the other hand, physiotherapy often relies on ultrasounds to examine injuries, sore spots, and weaknesses prior to applying treatment. Ultrasounds and other physiotherapy methods ensure worsen the problem. Even if you do have a spinal injury, physical therapy is frequently a better option because of the variety of ways a therapist who practices physiotherapy will examine you to make sure nothing else is contributing to the problem. Because of the technology available to physical therapists, physiotherapy wins this round of the debate between physical therapy vs chiropractic therapy as well.
Is Physiotherapy Better Than Chiropractic Therapy?
Since physiotherapy encompasses everything chiropractic therapy covers, you usually don’t need to go to a chiropractor. The debate between physiotherapy vs chiropractic has a clear winner when you remember that a therapist who practices physiotherapy can do everything a chiropractor can and more. Becoming a therapist who practices physiotherapy is an arguably more difficult process, which acts as a form of quality control. This is also important when it comes to getting insured for physical therapy; because of the training to become licensed, physiotherapy tends to have better coverage from insurance companies. In nearly all cases, patients are better off with a therapist who practices physiotherapy than they are with a chiropractic clinic.
You can still make an argument for chiropractic care, though, so have a look at our argument why chiropractic care is better than physiotherapy.
