For people who are struggling with back, joint or neck pain in Spain, a chiropractor is available to help reduce that pain and make adjustments that can keep that pain away for longer and improve mobility in the process.
This is similar to and often confused with physiotherapy, and many people will use both chiropractic and physical therapy to help recover from injury, chronic pain or inflammation.
However, despite having similar goals, both treatments are very different and the goals of chiropractic treatment are not the same as those found in physiotherapy.
Chiropractic care primarily focuses on the alignment of the joints, particularly the spine, and how it can help to relieve pain through its interaction with other systems in the body, typically through direct manipulation of the joints.
By contrast, physical therapy is primarily concerned with movement, and ensuring the body functions with as little pain as possible. Sometimes this involves joint manipulation but often involves exercises and stretches to help build a range of motion.
Another major difference is that a chiropractor needs dedicated equipment to achieve the best results, whilst physiotherapists tend to work in any healthcare space, and often recommend additional exercises that are done in the patient’s own home.
The specific treatments vary as well, as whilst physiotherapy concerns most of the body and tailored treatments are found to improve the range of motion of every joint, chiropractic primarily focuses on the back and neck, although joints can also be manipulated in some cases.
There are differences in diagnosis too; whilst physiotherapists tend to use direct, manual examination and the results of other tests, chiropractors rely on X-rays and other imaging equipment to guide their treatments.
The other, critical difference is that chiropractic is focused on acute pain relief, with the goal being to provide relief as quickly as possible for pain, which makes it a popular first treatment for people due to its noninvasive nature.
Physiotherapy, on the other hand, looks more at the long term. It is about gradually building up strength and activity, relies a lot on additional exercises and has a focus on the prevention of further injury.
