Chiropractic and Physiotherapy in Singapore: Which One Is Right For Me?

The first step to getting relief from your pain is finding out what type of medical profession to seek. Therefore, one has to understand the difference between chiropractic care and physiotherapy.

Many people have always had the idea that physiotherapy is a subset of chiropractic when that is really not the case. If anything, chiropractic and physiotherapy are two different schools of thought that need to be separated.

By definition, chiropractic treatment is a form of alternative medicine mostly concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine. Chiropractors perform spinal adjustments with their hands as their main tool.

A spinal adjustment is the application of a precise force to a specific part of the spinal segment. The goal of an adjustment is to reduce muscular tension caused by misalignment of the spine. It focuses on maintaining optimal health without the use of drugs or surgery. From children to older adults, chiropractic treatments can relieve pain, help support the body’s immune system and maintain good health.

Physiotherapy is one of the allied health professions which treatments can promote the body’s optimal mobility and function. It can be done with a combination manual therapy, electrotherapy and movement therapy.

Physiotherapists are experts in developing and maintaining people’s ability to move and function throughout life. They have an advanced understanding of how the body moves and what keeps it from moving well. They promote wellness, mobility and independence.

Physiotherapy clinics in Singapore treat and prevent many problems caused by pain, illness, disability and disease, sport and work-related injuries, ageing and long periods of inactivity. They work with people affected by a wide range of conditions and symptoms, for example painful conditions such as arthritis, repetitive strain injury, neck and back pain, cancer, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and physical trauma such as road accidents and incontinence.

When deciding whom you should see, you need to understand what each professional does in their field of work.

The physiotherapists are experts in improving mobility and movement. It involves treatment of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. To achieve pain free, healthy proper movement, physiotherapists deal with the constraints in motion, alignment of joints, muscle weakness and imbalance, posture and poor movement patterns. Therapeutic exercises are carefully prescribed based on the patient’s condition to aid in long term recovery and prevention of future injuries.

The main reason people seek a chiropractor is back pain or issues with their spine. Chiropractic treatment provides a quick relief from body pains and aches and requires regular and consistent treatment to maintain the health of the spine.