Some chiropractors have gone further than offering the standard treatments for necks and backs, and are now looking at other areas where they can help their patients. One interesting combination is that of weight loss, and chiropractic care together to build out an integrative practice.
Being overweight and suffering from back pain can often go hand-in-hand. Certainly, if you ask any heavily pregnant woman they can attest that carrying extra weight does nothing good for the lower back.
And it is this area that troubles so many individuals right now all over the globe. In America, it is one of the biggest reasons to see a chiropractor, and many do. More than 30 million individuals see a chiropractor each year, according to the ACA.
Does it make sense to integrate weight loss and chiropractic care in your private practice?
By having an integrative practice, a chiropractor can tackle two areas of concern at the same time; weight loss and back pain. These two concerns are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and one may be related to the other.
An integrated clinic would offer the traditional chiropractic adjustments and help with muscle stimulation and spine manipulation. These areas concentrate on aligning the body. This then helps the individual manage their condition easier.
But, if someone was overweight, they could then benefit from the other services on offer. Namely, lipo laser treatment, nutritional counseling, and detox advice.
It is the lower back that is most likely to be affected from someone carrying excess weight. If a chiropractor works at realigning someone’s spine, it makes little sense for that person to carry on with a lifestyle that is aggravating their back problem. Thus, nutritional advice and non-surgical weight loss treatments could help.
Does weight loss mean patients need to see a chiropractor?
It may sound ironic, but losing weight may result in a patient needing a chiropractor’s help. This is because losing weight can affect the patient’s alignment. Balance can also be affected by weight loss.
While it may result in a trip to a chiropractor, losing excess weight is still recommended for the overall health benefits. Someone heavily overweight may notice that they are having discomfort as they continue to lose weight.
Chiropractors can help by restoring balance, and assisting the patient through their weight loss program.
Can chiropractic care assist with weight loss?
There has been much talk about how chiropractors can assist with weight loss. Clearly, some clinics such as Dr. Frank Marghella’s have gone a step further by introducing treatments and advice aimed straight at this area. However, it has been reported before that chiropractors may help their patients achieve quicker weight loss results. And this could be very desirable in general terms.
According to the CDC, the obesity prevalence rate between 2017 and 2020 was 41.9% in the states. Yet, a chiropractic adjustment cannot help on its own, the patient will need to put in some work too.
One reason that a chiropractor can help with weight loss is that they fix spinal and muscular issues. If an individual can exercise with more motion and with ease then they will lose weight easier. Exercise will also make any diet much more effective.
They may also find that sessions with the chiropractor help with muscle tone, and that they are no longer putting on extra weight.
How does being overweight affect the spine?
There is a great reason why some clinics are combining weight loss and spinal care. Giving nutritional advice can help individuals to flush out toxins from their body – important after a chiropractic adjustment – and introduce healthier eating.
In turn, this can assist with losing weight, and ease some of the stress the spine is experiencing. Carrying extra weight around the belly can pull the pelvis unnaturally forward. This then puts strain on the lower back. This could also lead to other concerns such as herniated discs.
Laser lipo is another option being put forward by chiropractors now. Could this treatment aid back problems too?
Does laser lipo help with weight loss and back problems?
Time management can be very difficult in modern times when a person has a career. There are some good diet tips for the hardworking entrepreneur, but some individuals would like other options to be available.
One such weight loss option could be laser lipo. As most of your patients may know already, chiropractors are not doctors or surgeons, and they do not take part in invasive procedures. Therefore, it makes sense that some would be investigating the use of laser lipo.
This non-invasive procedure has helped many people to lose weight successfully. Individuals have lost up to 25 and 30 pounds through lipo laser treatments according to some studies. However, there are pros and cons to this method of weight loss.
The pros include the way that certain problematic areas can be targeted, and fat cells can be permanently killed off. Bodies can be contoured to a degree to gain a shape that is more desirable. It also means tummy bulges can be removed which may further ease back problems.
There are cons though, and one is that if patients continue a poor lifestyle, the remaining fat cells will just be bigger instead. This is why some chiropractors are including nutritional advice and plans in their services now.
To gain the benefits of lipo loss, and chiropractic adjustments together means some after-care and lifestyle changes from the patient too.
Summary
For your chiropractic practice, altering the patient’s lifestyle can go a long way to alleviating lower back pain. There are other ways to prevent back pain while in the office or working from home, such as by adjusting posture while sitting, and moving around more. But, once patients start to experience problems they should seek professional advice from their GP or chiropractor.
In some circumstances, an integrated clinic helping with weight loss and chiropractic services would work very well. Some individuals may wish to take the nutritional advice and the laser lipo. Others will only need chiropractic adjustments and help in this area. But, others may find there is a high level of convenience in having weight loss and chiropractic services combined. These integrative practice services can be a big growth area for your private practice.
