Aches and pains seem to intensify with age. Many older adults suffer from neck pain but lack the funds required to seek medical care. Thankfully, a chiropractor is a low-cost, professional option. A good chiropractor can help with those aches and pains, and you won’t be charged a small fortune for co-pays, testing, and other medical expenses.
Many Adults 60 And Older Are Financially Insecure
According to the National Council on Aging, over 25 million people in the United States who are age 60 and up are considered “economically insecure.” This means that they’re technically right at or below the federal poverty level. This amount – which is currently set at $30,000 per year, is what many of them receive in retirement benefits.
When elderly adults make their monthly budgets, many realize that something needs to give. The costs of food, housing, gasoline, and other necessities have gone up over time, and social security hasn’t kept up. On top of this, Medicare only pays for so much. These adults are left having to come up with money for co-pays and prescriptions. In the end, those might be the first costs that get left out of the budget.
Then, there’s the medical testing factor. If you go to a doctor complaining of neck pain, you’ll most likely leave with a prescription for an MRI, an x-ray, or some other type of test. Doctors do this in order to be “thorough,” but what they’re really doing is eating in your budget. Thankfully, there’s a less costly option.
Chiropractors Can Help With Neck Pain
The alternative? A chiropractor. If you go to one, he or she may order x-rays on the spot if warranted. You will also be examined right away and he or she will suggest a course of treatment. This usually includes an alignment, but lifestyle modifications might be prescribed as well. The best part isn’t the near-instant treatment and subsequent pain relief. It’s actually the cost. Seeing a chiropractor is very affordable, even more so than seeing your general practitioner.
A Helpful Study
The National Institute of Health and Health Resources and Services Administration did a study in order to examine three different standard treatments. The first involved home exercise and advice, the second this same advice, as well as spinal manipulation, and the third, home exercise combined with some physical rehabilitation.
The results were shocking. The most effective treatment, which dealt with the pain and even took it away for long periods of time, was the second option. This combination of home exercises, lifestyle advice, and spinal manipulations is exactly what a chiropractor specializes in. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that you can see a chiropractor, which costs less, in order to deal with the root causes of your pain. You won’t have to see a doctor and undergo a number of expensive tests.
To put it simply, you’ll experience greater neck pain relief and spend less money if you see a chiropractor. Consider contacting our River North, Chicago location today.
