If you’ve ever dealt with Shingles, you know first-hand how difficult life can be while you wait for the painful blisters to resolve. While there are many different ways to treat shingles, chiropractic care offers a medication-free way to overcome this debilitating issue.
What Is Shingles?
Generally speaking, Shingles is a disorder that results in a painful rash. The rash will typically wrap around the torso of the patient, however, rashes and blisters can occur anywhere on the body when one contracts Shingles.
Shingles occurs as a result of contact with the Varicella-Zoster virus. This virus may sound familiar to you, as it is the same one that causes chickenpox in children.
After a person has had chickenpox, and the symptoms have cleared up, the virus lies in wait in the person’s body, sometimes for decades. Once the virus sees an opportunity, such as a decreased immune system due to stress or other diseases, it will strike, causing the aforementioned rash to develop around the trunk.
Differences Between Chickenpox and Shingles
Interestingly, even though chickenpox and Shingles are caused by the same virus, they have some important distinctions.
For one thing, chickenpox tends to be quite mild, and usually only affects young children. It causes widespread rashes or blisters that affect the whole body until the illness is resolved.
Shingles, on the other hand, tends to affect much older patients. Furthermore, it usually only results in a small rash that occurs on a narrow patch of skin, usually on the trunk.
Shingles tends to be a much larger cause for concern, as older patients may have compromised immune systems and thus, might have trouble fending off the virus.
Typical Course of Shingles
Often, shingles will occur in older individuals with weakened immune systems. If caught early, doctors often prescribe an anti-viral medication designed to work with the patient’s immune system in clearing the virus. However, regardless of how early the disease is caught, the patient can usually expect to experience at least a few days of painful symptoms.
An unfortunate consequence of shingles that sometimes develops is that of postherpetic neuralgia.
Postherpetic neuralgia is an issue that develops after the blisters and rashes caused by shingles have resolved. Many people will notice decreased symptoms over time, but, unfortunately, there is no cure for this painful condition.
What Is Postherpetic Neuralgia?
Postherpetic neuralgia, as was touched on in the last section, is a condition that develops after shingles symptoms have cleared.
The disease causes unbearable pain on the skin. Sometimes, even a very light touch on the skin can cause excruciating symptoms in the patient. In some very severe cases, even the pressure from clothing or wind can induce painful symptoms.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Patients with Shingles?
The spine has complex and important connections to the immune system. By receiving regular spinal manipulations, patients can keep their immune systems as strong as possible and capable of fending off any viruses that might attack.
This is especially important for more vulnerable patients, such as those in their 60s or those with compromised immune systems. The spine must be kept healthy to ensure that the immune system has a fighting chance against the Shingles virus or any other viruses that may cross our paths.
At Awaken Chiropractic, we are committed to keeping our patients as healthy as possible. Whether you’re suffering from shingles, back pain, or any other condition, we would love to help you today. As the best Parker chiropractor around, we pride ourselves on providing individualized care and a facility where patients can have all of their health needs met. Book your appointment with us today!
