What is a Chiropractors Treatment

Who is chiropractor?

Think of a chiropractor as a doctor who cares for any kind of muscle, joint, or bone pain. Chiropractors can complement the traditional medical care you receive. Chiropractic is a healthcare profession that cares for a patient's neuromusculoskeletal system the bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A chiropractor helps manage back and neck pain through the use of spinal adjustments to maintain good alignment.

What does a chiropractor do?

Understanding what chiropractors do is pretty simple think of aches, pains, creaks, and strains. If you’ve got a problem that involves your musculoskeletal system, a chiropractor can offer alternative methods of treatment.

Chiropractors do not prescribe medication; this allows them to think outside the box. A chiropractor may prescribe:

1. Soft-tissue therapy:- To relax tight muscles, relieve spasm and release tension in the fascia (the connective tissue that surrounds each muscle).

2. Adjustments:- To gently realign joints and increase range of motion.

3. Joint bracing/taping:- To support sprained joints or muscles as they heal.

4. Exercises and stretches:- To restore and maintain mobility and range of motion.

5. Referrals to integrative medicine experts:- For guidance on diet and nutrition to reduce inflammation and promote weight loss.

Chiropractors can treat pain anywhere in the body in the head and jaws, the shoulders, the elbows and wrists, the hips and pelvis, and the knees and ankles.

Treatments generally do not hurt. But soreness similar to what you might feel after a workout is a common side effect. Over time, however, your muscles adjust.

They look at the whole musculoskeletal system and treat the root of the problem. Chiropractors make sure not only that the joints are moving properly, but also that surrounding muscles are functioning well.

Chiropractors treat problems in people of all ages. Depending on the patient, the intensity and force of treatments vary. All patients are screened to ensure that they are good candidates for chiropractic care. For example, many older patients have some thinning or softening of the bones that would rule out joint manipulation. If chiropractic care is too risky for a patient, they will guide them to the right people and resources.

What conditions do chiropractors treat?

The primary condition that chiropractors treat is the vertebral subluxation complex (VSC) or subluxation. A subluxation is defined as a misalignment in the spine or extremity causing the abnormal function of the joint and resulting in nerve dysfunction. Therefore, anytime there is a subluxation present, there will be associated signs and symptoms. A subluxated joint's common signs and symptoms include swelling, heat, altered function, redness, and pain. Secondary conditions may result from a subluxation.

What is a chiropractic adjustment?

A licensed chiropractor uses special instruments or their hands to manipulate joints in the body. This process is also called spinal or joint manipulation. It can help reduce pain and correct the body’s alignment and overall physical function.

Chiropractors treat many conditions affecting the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Chiropractic care can help with low back pain, headache, neck pain, muscle pains, and other joints of the body.

What are the benefits of a chiropractic adjustment?

Chiropractic care helps reduce pain from:

• Migraines and neck-related headaches.
• Neck or spine injuries.
• Joint issues in the arms, legs, and shoulders.
• Whiplash.

What are the risks of a chiropractic adjustment?

After chiropractic treatment, you may feel tired or sore. Some people also get headaches.

In rare cases, chiropractic care may cause serious complications such as:

• Herniated discs.
• Pinched nerves in the lower spine (cauda equina syndrome).
• Stroke.

Complications are more likely when an unlicensed person performs your treatment. Only a licensed professional chiropractor should treat you.

What Are the Benefits and Risks of Chiropractic Care?

Spinal manipulation and chiropractic care are generally considered safe, effective treatments for acute low back pain, the type of sudden injury that results from moving furniture or getting tackled. Acute back pain, which is more common than chronic pain, lasts no more than six weeks and typically gets better on its own.

Research has also shown chiropractic care to be helpful in treating neck pain and headaches. In addition, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia may respond to the moderate pressure used both by chiropractors and practitioners of deep tissue massage.

Studies have not confirmed the effectiveness of prolotherapy or sclerotherapy for pain relief, used by some chiropractors, osteopaths, and medical doctors, to treat chronic back pain, the type of pain that may come on suddenly or gradually, and lasts more than three months. The therapy involves injections such as sugar water or anesthetic in hopes of strengthening the ligaments in the back.

People who have osteoporosis, spinal cord compression, or inflammatory arthritis, or who take blood-thinning medications should not undergo spinal manipulation. In addition, patients with a history of cancer should first obtain clearance from their medical doctor before undergoing spinal manipulation.

All treatment is based on an accurate diagnosis of your back pain. The chiropractor should be well informed regarding your medical history, including ongoing medical conditions, current medications, traumatic/surgical history, and lifestyle factors. Although rare, there have been cases in which treatment worsened a herniated or slipped disc, or neck manipulation resulted in a spinal cord injury. To be safe, always check with your medical doctor to make sure your condition will benefit from chiropractic or other pain relief alternatives.

Secondary conditions.

• Acid Reflux
• Allergies
• Arthritis
• Autism, Bell’s Palsy
• Bone Spurs
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Chronic Neck Pain
• Crohn’s Disease
• Degenerative Joint Disease
• Disc Bulges and Herniation
• Dizziness
• Fibromyalgia
• Forward Head Posture
• Headache
• Immune Function
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Knee Pain
• Low Back Pain
• Mid-back Pain
• Migraines
• Numbness and Tingling (hands and feet)
• Neck Pain
• Neurologic Dysfunction
• Pregnancy-related Pain
• Radiculopathy
• Repetitive Stress
• Scoliosis
• Sciatica
• Seizure Disorders
• Shoulder and Arm pain
• Sports Injuries
• Spinal Alignment/Cervical Curve
• Spinal Pain, Stress
• Temporomandibular Joint
• Torticollis
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
• Vertigo and Balance
• Whiplash.

Is chiropractic care safe?

Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. One way you judge the safety of a health professional is by how much they pay for malpractice insurance. Chiropractic malpractice insurance is one of the lowest of all healthcare disciplines.

Is chiropractic care appropriate for children?

Yes, children can benefit tremendously from chiropractic care. Children are physically active and experience many types of falls and blow from normal actives of life as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness, or discomfort. Chiropractic adjustments are safe and gentle and are always adapted to the patient,

What type of education and training do chiropractors have?

Doctors of chiropractic are educated as primary contact health care providers, with an emphasis on diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to the musculoskeletal system (the muscles, ligaments, and joints of the spine and extremities) and the nerves that supply them. Educational requirements for doctors of chiropractic are among the most stringent of any of the health care professions.

The typical applicant for chiropractic college has already acquired nearly four years of pre-medical undergraduate college education, including courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology, and related lab work. Once accepted into an accredited chiropractic college, the requirements become even more demanding — four to five academic years of professional study are the standard. Doctors of chiropractic are educated in orthopedics, neurology, physiology, human anatomy, clinical diagnosis, laboratory procedures, diagnostic imaging, exercise, nutrition rehabilitation, etc.

Because chiropractic care includes highly skilled manipulation/adjusting techniques, a significant portion of time is spent in clinical technique training to master these important manipulative procedures.

In total, the chiropractic college curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. The course of study is approved by an accrediting agency that is fully recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Is chiropractic care ongoing?

The hands-on nature of chiropractic is essentially what requires patients to visit the chiropractor several times. To be cared for by a chiropractor, a patient needs to be in his or her office. In contrast, a course of treatment from medical doctors often involves a pre-established plan that is conducted at home (i.e. taking a course of antibiotics once a day for a couple of weeks). A chiropractor may provide acute, chronic, and/or preventive care thus making a certain number of visits sometimes necessary. Your doctor of chiropractic should tell you the extent of treatment recommended and how long you can expect it to last.

In the Gonstead System of Chiropractic, the idea is to, “Find It, Accept It, Fix It, Leave It Alone.” Once the problem has been identified, the goal is to correct the problem, requiring an initial series of visits.

Why is there a popping sound when a joint is adjusted?

Adjustments of a spinal or extremity joint result in a release of gas bubbles, Similar to cracking your knuckles. The gas bubbles result from a change in joint pressure during the adjustive procedure. In the Gonstead System of Chiropractic, the sound is usually a deeper hollower sound due to the specific nature of the adjustment given, intending to correctly reposition the misaligned joint.

Will my insurance cover chiropractic care?

While most insurance carriers have chiropractic care benefits, this office does not bill insurance or medicare.