FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Some frequently asked questions about Chiropractic
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a natural form of healthcare. The word “Chiropractic” is derived from the Greek words “cheir” and “praktikos” meaning “done by hand.” Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts based upon the understanding that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system.
When the nervous system is impaired through illness, injury, or stress it can cause tissues and organs throughout the body to function poorly. Doctors call this degenerative chain reaction the vertebral subluxation complex. It is an underlying cause of many health problems. Spinal manipulation, a gentle, painless, low-force technique unique to chiropractic physicians, is used instead of drugs or surgery to promote the body's natural healing process.
Chiropractic is the #1 choice in alternative healthcare and is the fastest growing healthcare system today. For good reason--it gets results.
What is an Adjustment?
When performing an adjustment (spinal manipulation), your doctor applies precisely directed force to a joint that is “locked up” or not moving properly. Restoring normal motion to joints can allow bones to gradually return to a more proper position and your body to function as it should. This safe, natural approach to removing interferences with spinal and nervous system function can improve your overall health.
This is not to say, however, that all adjustments are the same. Just as chiropractors are different individually, so are the many techniques. Usually the doctor's hands or a specially designed instrument deliver a quick, therapeutic thrust to the affected joint. Other techniques may require slow, constant pressure.
Based upon years of training and experience and careful evaluation of your unique spinal problem, the doctor will recommend an individual program of care.
How does the Adjustment work?
To illustrate this principle, imagine a garden hose as a nerve and the water flowing through the hose as nerve impulses. When the hose is laid out straight without any kinks, water flows freely. If on the other hand the hose gets compressed or kinked, water flow is reduced or even stops. If this condition persists, eventually, the hose becomes damaged.
Like removing the kink from the hose, a spinal adjustment can ease pressure on a nerve, allowing nerve impulses to flow and protect the nerve from further damage.
Cavitation, a pop or click sound, is often heard or felt by the patient during the adjustment. Much like the opening of a carbonated soda can, cavitation is caused by a rapid release of air bubbles that have been under pressure within the joint. Cavitation occurs more often than not during an adjustment, but it does not have to occur for the adjustment to be effective.
Is Chiropractic care safe?
Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. While it's not unusual to hear of injuries from mis-prescribed drugs, drug overdoses, drug combinations and erroneous treatments in the medical profession, it is extremely rare to hear of a problem resulting from chiropractic care. According to a government study in New Zealand, chiropractic care was found to be "remarkably safe."
Chiropractic doctors are trained to practice and perform hundreds to thousands of manipulations before delivering them to a patient. To become a Doctor of Chiropractic, the candidate must first pass the demanding National Board Examination. Then, to apply for a professional license the doctor must pass an even more rigorous test before winning the privilege to practice.
Guided by a thorough case history and examination, your doctor will evaluate your individual needs and determine a course of treatment. This conservative, natural approach to better health avoids the dangers associated with invasive procedures and addictive drugs.
How can Chiropractic Help Me?
Injury, stress, or chronic pain most often are the reasons people seek chiropractic care. Although chiropractic is used most frequently to relieve low back pain, studies have found it to be effective for a variety of conditions, such as migraine headaches, neck and shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and various other musculoskeletal conditions.
With a program of regular spinal maintenance, many patients recover a degree of health and vigor greater than they enjoyed before their problem occurred.
What should I expect?
We would like to welcome you to our practice by offering you an in-depth consultation with one of the doctors. After the consultation he will perform a thorough examination, which may include x-rays and other diagnostic procedures.
After the initial visit, the doctor will review the findings to develop a treatment plan tailored specifically for you. The doctor's recommendations will often include lifestyle factors that affect your overall health. The doctor's treatment may also include adjunctive therapies, depending on your state of health.
The effects of your treatment may be immediate, or they may take time. Again, all is dependent on your current overall state of well-being.
What ages benefit from Chiropractic care?
All ages can enjoy healthier living through chiropractic care. For seniors, improved spinal function can mean better mobility, endurance, appetite, and an improvement in many age-related ailments. Children and infants also can benefit. Because spinal trauma can occur at birth and later childhood activities also may cause spinal problems, most parents prefer to have their children checked regularly.
When the body is changing through growth or through aging, maintaining good spinal and nervous system health is especially important. For all ages, the safe, natural chiropractic approach to health maintenance makes sense.
What is Maintenance care?
Regular chiropractic check-ups are as important as regular dental checkups for wellness. You should have them even if you "feel" well because they help prevent future problems and help to maintain your good health. The doctors' recommendations for your care are the same as those they would make for members of their own families under the same circumstances. We want you to remain well!
Note:
Please do not consider information contained on this website as medical advice for your particular case. This website contains data which is for information only. Proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations for your particular condition can only be achieved from proper history documentation and a physical examination. Diagnostic testing--including but not limited to X-Ray examination--may be required.
PLEASE CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
(361) 358-2578.
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