Chiropractic FAQ
You or a loved one may ask why it is necessary to come back for repeated visits. Why will your care take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to complete?
These are good questions. Especially since higher copays or coinsurance may create an out-of-pocket expense for you of a few hundred dollars.
Here is the reason why your care may take a little longer than you had anticipated. Please feel free to share this with your loved ones who may ask why. The doctor may determine that a significant portion of your complaints and symptoms are due to something known as a cumulative trauma disorder. Cumulative trauma disorder is a major injury problem amongst the general population in this country. According to federal statistics it has worsened by 670 percent in the last 5 years. The injury involves muscles, tendons, bones, joints, blood vessels, fascia, and/or nerves. These injuries are a result of a variety of causes including repetitive uses, repetitive motions, poor postures, and improper lifting techniques. They result in a well-documented and scientifically defined cascade of events leading to weak and tight tissues, increased friction and pressure in those tissues, decreased circulation which can cause localized edema and adhesion/fibrosis production, and recurring inflammation. The result is what the doctor found in your examination when he found those tight tender nodular muscle points, radiating trigger points, and joint dysfunction. These changes usually occur slowly over time in a downward spiral. It is also possible to have an acute injury such as an auto accident or lifting on top of this already injured tissue. These types of injuries will take the longest to correct.
In any event, these cumulative trauma disorders create those symptoms like recurring headaches, muscle tightness/stiffness/ache, as well as numbness and tingling down an arm and/or leg. Our care plan will be designed to try and reverse these negative tissue changes. We may be doing things like adjusting your joints, traction, using traditional therapy modalities such as electrical muscle stimulation with heat, ultrasound, cold laser therapy, and stretching to break up fibrotic adhesions in the muscles and tendons. You will also be asked to participate by doing home exercises and stretches as well as possibly taking simple nutritional supplements that stimulate the healing process.
Our goal is not to simply put a patch on your problem or treat the symptom. Through our care we will try to make the necessary tissue changes that will afford you long-lasting benefits and decrease your need for potentially dangerous medications. We will also recommend nutritional and lifestyle changes that can decrease the incidence of recurrence.
These tissue changes will take time. We should begin to notice some positive changes within a few visits; however, there can be increased symptoms initially depending on your condition and the types of treatments we need to perform. The ultimate success will be determined by your ability to keep your regularly scheduled visits and also to do the recommended homework that the doctor will prescribe.
Don't let the symptoms alone be your guide to when no further treatment is needed! Our promise to you is to recommend no more care than you actually need while at the same time making the necessary changes in your anatomy to afford you the best success possible. I and my staff are available to you for any questions that you may have. Thank you for allowing us to participate in your health care. Our goal is to earn your trust. If I do not think I can help you I will explain that to you as well and make whatever recommendations I can.
Is chiropractic effective?
Chiropractic helps to remove postural imbalances and structural misalignments that can accumulate in our bodies over time. Chiropractic works by restoring your own inborn ability to be healthy. For your body to remain healthy, your nervous system must function well. For your nervous system to function well it must be free of interference. By restoring spinal function with Chiropractic adjustments, nerve interference by misaligned vertebrae is removed, thus allowing optimal nervous system function and improved health.
Why should I see a Chiropractor?
Seeing a chiropractor is not only for back pain and neck pain. Chiropractic care is an excellent way to keep your body at its peak performance through nutrition, adjustment and overall wellness. In addition, chiropractic care has been known to help a wide range of conditions from fibromyalgia to diabetes.
What is Subluxation?
When a vertebrae becomes misaligned or moves out of its normal position, this is referred to in the chiropractic profession as a subluxation. Subluxations can be caused by a wide range of issues ranging from a minor slip or bump to a car accident or any sudden trauma. When a vertebrae is subluxated, it begins to put pressure on nerves, blood vessels and everything around it. This pressure comes with a price. The subluxation interrupts the natural pathways that the messages sent from the brain need to be clear in order to be completed properly.
How does chiropractic care work?
Chiropractic is an overall way of looking at the human body. It's based on the idea that the body is self-sustaining and self-healing. The body is in essence completely controlled by the brain through its connection via the spinal cord and the vast networks of nerves that make up the body. When this system is not functioning at its peak, the overall performance of the human body is lacking.
In the chiropractic world, drugs and medicine are not utilized as a form of treating a patient. While supplementation and nutrition are almost always a part of the bigger picture, drugs and prescriptions can be viewed as band-aids to treat symptoms rather than going to the source and treating the real problem.
While it's often perceived that the chiropractor is solely here to treat back and neck pain, this is simply a small piece of what the profession really is capable of handling. Chiropractors not only treat soft and hard tissue problems such as sciatica and joint pain, but are largely called on to deal with more significant issues. Some of these issues include fibromyalgia, allergies, insomnia, headaches and many more.
What is a chiropractic adjustment? Is it safe?
Adjustments, or manipulation as they're sometimes referred to is the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective of this movement is to realign vertebrae that have moved out of place for a number of reasons ranging from normal daily activity to trauma such as a car accident.
When these vertebrae are out of place, it has an overall systemic effect from muscular to the central nervous system. Without proper alignment and flow of all nerves and systems in the body from the brain, we can't function at our peak.
An adjustment is often a pressure from the chiropractor utilizing the hands or an instrument to move a vertebrae back into place. This happens with a quick movement and is often without discomfort. You may hear a noise that sounds like you're cracking your knuckles referred to as joint cavitation. It is the release of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen from the joint.
What can I expect from my visit to a chiropractor?
Going to the Chiropractor is a new experience for many of us. Maybe we've heard through a friend or have done some research online. It's possible that you are just fed up with living in pain and it's time to do something about it. In either case, your first visit to the chiropractor will really be about getting to know the chiropractor and discussing your history, current condition and goals.
What results can I expect from treatment?
Chiropractic is based on the idea of removing imbalances both structural and postural in an effort to allow our body to heal itself. For this to happen the network of nerves and signals from your brain, down your spinal cord, to the network of nerves must be allowed to flow freely without any interruption. Chiropractors have the ability and skill to remove these interruptions or misalignments and allow the body to perform as it was meant to.
If you've ever been in a car accident, played a sport, fell down or just bumped into something too hard, it's very possible that you are not functioning at your best due to a misalignment. While there are many potential mechanical or structural causes for misalignment, there are also chemical reasons. For instance, if you smoke or drink excessively or even just have a poor diet, the chemical issues in your body can eventually cause underlying conditions and disease to appear.
Allowing a chiropractor to get you back on track both chemically and structurally will bring your body back to the proper state it should be in to perform at its peak.
