FAQs and Myths
Who can benefit from Chiropractic?
Many people have conditions that result from a less than perfectly functioning spine and nervous system. Chiropractic deals with the elimination of these, which includes treatment for back, arm, or leg, pain, as well as headaches, trapped nerves and sports injuries. Other conditions that can be relived are IBS, Infantile Colic and severe indigestion.
How does Chiropractic work?
Adjustment techniques are used on the spine and other joints of the body to restore normal joint movement and relieve pain. These adjustments promote optimal function of the spine and spinal nerves restoring health.
What is an Adjustment?
An adjustment generally involves a quick thrust to a joint in a specific direction to restore proper movement. Most methods are done through the use of hands, a hand-held instrument or a device on our table. There are various ways to adjust the spine and the technique used will be specific to each patient (these include very gentle procedures for elderly people and children).
Will the treatment hurt?
Chiropractic treatment is usually painless unless an area is inflamed (in which case the treatment will be modified). You may hear a “clicking” or “popping” sound when your joints are being adjusted – do not worry. This is absolutely normal and is just a gas bubble being released from the joint. You should feel more energetic after the adjustment, although you might experience some reaction to treatment including increased discomfort or stiffness for a day or so. Your chiropractor will be able to explain all side-effects to you. These are generally minimal.
Will my insurance pay for Chiropractic?
Most major insurance companies pay for Chiropractic services. You will have to be in contact with your individual insurance company to find out if they cover you. We are contracted into BUPA, PPP, WPA, while many others pay for our services.
How many treatments will I need?
The number of treatments required will depend on many factors – for example, how long you have had the problem, how serious your condition might be, your age, and your overall level of health and fitness. Every person reacts differently to treatment so it is impossible to predict exactly how many treatments will be needed. It generally takes a series of treatments for long-term changes to occur. Your chiropractor will be able to give a guide to the number of treatments required after your initial examination.
How do I know I need Chiropractic care?
Pain is often what first brings a person into a chiropractic office, however, if a condition is caught before this stage the amount of treatment required is often greatly reduced, and pain can probably be avoided. Conditions such as twinges, stiffness, pins and needles, headaches, poor posture, and an uneven gait (method of walking) can indicate a possible problem within the spine. It would be wonderful if everyone had their spine checked at stages throughout the year, like a MOT for your spine, to catch small problems before they have a chance to become bigger and more serious.
Can I have Chiropractic care after back or neck surgery?
Yes. The chiropractor will alter the treatment to ensure that no stresses will be placed on a vulnerable part of your spine (after surgery people often find problems above or below the affected area). With the rest of the spine functioning optimally due to treatment, less stress will be put on the vulnerable segments.
Can I have Chiropractic care while pregnant?
Yes. Many pregnant women benefit from chiropractic care. Your body changes rapidly, altering your centre of gravity and your gait. This in turn stresses your spine and other joints. With chiropractic care these areas can be balanced, decreasing the levels of discomfort.
Subluxation
What is a "subluxation"?
A subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that house and protect the spinal cord. Any misalignment puts unnecessary pressure on the nerve system and cuts off the nerve supply to different parts of the body. Vertebral subluxations that are left undetected and unadjusted for many years can lead to symptoms of pain, diseases, and an unhealthy expression of life.
How do I know when I am subluxated?
It is not easy knowing when you are subluxated, although a pain of some kind can be a clue. Often, the nerves that are negatively affected because of the misalignment in the spine do not carry pain signals. This means that you can suffer from subluxations for years without any painful warning signs. However, allowing subluxations to exist in your body can negatively impact the functions of the organs in your body, which leads to a deterioration of your health. A chiropractor can detect the subluxations with their trained hands, and can correct them properly.
How did I get "subluxated"?
A person can become subluxated in a wide variety of ways. Simple things like sleeping, sitting, and standing can contribute to subluxations. Often, people develop their first subluxation during birth when the doctors use force of up to 60 to 100 pounds to aid the delivery. Normal childhood activities such as spills from the bike, sledding, playing ball, and any other activity that results in a jarring fall, all result in subluxations in children. Because subluxations don't often cause pain, people do not know they are there and thus do not get them fixed until after major damage has been done, at which point the pain usually begins to be felt.
Why do I need to go to a chiropractor so often?
Because most subluxations have existed in people's bodies for so long, the muscles around the misaligned bones have conformed to the misaligned position, and now believe that position to be correct. Thus, the muscles resist chiropractic adjustments at first. As with an exercise and workout routine, the muscles need to be trained to go back to their original and proper position, and this whole process takes time. Careful and patient adjustments coax the muscles back into their original position, and allow the adjustments to "hold" for longer and longer periods. While it may seem that you are practically living at your chiropractors office during the first weeks of your treatment, eventually the visits will taper off until you only need minor fixes every once in a while.
Will this cure my back/neck pain?
While correcting subluxations might bring you relief from pain, the general aim of the chiropractor is not to merely fix painful backs and necks, but to enable the body to express itself to the fullest, without any interference from subluxations. Correcting subluxations opens up a whole new world of wellness and health care because the body is able to function as it was designed to. Without any nerve blockages due to subluxations, the body can boost its immune system and much more effectively fight disease and illness. Relief from back and neck pain, which are the most common symptoms that bring people into a chiropractor's office, might come about from the adjustments, but there are no guarantees. However, living with subluxations is like trying to ride a bike with one hand, you are only half as effective as you would be if you had the full use of both hands. Allowing subluxations to exist in your body, even if they are not causing you pain, means you have a reduced immune system and a lower level of wellness and health.
Myths
As successful as chiropractic has become, there are a lot of myths circulating among the general public. Times have definitely changed for the better, but the fact is that many people still do not understand what chiropractors do. Let's talk about a few of the more common myths about chiropractic.
Chiropractors are not real doctors.
A chiropractic college grants a DC or Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. Chiropractors are licensed as health care providers in every U.S. state and dozens of countries around the world. While the competition for acceptance in chiropractic school is not as fierce as medical school, the chiropractic and medical school curricula are extremely rigorous and virtually identical. In fact, chiropractors have more hours of classroom education than their medical counterparts. As part of their education, chiropractic students also complete a residency working with real patients in a clinical setting, supervised by licensed doctors of chiropractic. Once chiropractic students graduate, they have to pass four sets of national board exams as well as state board exams in the states where they want to practice.
Just like medical doctors, chiropractors are professionals that are subject to the same type of testing procedures, licensing and monitoring by state and national peer-reviewed boards. Federal and state programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers' Compensations programs cover chiropractic care, and all federal agencies accept sick-leave certificates signed by doctors of chiropractic.
The biggest difference between chiropractors and medical doctors lies not in their level of education, but in their preferred method of caring for people. Medical doctors are trained in the use of medicines (chemicals that affect your internal biochemistry) and surgery. Consequently, if you have a chemical problem, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or an infection, medical doctors can be very helpful. However, if your problem is that your spine is mis-aligned or you have soft tissue damage causing pain, there is no chemical in existence that can fix it. You need a physical solution to correct a physical problem. That is where chiropractic really shines. Chiropractors provide physical solutions -- adjustments, exercises, stretches, muscle therapy -- to help the body heal from conditions that are physical in origin, such as back pain, muscle spasms, headaches, and poor posture. Another distinction is the fact that it is completely appropriate to receive chiropractic care even if you do not have symptoms. Unlike standard medical doctors, whom you visit when you have a symptom to be treated, chiropractors offer adjustments to improve spinal alignment and overall well-being before symptoms develop.
Medical doctors don't like chiropractors.
The American Medical Association's opposition to chiropractic was at its strongest in the 1940s under the leadership of Morris Fishbein. Fishbein called chiropractors "rabid dogs" and referred to them as "playful and cute, but killers" He tried to portray chiropractors as members of an unscientific cult who cared about nothing but taking their patients' money. Up to the late 1970s and early 1980s, the medical establishment purposely conspired to try to destroy the profession of chiropractic. In fact, a landmark lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Illinois in the 1980s found that the American Medical Association was guilty of conspiracy and was ordered to pay restitution to the chiropractic profession.
In the 20 years since, the opinion of most medical doctors has changed: several major studies have shown the superiority of chiropractic in helping people with a host of conditions, and medical doctors developed a better understanding as to what chiropractors actually do. Many people have returned to their medical doctors and told them about the great results they experienced at their chiropractors office. Hospitals across the country now have chiropractors on staff, and many chiropractic offices have medical doctors on staff. Chiropractors and medical doctors are now much more comfortable working together in cases where medical care is necessary as an adjunct to chiropractic care.
Once you start going to a chiropractor, you have to keep going for the rest of your life.
This statement comes up frequently when the topic of chiropractic is discussed. It is only partially true. You only have to continue going to the chiropractor as long as you wish to maintain the health of your neuromusculoskeletal system. Going to a chiropractor is much like going to the dentist, exercising at a gym, or eating a healthy diet: As long as you keep it up, you continue to enjoy the benefits.
Many years ago, dentists convinced everyone that the best time to go to the dentist is before your teeth hurt, that routine dental care will help your teeth remain healthy for a long time. The same is true of chiropractic care for your spine. It is important to remember that, just like your teeth, your spine experiences normal wear and tear as you walk, drive, sit, lift, sleep, and bend. Routine chiropractic care can help you feel better, move with more freedom, and stay healthier throughout your lifetime. Although you can enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care even if you receive care for a short time, the real benefits come into play when you make chiropractic care a part of your wellness lifestyle.
To the top |
