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 restricted and/or 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 plantar fasciitis.
What is Subluxation?
When a vertebra becomes restricted in its motion or misaligned, 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 vertebra is subluxated, it begins to put pressure on nerves, blood vessels and everything around it. This pressure comes with a price. The subluxation interferes with the nerve messages from the brain to the body and vice versa.
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 also called on to deal with other significant issues. Some of these issues include fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, vertigo, headaches and many more.
What is a chiropractic adjustment? Is it safe?
A spinal adjustment, or manipulation, refers to the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective of this movement is to restore proper motion in vertebrae that have become restricted in their movement for a number of reasons ranging from normal daily activity to various injuries.
When these vertebrae are restricted in their motion, there is an overall systemic effect from muscular to the central nervous system. Without proper alignment/motion and flow of nerve messages from the body to the brain and vice versa, we cannot function at our peak.
An adjustment is often a pressure from the chiropractor utilizing the hands or an instrument to restore proper motion of vertebral segments. This happens with a quick movement and is usually 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 that has been restricted in its motion.
An adjustment is an extremely safe, non-invasive procedure. Chiropractors are highly trained doctors who know when to adjust, how to adjust, and when it is appropriate to refer a patient to another healthcare practitioner.
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 muscles and organs of your body 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 intended.
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 joint restriction. While there are many potential mechanical or structural causes for misalignment and restriction, 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 structurally and chemically will bring your body back to the proper state it should be in to perform at its peak.