Chiropractic Care

If you are somewhat confused about what chiropractic care entails, you may not be alone. Unfortunately, chiropractic care is often misunderstood or overlooked when it is simply a profession that concentrates on bone misalignments and joint restrictions and how they may influence nerve function, disc pressure, as well as your muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Chiropractic medicine has a high success rate in offering relief to millions of Americans every year.

What is chiropractic care?

Various forms of manipulation have been used therapeutically for centuries. However, it wasn’t until the 1800s that scientific basis for the practice was instituted, and the word ‘chiropractic’, a translated form of the Greek words cheir and praktos, which essentially mean ‘done by hand’, was established.

Chiropractic care refers to the manual manipulation of the body with the purpose of alleviating problems with the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system is comprised of the bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints and other connective tissues that provide shape, support, stability and movement in the body. When there are problems within the musculoskeletal system, it can cause mild, chronic or extreme pain, limited mobility, and difficulty in carrying out our usual day to day tasks.

A chiropractor can treat a variety of spinal conditions and their side effects by manipulating the spine by hand – a process that sounds much more intense and painful than it really is. In fact, spinal manipulation is a precise, swift adjustment that aims to release the pressure on the nerves in your back in order to allow the body to begin to heal itself.

What issues can chiropractic care help address?

Chiropractic treatment has successfully treated a wide range of conditions, with most problems occurring in the neck (cervical spine) or lower back (lumbar spine). Some of the more common conditions treated by chiropractors include:

• Arthritis

• Disc bulges and herniations

• Headaches

• Pinched nerves

• Pulled muscles

• Sciatica

• Scoliosis

• Spinal stenosis

• Whiplash

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How many treatments will I need?

Every patient is different, as is the amount of time that it takes for them to respond to treatment. Some patients will need just a few appointments to achieve adequate relief from their pain, while others with chronic conditions may need several appointments with their chiropractor. After performing an exam and history, based on the findings, the doctor will recommend a treatment plan that may change based on the severity of the condition.

Do chiropractic adjustments hurt?

Chiropractic care has something of an unfair reputation when it comes to this question, as some people do complain that some of the adjustments are uncomfortable. (Remove “or momentarily painful.”) Rest assured that one goal of chiropractic care is to reduce your pain, not cause it. It is completely normal to feel some sort of discomfort or soreness after an adjustment especially if it is your first treatment. However, nearly all patients find that they then experience an improvement in their pain levels and mobility after each subsequent appointment as your body starts to heal itself.​​​​​​​

Chiropractors have one aim - to help your body to heal itself. In addition to spinal adjustments, many also offer advice on nutrition, exercises, and lifestyle changes which will help support the health of your musculoskeletal system and enable you to live life to the fullest.
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