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1. What is chiropractic?
2. Why chiropractic?
3. How does chiropractic work?
4. How can chiropractic help me?
5. Is chiropractic care safe?
6. How long will I need chiropractic care?
7. What do chiropractic doctors do?
8. What kind of education and training do doctors of chiropractic
have?
9. Why don't medical practitioners and chiropractic doctors get along?
10. Can I go to chiropractor if I am under medical care?
11. What should I expect from my visit?
12. What conditions benefit from chiropractic care?
13. Do I have to keep coming back for treatments?
14. Does chiropractic hurt?
15. Isn't it true that some chiropractic treatments have a significant risk associated with them?
16. Is chiropractic care similar to massage?
17. Do chiropractors work in hospitals?
18. Can a person who had back surgery see a chiropractor?
19. Can chiropractic care prevent back surgery?
20. Can patients with osteoporosis get chiropractic care?
21. How long until I feel better?
22. Will I receive any medication for my pain?
23. What if chiropractic doesn't work?
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1.
What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic
is a branch of the healing arts based upon the understanding
that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning
nervous system (especially the spine, and the nerves extending
from the spine to all parts of the body). Chiropractic is based
on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating,
self-healing organism. These important functions are controlled
by the brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves of the body. "Chiropractic"
comes from the Greek word chiropraktikos, meaning "effective
treatment by hand." Chiropractic stresses the idea that the
cause of many disease processes begins with the body's inability
to adapt to its environment. It looks to address these diseases
not by the use of drugs and chemicals, but by locating and adjusting
a musculoskeletal area of the body, which is functioning improperly.
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2. Why chiropractic?
Quality
chiropractic care is an integral part of any wellness program
-- an important tool in maintaining good health. A chiropractic
physician's goal is to retore your spine’s flexibility and keep
it that way. This is accomplished through a chiropractic adjustment
-- a gentle, painless, low force technique unique to chiropractic
physicians. Holistic chiropractic care has proven to be a safe,
natural, drug-free way to good health for millions of people
around the world. It is the fastest growing health care system
today and for good reason -- it gets results.
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3.
How does chiropractic work?
We
live with ourselves 24/7. Over time our bodies become adapted
to what they believe to be “normal”. Altered range of motion
and decreased spinal flexibility not only becomes painful but
if left untreated could continue to deteriorate and eventually
]put pressure on the nervous system. A joint that becomes “stuck”
is not could. Abnormal pressure on a nerve is bad. When you
restore proper range of motion and flexibility to the spine,
or any joint, the pain goes away and so does the added stress
to the nervous system.
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4.
How can chiropractic help me?
Injury, stress or chronic pain most often are the reasons people
seek chiropractic care. Because chiropractic treats the underlying
causes of these problems rather than just relieving symptoms,
your body’s natural healing processes work for you. The chiropractic
approach to better health is to locate and help correct interferences
to your body’s natural state of good health. Today’s Doctor
of Chiropractic is highly trained in identifying and evaluating
functional problems associated with the spinal column and skilled
in restoring proper spinal biomechanics and nerve function.
With a program of regular spinal maintenance, many patients
recover a degree of health and vigor greater than they enjoyed
before their problem occurred.
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5.
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 treatments are safe because we only use
natural and noninvasive methods of care. Research consistently
shows that care from chiropractors is among the safest care
available and is literally light years ahead of traditional
medical care in terms of "safeness". Chiropractic is among the
safest of the healing arts. As proof, one merely has to compare
malpractice rates between chiropractors and other health professionals.
Chiropractors' malpractice premiums are a small fraction of
those for medical doctors, especially orthopedists and surgeons.
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6. How long will I need chiropractic care?
Each
patient is unique. Long-standing or neglected problems may require
ongoing care to restore and maintain good spinal health. The
truth is you wouldn’t expect just one of the twenty pills of
any prescription to produce a cure, so you shouldn’t expect
only one adjustment to do that either. Healing takes time. While
some patients seek chiropractic care only when pain is unbearable,
this “crisis” approach is often time-consuming, costly and uncomfortable.
Most patients find that the best results come from a regular
individual care program and periodic chiropractic checkups.
Discuss your expectations for care with your doctor and ask
questions about how you can achieve optimum spinal health. How
long you decide to benefit from chiropractic care is always
up to you.
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7.
What do chiropractic doctors do?
Helping
to restore proper spinal biomechanics and improved nervous system
function begins with a case history. This gives the doctor a
background about your health, such as surgeries, accidents,
the onset of your condition, and other details affecting your
current health. After reviewing your history and discussing
your specific problem, a thorough orthopedic, neurological,
and chiropractic examination is performed. X-rays may be taken
to uncover structural and functional problems associated with
the spinal column. These examinations help identify areas of
spinal malfunction and resulting nervous system deficit. The
findings of these examinations are explained and a plan of chiropractic
adjustments may be recommended. Progress is monitored with periodic
examinations and follow-up reports. Since the word “doctor”
comes from the Latin word-meaning teacher, regardless of your
doctor’s unique clinical approach, he or she has a strong commitment
to patient education.
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8.
What kind of education and training do doctors of chiropractic
have?
Chiropractic
education centers on the concept of patients’ health, not disease.
Doctors of chiropractic (D.C.s) are concerned with the patient’s
entire ecology — which may include occupational stress, rest,
exercise and nutrition. Doctors of chiropractic go through vigorous
training (see exhibit a. chiropractic college curriculum vs.
MD curriculum), an internship, three National Board certification
exams, and then finally a State Board exam. In addition, the
doctors of chiropractic complete a minimum of 100 hours of post-graduate
continuing education every year. This is not a State requirement,
but a way for the doctor to stay current with his profession.
Chiropractors are trained to diagnose and treat a variety of
disorders. Most (but not all) are related to the spine. The
main component of Chiropractic treatment is spinal manipulative
therapy. A chiropractic education never ends. Most doctors complete
postgraduate instruction for license renewal and to stay current
on the latest scientific research.
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9.
Why don't medical practitioners and chiropractic doctors get
along?
That’s
changing. Years of prejudice and bias are giving way to research
showing the benefits of chiropractic care. Attitudes are slow
to change. However, as the public demands alternatives to drugs
and surgery, more and more medical practitioners are referring
their patients to our office.
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10.
Can I go to chiropractor if I am under medical care?
Yes. Having your subluxations corrected is important, no matter
what other type of health care you are receiving. Today many
Doctors of Chiropractic and Medical Doctors are working together
in clinics and on joint research projects. MD's are quite likely
to have patients who are under chiropractic care; in fact many
medical doctors see a doctor of chiropractic themselves.
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11.
What should I expect from my visit?
After
an in-depth consultation in which the chiropractor will ask
you about your chief health complaints, family history, dietary
habits and other care you may have received, your job, and other
questions designed to help determine the nature of your illness
and the best way to go about treating the problem. Next, a thorough
examination is performed which may include x-rays and other
diagnostic procedures. In addition, a careful spinal examination
and analysis will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities
which may be affecting or causing your condition. Next the doctor
will then comprehensively explain his findings and recommended
treatment program to you. Recommendations will often include
lifestyle factors that affect your overall health, such as your
diet, level of exercise, your rest, and recreational habits.
You 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.
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12.
What conditions benefit from 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. Chiropractic has helped millions of
people worldwide suffering from all types of problems and not
just back and neck ailments. Chiropractic works with the spinal
column and it's intimate relationship with the nervous system
- the major controller of all bodily functions. By optimizing
spinal column structure and biomechanics, irritation and stress
are removed and health can once again be achieved. You may be
surprised to learn that research studies have provided scientific
evidence showing chiropractic care is not only effective in
the treatment of back and neck ailments, but can also provide
effective relief with children suffering from ear infections,
women suffering from dysmenorrhea (painful menses), and a number
of other seemingly "non-spinal" conditions. While it's not prudent
to guarantee relief from such conditions or claim to "treat"
these conditions, chiropractic has successfully helped millions
of individuals with all sorts of health conditions by positively
affecting the nervous system.
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13.
Do I have to keep coming back for treatments?
You
may have heard the notion that once you go to a chiropractor
you have to keep going back. Before we answer that question,
ask yourself how many times you have visited a dentist? Like
most people, you've probably gone dozens of times. Why? Quite
simply, to prevent your teeth from literally rotting out of
your head. Once we have eliminated your pain and rehabilitated
the injured tissues we do recommend that you maintain a schedule
of periodic spinal checkups. Like your dentist and like many
of the medical experts are now recognizing, prevention is the
key to reducing recurrences of existing health conditions and
minimizing new injuries in the future. So the answer is yes,
we want you to keep coming back, but just periodically. Periodic
chiropractic care minimizes spinal and nerve stresses, reduces
recurrences of old injuries, prevents new injuries from developing,
minimizes degenerative processes, which enhances overall health
and wellness.
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14.
Does chiropractic hurt?
Under
normal circumstances, adjustments don't hurt. The patient may
experience a minor amount of discomfort during the adjustment,
which lasts only seconds. Remember that our first goal is to
remove the pain.
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15.
Isn't it true that some chiropractic treatments have a significant
risk associated with them?
While
there is a certain degree of risk associated with any procedure
or treatment, chiropractic care is provided under the premise
of "Above All Else, Do No Harm." In fact, chiropractic treatments
are among some of the safest treatments used in the health care
field for individuals of all ages - from birth to those into
their hundreds. According to Practice Guidelines released by
the US Department of Health and Human Services, the risk of
serious complications from spinal manipulation is rare. These
guidelines also state that conservative treatments such as spinal
manipulation should be pursued in most cases before considering
surgical intervention. According to Pran Manga, Ph.D., the lead
researcher for some major studies commissioned by the Ontario
Ministry of Health, "Chiropractic manipulation is safer than
medical management of low back pain. Chiropractic management
is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific
validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction."
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16.
Is chiropractic care similar to massage?
No. Chiropractic deals with the spinal column, nervous system,
meninges and body structure. Massage therapists deal with muscle
tension, circulation and body fluid drainage.
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17.
Do chiropractors work in hospitals?
Today
chiropractors have privileges in many hospitals. Ideally, doctors
of chiropractic would go through every ward and check all patients’
spines; after all, who needs healthy spines more than people
facing life-threatening diseases? The presence of DC's in hospitals
is a welcome beginning—hopefully paving the way toward making
drugless, natural methods of chiropractic care available to
all hospital patients.
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18.
Can a person who had back surgery see a chiropractor?
Yes. It’s an unfortunate fact that up to half of those who had
spinal surgery discover a return of their original symptoms
months or years later. They then face the prospect of additional
surgery. This too common occurrence is known as "Failed Back
Surgery Syndrome." Chiropractic may help prevent repeated operations.
Rest assured that your chiropractic doctor will avoid the surgically
modified areas of your spine. Surgery often causes instability
above or below the involved level. These areas will be the focus
of your chiropractic care.
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19.
Can chiropractic care prevent back surgery?
In a majority of cases the answer is "Yes."
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20.
Can patients with osteoporosis get chiropractic care?
Of
course. When developing a care plan, your chiropractic doctor
considers the unique circumstances of each patient. There are
many ways to adjust the spine. The method selected will be best
suited to your age, size and health.
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21.
How long until I feel better?
Some
patients experience almost instant relief. Others discover it
can take many weeks or months. Many factors can affect the healing
process. How long have you had your problem? Are you keeping
your appointments? Are you getting the proper rest, exercise
and nutrition? Do you smoke? Are you in otherwise good condition?
Within a short period of time most patients sense enough progress
to fully complete their doctor’s recommendations.
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22.
Will I receive any medication for my pain?
No.
Chiropractic doctors don’t dispense drugs. Because we rely on
natural methods, we can show you how to use ice to control painful
symptoms. When properly applied, ice can have an analgesic effect
without the side effects of pain medications.
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23.
What if chiropractic doesn't work?
If we’re unable to find and correct the cause of your particular
health problem, we will refer to other specialists who may be
able to help. Your health is our only goal.
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