What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic is a natural method of health care that focuses on treating the causes of physical problems, rather than just treating the symptoms. Chiropractic is based on a simple premise, with a normally functioning spine and a healthy nervous system, your body is better able to heal itself. The spine is the lifeline of your nervous system which controls feeling, movement, and all functions of your body.

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How does Chiropractic Work?

Traditional symptom-treating is expensive and unattractive. Chiropractic works by restoring your body's natural abilty to be healthy. When under the proper control of your nervous system, all cells, tissues, and organs are designed to resist disease and illness. The chiropractic approach is to locate and remove interferences (subluxations, misaligned vertebrae) to the nervous system. With improved spinal health and function, comes improved nervous system health and function. The goal of chiropractic is to remove any nerve interferences through specific adjustments.

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What type of education do chiropractic doctors receive?

Doctors of Chiropractic are well educated. Doctor's of Chiropractic must receive at least six years of highly specialized college training in order to graduate. Chiropractic and medical education are similar in many respects and require the same total numbers of basic science but in different areas because chiropractors do not prescribe drugs. In addition each chiropractor must pass a rigorous and demanding four part National Board Examination before applying to their respective state for licensure.

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What is an adjustment?

A gentle, specific movement delivered by hand or instrument. The purpose of the adjustment is to correct your spinal subluxation(s) thus removing the nerve interference in your body.

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What is a subluxation?

A misalignment of one or more of your spinal bones (vertebrae), which causes interference to your nervous system. If your nervous system is interfered with, your body's natural ability to heal itself & function at it's optimum potential becomes impaired. A subluxation is a perfect example of how structure effects function.

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What causes the sound made during a chiropractic adjustment?

That sound is not your spine "cracking" or "popping" like most people think. That sound is created by gas (in this case, nitrogen) rushing in to fill the partial vacuum created when the joints are slightly separated. Another example of this phenomenon would be the "pop" sound you hear when the cork is taken out of a champagne bottle. Not all chiropractic adjusting techniques produce this noise. In fact, some adjusting techniques use little force and thus produce no noise at all.

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Can children receive chiropractic care?

Absolutely. Even newborns can be adjusted because the trauma involved in the birthing process can cause subluxations that, if left untreated, can lead to serious conditions later in life. Children respond the quickest to chiropractic care because their systems are still so pure and undamaged. Many childhood conditions respond very well to chiropractic care including scoliosis, asthma, ear infections, colic, hyperactivity, allergies, headaches, stomach aches, etc...You name it, children have benefited from countless types of conditions.
Many spinal problems found in adults begin in childhood. Chiropractic adjusting techniques are modified to fit a child's smaller frame and to match the specific problem. Parents of children who regularly visit a chiropractor often report that their children seem healthier than other kids their age.

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Is chiropractic safe during pregnancy?

YES! Not only is it safe, it can help to relieve many of the problems associated with pregnancy, such as low back pain, sciatic pain, headaches, and sore muscles. Studies have shown that women treated with chiropractic care throughout their pregnancies even have shorter labor times. By helping to insure that the nervous system is functioning to its optimal capacity and that all the muscles and joints are in proper balance, many potential problems can be avoided and many existing problems fixed.
At least half of all pregnant women experience low back pain due to the hormonal and postural changes. These changes are repsonsible for laxity in ligaments and the shifting of weight-bearing structures within the body. Regular care during pregnancy plays a vital part in helping to support the musculoskeletal system which eases the strain on the back and legs.

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Is it bad to "crack" your back or neck a lot?

This question is frequently asked because people associate the "cracking" or "popping" of one's back or neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing. If a person has a desire to "crack" his/her neck or back it is often because one area of their spine is fixated or jammed causing another area to move too much and "pop", sometimes by itself. It's the fixated or jammed area that needs to be properly adjusted by a Chiropractor so that the other parts of the spine will not be hypermobile and noisy. When you "crack" your back you may be relieving the tension for a little while. Do you notice how it keeps coming back? That is because you are not giving yourself a specific chiropractic adjustment. The cause of the spinal tension, the fixated or jammed (subluxated) vertebrae, has not been corrected. Any person who makes a habit out of "cracking" or "popping" their back or neck needs to go to a Doctor of Chiropractic to have their spine checked. Even a Chiropractor cannot adjust him/herself.

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Does chiropractic hurt?

If the area involved is sensitive, the point of the body that we adjust can be sore for a moment. Usually, people with acute conditions feel better within minutes of an adjustment. More often there is no pain and patients really look forward to their adjustments. We also use many no or low force techniques to ensure the comfort of our patients.

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Is Chiropractic safe?

Yes. Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. It is the result of a conservative and natural approach to health that avoids invasive procedures or addictive drugs. A recent study concluded that injury related to chiropractic adjustment was less than 1.25 incidents per million treatments. This is less than the complications of aspirin ingestion. Chiropractic is a safe and cost effective, conservative form of healthcare.

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Is it true that Chiropractors do not prescribe medication or perform surgery?

Yes. Chiropractors do not include medication or surgery in their treatment program. Chiropractors maintain that the body has a built-in capacity to restore health within certain limits, and base their care on this principle. Occasionally, the use of medication can interfere with the body's healing mechanisms, produce side effects, create a dependence and lead to drug-caused disease or complications. The first response in most illnesses and injuries should be conservative care. Chiropractic's principles make it possibly the safest and most appealing of the healing arts.

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