Why Go To A Chiropractor?

Chiropractic is a natural health care profession offering benefits to individuals with a multitude of conditions. It is defined by the American Chiropractic Association as "A health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches."

The most common treatment is referred to as an "adjustment" or chiropractic manipulative therapy. This treatment is a hands on drug-free approach to neuromuskuloskeletal complaints that provides freedom of motion within a joint (link between two bones), be that of an extremity or spinal joint. This "adjustment" to a joint allows for the joint to be in proper alignment, where it's functions optimally. In the spine, this also allows relaxation of surrounding musculature, a decrease in inflammation, and proper nerve impulse flow to the rest of the body. Misalignments can be caused by prolonged posture distortion, heavy lifting, repetitive stress, or a traumatic injury such as a car accident.

Pain, muscle tightness, and mobility are restored by manipulation, or adjustment, of the affected joints and tissues.

If you are experiencing any of the following, you may need to seek help for Chiropractic Care. 

1. Pain. If you are experiencing neck, back, arm, foot, knee, etc. pain, see a Chiropractic Physician. Your Chiropractor has expert training in anatomy and biomechanics of the body. Remember, the pain is a symptom of tissue dysfunction that's already been in process. 

2. Headaches. "a report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, N.C., found that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headaches than a commonly prescribed medication."

3. Whiplash. Whiplash causes chronic instability to the joints and surrounding spinal tissues, eventually leading to premature degenerative changes to the spine. Chiropractic retrains these tissues to re-create stability and function!

4. Stiffness or Muscle Tension. Tension in musculature happens for a reason. Either because of misalignment, it's reacting and overcompensating for bad posture, or other chronic musculoskeletal disortions. Chiropractic can help with this!

5. Numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness. These can be indications of neurological or vascular inhibition caused by spinal or musculature dysfunction. There symptoms can also be caused by a variety of more complex diseases. It's best to seek care immediately for these symptoms so a Chiropractor can properly determine if your condition is treatable with chiropractic care or needs more medical attention.

6. Preventative medicine. Just as individuals go to the dentist for cleanings , individuals go to the Chiropractor for the same reason. To keep a healthy neuro, muscular, and skeletal system. It's easier to correct in the early stage and prevent than it is to react in a later stage of dysfunction when symptoms or disease may not be reversible. Essentially, would you rather go to the dentist because you have tooth pain to find out you have a cavity that needs a filling, or would you rather go for a cleaning and exam to prevent the cavities?

Doctors of chiropractic may assess patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging and other diagnostic interventions to determine when chiropractic treatment is appropriate or when it is not appropriate. Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate health care provider when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition, or the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other members of the health care team. -ACA