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What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a 100-year-old practice that uses non-invasive means to restore and improve health. Its tools include manipulation of the
joints and surrounding tissue -- including muscles, tendons, and nerves -- to treat neck and back pain , joint pain, headache, muscle
aches, and other health problems.
Chiropractic as a health care discipline emphasizes the inherent
power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. It's based on healing traditions used for thousands of years around the
world, he says, and focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous
system). The interplay of those two, he says, has a profound effect on how individuals preserve or restore their health.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a 2003 analysis of 39 clinical trials found that
chiropractic treatments were about as effective as conventional medical care (including pain-relieving drugs, exercise, and physical
therapy) in relieving low back pain.
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What conditions do chiropractors treat?
Chiropractic is
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 has been proved to be superbly effective in the treatment of:
back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, slipped discs, work injuries,
sporting injuries, whiplash injuries, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel
syndrome, tennis and golfer's elbow, referred pain, muscle & joint
pain, repetitive injuries, thoracic outlet syndrome, TMJ pain amongst other complaints. Essentially chiropractors are expert in dealing with most musculoskeletal problems.
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Does chiropractic treatment require a
referral from an MD?
No, a patient does not need referral by an MD before visiting a
doctor of chiropractic. Chiropractors are first contact
physicians, and are so defined in federal and state
regulations. Following a consultation and examination, the
doctor of chiropractic will arrive at a diagnosis under
chiropractic care, or refer the patient to the appropriate
health care provider.
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Is chiropractic treatment safe?
Yes,
chiropractic treatment is safe and effective. While any form of
health treatment contains a degree of inherent risk, there is
little danger in chiropractic care when administered by a
licensed practitioner. To assure competency, all states require
that DCs be board-qualified, licensed, and regulated according
to stringent criteria. Statistics show that patient risk is
substantially lower in chiropractic as opposed to medical care,
where the use of prescription drugs and surgery pose a greater
risk.
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Is chiropractic treatment appropriate for
children?
Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are
very physically active and experience many types of falls and
blows from activities of daily living as well as from
participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many
symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or
discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the
individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the
case of children, very gentle.
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Are chiropractors allowed to practice in
hospitals or use medical outpatient facilities?
Chiropractors
are being recognized to admit and treat patients in hospitals
and to use outpatient clinical facilities (such as labs, x-rays,
etc.) for their non-hospitalized patients. Hospital privileges
were first granted in 1983.
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What type of education and training do
chiropractors have?
Chiropractors are educated as primary contact health care
practitioners, with an emphasis on musculoskeletal diagnosis and
treatment. Educational requirements for doctors of chiropractic
are among the most stringent of any of the health care
professions. The typical applicant at a chiropractic college
has already acquired nearly four years of pre-medical
undergraduate college education, including courses in biology,
inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and related
lab work. Once accepted into an accredited chiropractic college,
the requirements become even more demanding — four to five
academic years of professional study are the standard. Because
of the hands-on nature of chiropractic, and the intricate
adjusting techniques, a significant portion of time is spent in
clinical training.
In total, the
chiropractic curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of
classroom, laboratory and clinical experience. The course of
study is approved by an accrediting agency that is fully
recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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How is a chiropractic adjustment
performed?
Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual procedure
that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the
intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractor
typically uses his/her hands to manipulate the joints of the
body, particularly the spine, in order to reduce pain, and
restore or enhance joint function. Chiropractic manipulation is
a highly controlled procedure that rarely causes discomfort. The
chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of
each patient. Patients often note positive changes in their
symptoms immediately following treatment.
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Is chiropractic treatment ongoing?
The hands-on nature of the chiropractic treatment is essentially
what requires patients to visit the chiropractor a number of
times. To be treated by a chiropractor, a patient needs to be in
his or her office. In contrast, a course of treatment from
medical doctors often involves a pre-established plan that is
conducted at home (i.e. taking a course of antibiotics once a
day for a couple of weeks). A chiropractor may provide acute,
chronic, and/or preventive care thus making a certain number of
visits sometimes necessary. Your doctor of chiropractic should
tell you the extent of treatment recommended and how long you
can expect it to last.
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Do I have to have x-rays?
The doctor will determine if films are necessary during the examination and then will
discuss this with you.
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If I bring my own, fairly recent x-rays, do I have to take new ones?
If you have them, please DO bring them, as they will help the doctor with his
examination. If the doctor determines at the end of the examination that new
films are necessary, he will advise you and discuss why he feels they are
necessary.
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Will chiropractic straighten my spine?
It depends on what is causing the spine to NOT be straight. If the cause is a lot of
arthritis and degeneration, it is unlikely that the spine can be
straightened. If the cause is related to muscle tightness, there is a much
greater chance that the spine can be straightened.
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Why are there so many techniques used in chiropractic?
Chiropractors use many different techniques to treat specific areas of the body. As with
medicine, each technique provides the patient with various, specific
benefits – depending on the patient, some may be more appropriate than
others. The doctor will choose techniques that are most effective and
comfortable for each individual patient.
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Can I come in whenever I feel like it and not stick to a regular schedule?
The doctor will recommend a treatment plan for you which will best benefit your health.
For you to obtain the best results from chiropractic care, it is important
that you stick to the schedule the doctor recommends.
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Can I just drop in without a scheduled appointment?
The doctor is available to see a patient in an emergency. Otherwise, the patient should
follow the schedule that the doctor has prescribed.
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How long will each appointment take?
After the first four visits, each appointment generally takes between 5 and 15
minutes, depending upon what you need done on each visit.
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Does the doctor get adjusted?
Yes. As a practitioner of chiropractic, the doctor is also a patient of chiropractic.
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