HOW DOES CHIROPRACTIC
WORK?
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Click on the image above to see the
adjusting instruments that chiropractors use.
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Since its formal foundation in 1895, chiropractic
profession has grown into the second largest of the primary health care professions (first are medical
doctors/MDs). In the United States, chiropractic is now included in major
insurance and Federal programs such as Medicare. Legislation has also included chiropractic services in both the
military and the Veterans Administration. Many famous celebrities also trust
chiropractic with their general wellness. Still, many people are unfamiliar with chiropractic and how it may
benefit their health.
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic champions a natural
method of healing, advocating a non-surgical, non-invasive, and drugless approach to treatment of patients.
Grounded in a view of the individual as an integrated being, the Doctor of Chiropractic focuses on spinal health
and wellness as the keys to overall health and well-being.
What Does a Doctor of
Chiropractic Do?
The primary treatment for spinal
dysfunction (spinal misalignment or subluxation) is a procedure known as vertebral adjustment, or more generally,
spinal manipulation. An adjustment is a technique in which the chiropractor skilfully applies pressure to an area
of the spine (or other joint) that is not functioning properly or is out of alignment. This procedure is often, but
not always applied manually. The result is reduced pain and inflammation, and restored function to the injured
area.
In addition to adjustment or
manipulation, patients may also receive a treatment plan that uses physiological procedures such as cold laser
therapy, ultrasound, electric muscle stimulation, controlled exercise, nutritional counselling, and other
professional advise that may improve overall health.
Client progress under
chiropractic care will be carefully monitored. Subjective improvements and objective clinical findings will be
noted and treatment will be modified to meet the patient's changing conditions. Should it be found that another
type of health care would benefit healing, a referral to the appropriate provider will be made.
What is
Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative
power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs and surgery. The practice of chiropractic
focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the
nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health. -
The Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC)
The Goal
Because treatments are primarily
applied to the spinal region, many individuals incorrectly assume that chiropractors treat only back and
neck ailments. While we do quickly and effectively eliminate back and neck pain, it's not the only goal.
The objective is to restore and optimize human health. In fact, according to a statement
from The Association of Chiropractic
Colleges, "The purpose of chiropractic is to optimize
health."
How Does Chiropractic Really
Work?
You may be
wondering: how can the same chiropractic treatment which
effectively treats my back pain also optimize my health? The answer can be found by looking into the
relationship between the spine and the nervous system.
As you may already know, the
nervous system is the master controller of all living cells, tissues and organs; orchestrating and
coordinating all cellular functions. The spinal column encases the nervous system (spinal cord and nerve
roots) and is responsible for its protection.
Irritation can result from noxious
inflammatory biochemicals released during tissue injury or may result from direct mechanical pressure. In
either case, the functioning of the nervous system is negatively influenced as is the functioning of the
cells, tissues and organs which are supplied by the affected nerve(s).
The resulting dis-ease depends
on the cells, tissues and organs affected as well as the extent of nervous system
compromise.
However, it usually takes a while
before a person feels the results of a spinal subluxation. Subluxations are not always painful. Sometimes
they could manifest as a simple discomfort that makes you want to lean on one side of the body or
sometimes, you wouldn't notice anything at all.
What Does a Chiropractor Do?
Chiropractors are primarily
concerned with locating and correcting vertebral subluxations.
A vertebral subluxation is a
complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological changes in the joint that compromise the
integrity of the nervous tissue and may influence organ system function and, thus, general
health.
Using a number of unique and highly
refined skills, the chiropractor checks the patient's spine for any misalignments, fixations or other
abnormalities (vertebral subluxations). If subluxations or other abnormalities are detected, the
chiropractor will generally apply a gentle force in a corrective manner to the affected spinal
area.
In the office, we also use many
specialized techniques to identify and treat these spinal abnormalities and optimize overall health. In
addition to spinal adjustive techniques, soft tissue techniques such as massage, dietary and nutritional
counseling, physical therapies, and lifestyle modification programs are commonly
employed.
How is Our Approaches Different than Massage, MDs,
etc
There is a significant and very
important difference between the way chiropractors and medical doctors approach health
ailments.
When evaluating and treating
patients, chiropractors take a holistic approach which includes identifying and correcting the cause(s)
of the patient's health ailment. In contrast, the medical approach tends to focus more on the treating
the symptoms of a condition rather than focusing primarily on the actual cause(s).
Chiropractors believe that
correcting the cause of the problem provides significant long-term benefits over only treating the
symptoms.
The Benefits of An Aligned
Spine
Short-term and regular chiropractic care have a number of benefits
including:
- Pain relief for spine and extremities
- headache relief
- arthritic joint pain relief
- increased joint health
- reduced degeneration and risk of
injury
- enhanced tissue healing
- decreased tissue inflammation
- increased mobility and range of
motion
- decreased stiffness and muscular
spasms
- increased performance and energy
- increased sense of well being and
relaxation
- increased balance and coordination
A Chiropractor's
Education
Chiropractic Principles
Reference: Rondberg, T.,
Chiropractic First, The Chiropractic Journal, 1998
Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=K15My6imBU8&feature=related
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