Chiropractic helps your body heal through movement-based techniques that influence your body's nervous system, muscles, and joints.  While chiropractors have been trained to work with nearly all the parts of the body, there is something unique about the spinal adjustment.  Spinal adjustments have been shown to both directly and indirectly impact your nervous system.  Since your nervous system is the master controller of your body, you may experience improvement in function as well as pain relief beyond the area of your body that is directly being adjusted.  The benefits of chiropractic extend beyond just your spine.

 

That being said, it’s very common for people with low back pain, headaches, or neck pain to seek chiropractic, but don't forget about all of the other joints of your body because it can help there, too. Chiropractors are trained to treat a variety of conditions so whether you're looking to find relief of pain, correct the underlying causes of your health issues, or if you’re seeking improvement of function and performance, chiropractic care may be able to help. 

 

During a chiropractic exam, the doctor will look for joint restrictions as well as tight and/or weak muscles. The exam also includes an orthopedic and neurological assessment to determine the anatomical structures to evaluate the root cause of the pain.  Upon analysis, a treatment program is prescribed that typically ranges from  4 - 8 weeks (much like physical therapy.). At the beginning of care, functional goals are set. Examples of functional goals are going upstairs pain-free, lifting a grandchild pain-free, throwing a baseball pain-free, etc.  Treatment typically consists of chiropractic adjustments which will free restricted joints, massage to release trigger points, as well as stretching and strengthening exercises.  Often also included are therapies such as ultrasound and/or light and electrostimulation that reduce muscle spasms and promote healing.  In some cases, spinal decompression is used to help treat and relieve nerve pressure from spinal disc herniations.  Throughout treatment, re-evaluations are performed to ensure the patient is responding appropriately and care is continued until set goals are met.  It's not uncommon for our doctors to work in coordination with your medical doctor regarding medication that may be required to control pain levels and inflammation.  If the patient does not respond appropriately and function goals are not met, then either more testing is ordered or the patient will be referred out for alternate care.

 

Many patients do benefit from regular chiropractic care to keep out of recurring acute pain or chronic pain. While the concept of treating someone who is pain-free might be foreign, some of our happiest patients are the ones that use wellness care to stay pain-free and keep living active.  Chiropractic plays a large roll in wellness, pain management, healing and improved athletic performance.  There’s a reason why chiropractors are a part of every major sports team!  Chiropractic is for everyone.