Let me starting by thanking you for taking the time to explore my website. You are probably here because you have pain that will not go away, just got hurt, want to live a healthier more energetic lifestyle, or are just curious to know what exactly a chiropractor does. So let me try to answer some of your questions.
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system in your body. Your nervous system consists of your brain, spinal cord, and millions of nerves. While your brain is protected by the skull, your spinal cord is protected by the twenty-four moving bones of the spine.
Many everyday activities can cause these spinal bones to lose their normal position or motion. This can result in nervous system dysfunction and irritation and ultimately pain, numbness, muscle weakness or simply a poor state of health. The chiropractic approach to better health is to detect, reduce, and help prevent nervous system dysfunction through correction of misaligned, restricted, and irritated spinal areas.
What are the benefits of an adjustment?
1) Nervous System: Some of the most profound effects of having a chiropractic adjustment are the changes to the nervous system and muscular tone. When a chiropractic adjustment is delivered a spinal reflex and muscular reflex occurs. This action has the effect of essentially “resetting” neural activity and restoring proper muscular tone.
2) Joint Motion: Another significant effect of a chiropractic adjustment is the increase and improvement of joint motion. If you have ever awoken feeling stiff and achy or find it difficult to back your car out of the garage because you can not turn your head as far as you use to, then you know what a loss of joint motion is like. It has been shown that there is an increase in range of motion and muscular strength following chiropractic adjustments. These benefits alone are without measure to many amateur and professional athletes. Restoring joint motion also improves the overall health of joints since we know that motion promotes improved circulation and increases the flow of joint fluid which nourishes worn and damaged cartilage.
How often will I need to get adjusted?
Each case is always unique with the degree of injury or how long a chronic condition has gone untreated. The overall health of a patient also determines how long a treatment plan will be. Typical low back strain injuries require 3-6 treatment sessions. A more complicated case of low back pain which could involve a spinal disc injury can take anywhere from 10-25 treatment sessions.
When it comes to wellness or supportive care I want all my patients to be proactive with their healthcare decisions and that involves each patient understanding the benefits of chiropractic and how all the choices they make affects their lives. Ask yourself these questions: Do you have a very physical job that puts a lot strain and stress on your joints? Do you have a sedentary job that involves prolonged periods of sitting, standing, or driving? Do you have a well balanced diet that offers you all of the vitamins and minerals that you need? Do you take time throughout the week to exercise and stretch? All of these need to be considered when determining a wellness schedule.
Would I benefit from Chiropractic care?
Do you feel stiff and achy? Do you have chronic pain? Been diagnosed with arthritis, degeneration, fibromyalgia, a herniated disc? Are you pregnant or planning on getting pregnant? Do you have chronic headaches? Do you have a stressful job? Do you want to be healthier? Do you have poor posture? Do the heels of your shoes wear unevenly? Were you recently in a car accident? These are just a few examples, but if you answered Yes to any of these question than you could benefit from Chiropractic care.
