Chiropractors have been trained as primary care physicians to diagnose and treat a variety of health care conditions. The treatment most associated with chiropractic care is a Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation. This is just one of the treatment options a chiropractor can offer.
A Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation has been shown to be effective in treating low back pain, neck pain and headaches. Chiropractic Spinal Manipulations are sometimes combined with adjunctive therapies such as ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, heat or cold, exercise and stretching to speed up the healing process. Research suggests that acute low back pain responds favorably to Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation and chronic low back pain responds well to exercise and yoga therapy.
Research shows that autonomic symptoms such as digestive disturbances, malaise, dizziness, vertigo and sweating can be associated with inflammatory nerve fiber input in the spine. Sometimes these symptoms resolve with a Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation.
Often dietary changes, vitamin and herbal supplementation will help reduce pain and associated symptoms even further.
What to Expect
A chiropractic visit will include a detailed history and examination, a diagnosis and therapy recommendation. Your consent is always required before a Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation. Not all visits to a chiropractor include a manipulation; there are other methods of providing pain relief and restoring joint function such as traction, McKenzie extension therapy, and activator treatments.
X-Rays are not done at this facility and are not necessary for everyone. If I feel you need an X-Ray or an MRI, I will refer you to a radiology facility where a radiologist will read your films and send me the report.
SUPPORT FOR CHIROPRACTIC SPINAL MANIPULATION
In 2007 guidelines, the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society included spinal manipulation as one of several treatment options for practitioners to consider using when pain does not improve with self-care.
In the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services December 1994 publication No. 14, spinal manipulation is recommended for acute low back pain:
- Relief of discomfort can be accomplished most safely with nonprescription medication and/or spinal manipulation.
- Patients with sciatica may recover more slowly, but further evaluation can also be safely delayed.
- Within the first 3 months of low back symptoms, only patients with evidence of serious spinal pathology or severe, debilitating symptoms of sciatica, and physiologic evidence of specific nerve root compromise corroborated on imaging studies can be expected to benefit from surgery.
- With or without surgery, 80% of patients with sciatica recover eventually.
NUTRITION
Neurogenic inflammation is a complicated term that simply denotes a cascade of chemical reactions in our cells that result in pain and inflammation. Centrally involved is Substance P, a chemical found in many cells in the body that is commonly released in inflammatory conditions.Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.A chiropractic physician is trained extensively in the diagnosis and nutritional management of internal disorders. There are natural ways to decrease inflammatory chemical reactions in the body as effectively as with any prescription drug. If you suffer from heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bronchitis, otitis media, Lyme disease, headaches, or psoriasis, proper nutritional management can contribute significantly to the reduction of symptoms.
Hippocrates