The basic focus of Chiropractic practice is the relationship between structure and function in the neuromusculoskeletal system - that is, the interrelationship of the nervous system, joints, and muscles. This interrelationship is evaluated for dysfunction in joint movement, muscle imbalance, etc. Treatment to correct these problems is undertaken, also by the Chiropractor. A Chiropractor provides both a diagnosis and treatment for the patient.

Chiropractic treatment emphasizes joint manipulation, known as an 'adjustment', in which your doctor will use his or her hands to move a joint in your spine. An adjustment helps to free-up joints that are fixed or stuck in one position. This aids in decreasing pain and nerve irritation, as well as decreasing inflammation and muscle tension among other effects.

Most back pain is caused by mechanical problems. That is, some sort of disruption in the normal way the spine functions. Taking medication such as Tylenol may numb the pain somewhat but it does not address the root cause of the problem. Chiropractic treatment is aimed at the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms. A good analogy would be a stone in your shoe. If you get a small stone in your shoe it can make walking very uncomfortable. What are your options? You could limp and try to avoid putting pressure on the stone. You could strap a thick piece of foam to your foot to act as a cushion, or the most obvious choice would be to remove the stone! Essentially, that is what Chiropractic is all about. We try to find 'the little stone' that is bothering your spine and then we remove it.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• The word 'Chiropractic' is derived from the Greeks and it means "treatment by hand"
• Chiropractic is currently the third largest primary health care discipline in North America.
• Chiropractors are primary healthcare practitioners which means that you do not need a referral from a Medical Doctor to make an appointment.
• Chiropractors treat patients without the use of drugs or surgery, and refer patients for medical care when necessary.
• Chiropractic approaches healthcare from a holistic point of view, meaning that the entire body must be considered in the treatment of a patient, not just the ailing part. Prevention of disease is also emphasized as opposed to waiting for disease to occur and then trying to cure it.
• Currently, to receive a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, a student requires 3 years of study at the university level followed by 4 years at an accredited Chiropractic College.

WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE?

Q: What is Chiropractic?

A: Chiropractic is the science which is concerned with the relationship between STRUCTURE, primarily the spine, and FUNCTION, primarily the nervous system, of the human body as that relationship may affect the restoration and preservation of health.

Chiropractic is the third largest health care discipline, after medicine and dentistry. However, of these three disciplines, chiropractic is the only one based upon natural healing methods. Chiropractic physicians do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. Instead, they respect the inherent power of the human body to heal itself. The Doctor of Chiropractic endeavors to facilitate the body's restoration and preservation of health by helping to maintain a balanced, optimally functioning "neuromusculoskeletal system", NATURALLY.

Q: What is the "neuromusculoskeletal system", and how does the chiropractic physician have an effect on it?

A: Every aspect of the body is controlled by the nervous system. The spine has both a direct and an indirect relationship to the nervous system. Because muscles and bones are intimately linked, muscles being attached to bones, the interrelationship between the nervous, muscular and skeletal systems plays a critical role in optimal health of every organ and tissue in the body. The interrelationship between these three system, then, is know as the "neuromusculoskeletal system", or N.M.S. The Doctor of Chiropractic can have an effect on the N.M.S. system by making small "adjustments" to the spine, or other articulations of the body, to improve joint, muscle and nerve function.

Q: What is a chiropractic adjustment?

A: A chiropractic adjustment is specific and precisely executed manual force
directed to a joint, with the objective to restore normal joint and nerve function.

Q: What is the "cracking" sound heard during a chiropractic adjustment?

A: The "cracking" sound is caused by the release of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases as they are released from the joint cavity as the adjustment is made. It is NOT the sound of a joint "going back into place".

Q: What is the difference between a chiropractic adjustment and "cracking" my own back or neck?

A: A chiropractic adjustment is SPECIFIC to a particular joint, and is delivered at a SPECIFIC angle, with SPECIFIC force and depth, using a SPECIFIC method to have a SPECIFIC result. The adjustment is directed to only those joints which, upon careful and skilled examination, are found to have impaired movement of function (i.e.: hypomobile joints). A spinal joint may be "dysfunctional" in any of six different directions, or planes of motion. Your chiropractic physician is expertly trained to diagnose exactly how a joint is restricted, and how the joint dysfunction is best corrected. What occurs when you "crack" your own back or neck is entirely different. You are merely forcing those joints that are EASIEST to move (i.e.: hypermobile joints) to do so, and to move into the direction that is already EASIEST for them to move in. You are having NO effect on the joints that need help the most! not only is this "self remedy" extremely non-specific, it is also harmful. Repeated "cracking" of the hypermobile joints eventually leads to deterioration of those joints and arthritic changes.

Q: What can joint dysfunction cause?

A: Joint dysfunction can affect the nerves, muscles and blood flow associated with the joint itself. It can compensate for its own lack of movement, thus making them work harder and become irritated and painful. Muscles in the affected area fatigue quickly, tighten up and eventually go into spasm. Blood supply to both the muscles and the joints is also adversely affected. However, the effects of spinal joint dysfunction can be extremely diverse and subtle. Because spinal joints are richly enervated by nerves, and these nerves have direct connections to the spinal cord and the major nerve pathways supplying every tissue and organ in the body, the effect of even a minor joint dysfunction or subluxation may have a considerable impact on one's health.

Q: What will I feel with a chiropractic adjustment?

A: As performed by a qualified Doctor of Chiropractic adjustments usually produce no discomfort. At the moment of the adjustment you may feel a small "Pop" as the joint surfaces separate slightly and the joint "releases" Occasionally, you might experience mild discomfort the following day after your initial adjustment. This is a normal physiological occurrence, and is simply due to the body adapting itself to its new neurological and biomechanical state. To minimize any possible discomfort, it is beneficial to ice the area soon after the adjustment.

Q: How long will it take to get better?

A: In most cases, pain symptoms of common neuromusculoskeletal conditions can be relieved quite quickly through chiropractic care. However, there is a fundamental difference between the traditional medical approach to treating such conditions and the approach used by chiropractic, and it is because of this difference that chiropractic has proved to be so effective. While medicine typically tries to control the pain through drugs and modalities, the chiropractic physician's goal is to first alleviate the symptoms, and then correct the cause of the problem. The great majority of back and neck related problems are of a mechanical nature in which joint dysfunctions are the key causative factor. How long it will take to get better, then, is not a question of how long will it take to get out of pain, but rather how long will it take for the underlying problem to be corrected. This is a crucial distinction to understand, for patients often mistake FEELING better for actual BEING better. Being out of pain does not mean your body is healthy. As extreme examples, cancer, unfortunately, is usually discovered in its advanced stages, long after it began, and having shown no symptoms for years. Similarly, heart attack victims frequently have no previous warning that they are, in fact, very ill.

So how long will it take to properly correct your spinal problem? This will depend upon many factors, such as your age, weight, lifestyle, occupation, length of time you have had the spinal problem, family predisposition, and your cooperation and commitment.

Q: Why are regular spinal checkups necessary?

A: Like dentistry, chiropractic strongly advocates the virtues of preventative health care. Common sense tells us that it is much easier, much quicker, far less painful, and definitely cheaper to discover and correct the problems in their early stages than wait until they become Big Problems! Once care is given it up to your body's own healing powers to stabilize and actually obtain a cumulative effect.