How does chiropractic work?

Chiropractic works by restoring and correcting the positioning of your spinal vertebra.  When your body is stressed, affected with illness, or injured it will affect the muscle tone and biomechanical positioning of your spine.  Many areas of the spine will be tense or spastic.  It is also possible that you will suffer nerve compression resulting in numbness or tingling.  If this happens chronically then your spine will show effects of degeneration and will show signs of spinal arthritis and disc disease.    

Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation

Chiropractic spinal manipulation is a form of treatment that is used to restore normal movement and function of the spine which is also known as spinal adjustment. During the adjustment process spinal joints which are getting compressed are manually manipulated to decrease internal tension within the spinal joints helping to lubricate and maintain health of the  disc. The adjustment has been proven to improve low back pain, as well as, improve flexibility to the regions being adjusted. Chiropractic adjustments improve joint health by decreasing the degenerative effects of arthritis while increasing joint function. That means it will be easier to bend and twist after an adjustment. Chiropractic adjustments are safe for all ages and patients usually will start feeling better immediately. 

Can chiropractic help me?

Chiropractic is an excellent choice for people who are looking to avoid prescription drugs and/or surgery for their condtions.  Chiropractic is effective in treatment of many conditions of the spine including *low back pain, *arthritis (spondylosis), *herniated disc, *myofascial pain, *facet syndrome, and *scoliosis.

Is chiropractic safe?

Chiropractic is a safe alternative treatment for many spinal disorders. There are some risks associated with chiropractic adjustments but our trained doctor will first thoroughly evaluate you for treatment. Conditions outside the scope of the chiropractic practice will be referred to medical specialists.

Relief care versus corrective care

We have two types of care available, relief care and corrective care.

Relief care

What to expect on the first visit

Normally it will take about 15-20 minutes to fill out the patient evaluation forms. These forms are available online to print out and fill out at home to save time. The doctor will perform a complete history and physical examination which takes about 30 min. Chiropractic treatment usually begins on the first visit. Any additional exams such as x-rays will be ordered on the first visit after examination.

Relief care is exactly what it sounds like, it is meant to provide relief. The therapeutic goal is to provide immediate but temporary relief of the patients symptoms. It usually provided on an urgent care type basis.

Corrective care

Corrective care starts with looking for the most accurate diagnosis of the patient's conditions. We start with a complete history and physical examination. We utilize x-rays to assess the joint health, nerve testing to determine if there is any nerve dysfunction present. MRI's are ordered if there is a suspicion of disc herniation or soft tissue damage. Other tests such as carotid ultrasound scan and blood tests are used if there may be other conditions involved with the patient's pain.

Once an accurate diagnosis is made the results are reviewed in detail with the patient and then a comprehensive treatment plan is created to correct the patient's condition. Physical therapy modalities such as heat, ice, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, mechanical traction are used to the injured areas in the passive phase of care. Therapeutic procedures such as myofascial release, deep tissue massage, stretching, exercise, neuromuscular rehabilitation and kinesiotaping are combined with the modalities to create a more active treatment plan encouraging strengthening and rehabilitation of the injured areas. Chiropractic spinal manipulation will be performed suited to each patient's needs.

Individual home exercise programs are also taught with the goal of teaching patients simple yet effective stretches and exercises to be done at home that will increase strengthening and rehabilitation. Nutritional concepts will be addressed with each patient depending on their needs including vitamins and supplements that can relieve their condition and improve their health. Body fat determination is also performed and monitored during active treatment to encourage an understanding of overall fitness and health.