About Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a type of conservative healthcare that is focused on promoting health and the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal and nervous system disorders, without the use of drugs or surgery.

In addition to 4 year science bachelors degree, chiropractors are licensed, board certified, and highly trained in an additional 3.5-4 year doctorate program covering basic sciences, anatomy, physiology, disease diagnosis, nutrition, radiology, biochemistry, rehabilitative exercise, manual therapies, and many other subjects. Chiropractors are spinal pain experts with an extremely high level of training in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal dysfunction and pain.

Through the use of manual palpation, range of motion examination, and postural screening, chiropractors are trained to diagnose musculoskeletal dysfunction a specific tissue type (muscle, bone, ligament, disc, etc.). Once a diagnosis is reached chiropractors use spinal manipulation (adjustments), soft tissue therapy (such as myofascial release), exercise prescription, rehabilitative exercise, nutrition/supplementation, and other forms of physical medicine to treat acute and chronic musculoskeletal dysfunction and pain.

Many patients have experienced success using chiropractic to help avoid surgery and limit the use of narcotic pain relievers. When working alone or together with other health care providers (medical doctors, physical therapists, etc.) chiropractors are very successful in treating and managing a variety of musculoskeletal conditions.

One of the tools that chiropractors are known for is spinal manipulation, also referred to as the chiropractic adjustment. Spinal manipulation involves applying a high-velocity thrust to move a joint in the body past it's normal end-range of motion, commonly making a "cracking" or "popping" sound. Manipulation may attribute it's success to reducing pain, breaking up fibrous adhesions, and restoring normal joint movement that would otherwise compromise the normal biomechanics of the body.

Along with spinal manipulation, the plethora of other treatment methods available to chiropractic patients makes chiropractic a unique, successful, and cost-effective treatment option for patients with musculoskeletal dysfunction. Below is a list of some of the most common conditions chiropractors may help manage and treat:

• Low Back Pain

• Neck Pain

• Radiculopathy

• Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)

• Disc Herniation

• Sciatica

• Headache

• Osteoarthritis

• Many Others

Here are some peer-reviewed scientific research studies on the effectiveness of Spinal Manipulation (aka the chiropractic adjustment):

1. Spinal manipulation significantly better than non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (diclofenac) in acute low back pain

2. Spinal manipulation increases cortical drive & prevents neural fatigue

3. Spinal manipulation dose-response - 12 visits yielded the best results

4. Spinal manipulation increases the chemical Substance P (responsible for decreasing pain)

5. Spinal manipulation decreases pain, improves mobility, and increases full height

6. Neck pain patient satisfaction is higher with Spinal manipulation or home exercise than medication.

7. Spinal manipulation provided better short and long-term functional improvement and pain relief than back school or individual physiotherapy

8. Spinal manipulation more effective than medication in short and long-term for neck pain

9. Spinal manipulation as effective as well-established migraine treatment (amitriptyline), and should be considered a treatment option for migraine headaches