All About Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic is a “hands-on”, drug free, and non-surgical healing art. Chiropractic’s main focus is the spine and its relationship to the rest of the body. The most common condition treated, in a chiropractic office, is called a vertebral subluxation, also known as segmental joint dysfunction. This condition involves vertebrae that have lost their proper position or are moving abnormally. In our office, we treat the entire musculoskeletal system. This includes assessing and treating joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves of the spine, as well as the upper and lower extremities. We choose to use a variety of hands-on techniques to treat problems with these structures.
An adjustment is the most common treatment technique used in most chiropractic offices. Adjustments can be administered in a variety of ways, with the focus of restoring proper position and motion to joints. In our office, we use a hands-on approach to adjusting. This means we will assess motion within joints, using our hands, and then we will apply a corrective force to any of these joints that are not moving properly. This corrective force is administered with a quick short thrust of our hands. Often, these types of adjustments will result in a “popping” or “cracking” sound. This sound is created from the release of nitrogen gas from a joint. These sounds are not always present, and do not indicate whether or not a treatment was successful.
Adjustments are typically a pain free method of treatment. Occasionally, if the problem is severe or has been present for a long period of time, you may experience some slight discomfort during a treatment and possibly for a day or so after a treatment.
Most people will experience a decrease of their symptoms within the first few treatments. As a general rule, we expect significant improvement within the first three to four weeks of treatment. If this does not occur, we will either change our treatment approach or refer you for a different type of care. Complete resolution of a patient’s symptoms depend on a variety of factors, such as the severity of the condition, length of time the condition has been present, and the overall condition of the patient. Your particular case will be discussed with you, by your doctor.
No, but many people choose to continue. You always have the power to stop or start care whenever you feel it is appropriate. Many people will choose to stay on a wellness or maintenance program of chiropractic care after their main complaint has resolved. This involves scheduling treatments on a regular basis, regardless of symptoms. For some people, this is once a month, for others, it is two to three times a year. Remember, we will make treatment recommendations that we feel are in your best interest, but it is always your choice as to how long you will benefit from chiropractic care.