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The Benefits of Chiropractic Care
by Dr. Christine Kmiec
A chiropractor is a doctor who diagnoses and treats disorders of the spine, extremities, muscles and any nerve related disorder. These include headaches, disc injuries, TMJ, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, fatigue, scoliosis, and many other neuro-musculo-skeletal disorders.
In a growing health conscious society, patients are looking for more conservative and alternate measures to treat their problems. Before the recent popularity of alternative medicine. patients were left with only one option, and that was to treat with medication. In some cases, this is still the preferred treatment, but for many people, they are finding relief with other treatments such as chiropractic and massage therapy.
What to Expect
When visiting a chiropractor, you should expect a through evaluation and exam to include a health history to determine the origin of your problem. Depending on your particular problem and age, it may be necessary for the chiropractor to send out for x-rays, blood work or even an MRI. Once a diagnosis is reached, treatment is rendered. A typical chiropractic treatment consists of a spinal adjustment and may be paired wit other modalities such as therapeutic massage, exercise, muscle stimulation, and ultrasound. If your problem needs further evaluation, the chiropractor may c0-treat you with your family doctor or a specialist, like a neurologist.
A chiropractic adjustment is performed on areas of the spine and extremities that are hypo-mobile, meaning they have a decrease in movement as related to the other areas of the spine. The importance of this is to bring mobility back to these areas, in turn restoring proper nerve and blood flow. Many diseases such as arthritis are caused by a lack of blood and nerve flow, so getting regular adjustments have show to help this process.
Documented Research
Below are two documented pieces of research:
"For the management of low-back pain, chiropractic care is the most effective treatment, and it should be fully integrated into the health care system."
The Magna Report (1993)
"Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache."
FCER Evidence Report, McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001)
Cost Effective Health Care
Worried that your insurance won't pay? Due to growing research and the over-whelming demand for chiropractors, most insurance companies provide at least some coverage.
Chiropractic is cost effective and is less expensive than surgery and other medical approaches, If you or a loved one suffers from back, neck or other joint, muscle or nerve related disorder, consider consulting a Doctor of Chiropractic. You may just be pleasantly surprised.