Question 1

What is chiropractic?

Accepted Answer

Modern day Chiropractic is a method of health care which utilizes non-invasive methods to assist and optimize the natural healing processes of your body. The main focus of chiropractic is the relationship between the spine and the nervous system that runs through it. By treating the spine and the soft tissues around it, chiropractors are able to allow the nervous system to work at its best, and thus effect changes in the health your spine as well as throughout your body. The word chiropractic comes from a combination of the Greek words “chiro” and “praktikis”, meaning “done by hand”. “Treatment by hand” was an accepted form of therapy in ancient Greece where Hippocrates, who is regarded as the founder of medical inquiry, made the first recorded references to spinal manipulation. Similarly, chiropractic treatment today utilizes a hands-on approach.

Question 2

How does chiropractic care work?

Accepted Answer

The basic premise of chiropractic care is simple: Your spine is always being used. When you get up out of bed, walk, work, play and even while you are breathing in you sleep, your spine is being used. The spine is the integral center around which all functions of the body are oriented. Proper spinal function and health is therefore essential in everything that you do. Back pain, whether it is mild or severe, chronic or recent, can have drastic effects on your overall ability to function. Postural imbalances, movmement imbalances, and structural misalignments can accumulate in our spines over time, as well as occur suddenly. These are the sources of pain, reduced mobility and decreased function in the spine and will impair the funciton of the body as a whole. Chiropractic care helps to reduce or remove the discomfort, pain or reduced function by correcting these imbalances and misalignments of the spine, which will in turn help restore normal function to the whole body.

Question 3

Is chiropractic effective?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment for many things, including low back pain, neck pain, headaches and other conditions relating to the spine. There is very good scientific evidence proving that chiropractic care works. Over the past 20 years, many controlled and independent research studies have shown again and again that chiropractic care is safe and effective. However, the extent to which a person can benefit from care varies depending on their problem and how long is has existed.

Question 4

Are there risks to seeing a chiropractor? Is it safe?

Accepted Answer

Every health procedure, from taking aspirin to giving blood, involves a level of risk. Chiropractic adjustments are among the safest of all health care interventions because they are non-surgical and drug-free. That being said, yes, there are risks to seeing a chiropractor. These risks vary depending on the treatment being performed and the area being treated, and should be addressed by your chiropractor on a case by case basis during your visit.

Question 5

Do I need a referral from my doctor in order to see a chiropractor?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t. Chiropractors are primary care providers just like family physicians, optometrists or dentists. No referral from your medical doctor is needed.

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Dr. Forest Eaton, DC

Tim Gropen, RMT