Balanced Body Chiropractic Wellness

True health comes from living in agreement with Nature.
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This section is designed to answer some of the most frequently asked questions that patients have concerning chiropractic care. If your question is not listed, please contact this office for further information.

Q: What conditions do chiropractors treat?

A: Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on overall health of the patient.Chiropractic care is primarily utilized in the correction of neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited too: neck pain, back pain, pain in the joints or arms and legs, and headaches. Many other conditions show benefit from chiropractic care. Your chiropractic physician will be happy to explain the cause of the problem and the treatment that will be most beneficial.
Q: Is chiropractic treatment safe?
A: Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no healthcare treatment is completely free of potential adverse affects.
     The risks associated with chiropractic are very small. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may experience mild soreness or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise. Current research literature shows that minor discomfort or soreness following spinal manipulation typically fades within 24 hours.
     Neck pain and soem types of headaches are treated though precise cervical manipulation. Cervical manipulation, often called a neck adjustment, works to improve joint mobility in the neck, restoring range of motion and decreasing muscle spasm, which helps relieve pressure and tension.
    It is important for patients to understand the risks associated with some of the most common treatments for musculoskeletal pain--prescription and over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDS)--as these treatments may carry risks significantly greater than those of chiropractic manipulation. According to a study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, approximatley one-third of all hospitalizations and deaths related to gastrointestinal bleeding can be attributed to the use of aspirin or NSAID painkillers like ibuprofen.    
    
Q: How is a chiropractic adjustment performed?
A: Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the intensive years of chiropractic education and clinical training. The chiropractor typically uses his hands to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to reduce pain, and restore or enhance joint function. Chiropractic manipulation is a highly controlled procedure that rarely causes discomfort. The chiropractor adaptsthe procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Patients often note positive changes in their symptoms immediately following treatment.
Q: What causes the sound made during a chiropractic adjustment?
A: That sound is not your spine "cracking" or "popping" like most people think. That sound is created by gas (in this case, nitrogen) rushing in to fill the partial vacuum created when the joints are slightly separated. Another example of this phenomenon would be the "pop" sound you hear when the cork is taken out of a champagne bottle. Not all chiropractic adjusting techniques produce this noise. In fact, some adjusting techniques use little force and thus produce no noise at all.
Q: Is it bad to "crack" your back or neck a lot? 
A: This question is frequently asked because people associate the "cracking" or "popping" of one's back or neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing. If a person has a desire to "crack" his/her neck or back it is often because one area of their spine is fixated or jammed causing another area to move too much and "pop", sometimes by itself. It's the fixated or jammed area that needs to be properly adjusted by a chiropractor so that the other parts of the spine will not be hypermobile and noisy. When you "crack" your back you may be relieving the tension for a little while. Do you notice how it keeps coming back? That is because you are not giving yourself a specific chiropractic adjustment. The cause of the spinal tension, the fixated or jammed (subluxated) vertebrae, has not been corrected. Any person who makes a habit out of "cracking" or "popping" their back or neck needs to go to a Doctor of Chiropractic to have their spine checked. Even a chiropractor cannot adjust him/herself.
Q: Is there scientific proof that chiropractic works?
A: Particularly for low back pain, yes. The Clinical Standards Advisory Group recommended in 1994 that there should be earlier access to the manipulative therapies and a redistribution of resources within the NHS to make this happen. In September 1996 the Royal College of General Practitioners issued guidelines for GPs which recommend manipulative treatment within the first six weeks for patients with low back pain. They also state that the risks of manipulation are very low in skilled hands.
     Now research is beginning to concentrate on how chiropractic affects other areas of the musculo-skeletal system, including a trial at the University of Odense in Denmark 1 on the effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of neck-related headache and a Canadian patient satisfaction study 2 which shows chiropractic as an effective means of resolving or improving back and/or neck pain.
Many chiropractors regularly report success in treating babies with colic, cases of asthma and high blood pressure, digestive complaints, period pain and many other conditions which are not directly related to the spine and joints. As a result, researchers all over the world, including the Anglo European College of Chiropractic and the British College of Chiropractic are also investigating the effect chiropractic has on pain and disease in the organs of the body.
     In the section-Patient Information- are many references citing research studies proving that chiropractic does indeed work, and is often more cost effective than traditional medical care or physical therapy.

References:

Nilsson N, Christensen HW, Hartvigsen J, The Effect of Spinal Manipulation in the Treatment of Cervicogenic Headache, J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1997; 20:326-330
Verhoef MJ, Page SA, Waddell SC, The Chiropractic Outcome Study: Pain, Functional Ability and Satisfaction with Care, J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1997, 20(4):235-240 How should I format the text on the page?