10 Things Most People Don't Know About Chiropractic...
1. Pain is the last symptom of dysfunction. A patient’s back is often restricted or unstable for months or years before it presents as a problem and they show up in a chiropractor’s office. In addition, the absence of pain is not health. You can take medication to cover up the symptoms and the pain goes away but the dysfunction that caused it still persists. Muscle, ligament and joint injuries often occur as a result of long-term bio-mechanical dysfunction, sometimes from past injuries, poor postural habits, and a long array of physical stressors -making the area more susceptible to future injury.
I wish the average age for those being introduced to or trying out chiropractic for the very first time was under the current average age of 47. Trust me, out of over 3,000 patient exams in eight years of practice, I could count on one hand how many that waited to get checked did not at least have mild arthritic change before age 47 -degenerative changes to the spinal joints, bones and discs that occur from lack of proper movement that usually never initially presents as pain. Osteoarthritis is not genetic, folks.
2. Athletes use chiropractors to stay well and perform better, not just for the occasional injury. Athletes choose chiropractors because we are movement specialists. Chiropractors have been spotted all over the Olympic games coverage in recent years. Top athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady, Evander Holyfield, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have all been proud outspoken patients of chiropractors. I know all 32 NFL teams have a chiropractor on staff, as well as most all professional level teams in other sports. These days it’s far more common than not for major athletes and sports teams to keep chiropractors on staff to help prevent injuries, speed injury recovery, improve balance and coordination, and give them a greater competitive edge. Who is better when the nervous system is firing on all cylinders?
3. The body does not perform as a cluster of separate mechanisms, but rather a cascade of events that all starts with proper control by the nervous system. The nerves that travel through and control every function of your body originate at the spinal cord and their transmission may be disrupted if the joints of the surrounding spinal column are not moving properly. This disruption in bio-mechanical integrity combined with altered physiological function is what chiropractors call a subluxation. Below is a chart that illustrates the relationship of the spinal nerves exiting the vertebra branching off to the various organ systems. You can see why it is not uncommon for a chiropractor to serve a patient with mid-back pain who also suffers from irritable bowel system or acid reflux. A patient with a subluxated sacrum who has been unsuccessfully trying to become pregnant, or a patient with an upper neck fixation and issues with high blood pressure. I have personally witnessed each of those mentioned conditions heal, improve and "go away" under chiropractic care. Did I or "chiropractic" fix it? No...continue to point #4 please...
4. Doctors don’t do the healing. Sorry to disappoint you, but a chiropractor will never fix your back. What we are able to do is restore proper motion in the joints, which relieves tension on the nerves and muscles and allows your body to do the healing that it is inherently made to do. As chiropractors, we believe that the body is a perfect organism in its natural state, and all disease comes from a disruption in the body’s proper transmission of signals by the nerves which affects its ability to heal and to defend against disease-causing agents. We never treat disease. We assess to find which spinal levels are causing the dysfunction, and we adjust it to restore proper nerve flow so the nervous system may work as efficiently and effectively as possible. I am an expert in detecting and correcting subluxation.
5. Chiropractic is for all ages. Many seniors aren’t aware of the benefits of chiropractic care which can help them not only with pain relief, but also increases range of motion, balance and coordination, and decrease joint degeneration. There’s no patient too young for chiropractic either! Chiropractors check infants moments after birth for misalignments of the upper vertebrae that may occur as a result of the birth process. In addition to supporting overall health and well-being, parents also take their children to chiropractors to encourage healthy brain and nervous system development, to assist with colic, asthma, allergies, bed-wetting and sleeping problems, and to assist with behavioral disorders. Physical stressors can happen at birth as mentioned above; also think about how many times your child fell asleep with a crazy tilted head/neck in the car seat, or how many times they fall and bump when learning how to walk and play. I am thankful to have many families with babies and kids of all ages that all come in and get checked and cleared for subluxation. They obviously value the difference it makes.
6. We know about more than your backbone! This surprises many people who had no idea that chiropractors give advice on nutrition, fitness, ergonomics and lifestyle, screen for conditions unrelated to the musculoskeletal system and refer out to other practitioners when necessary. Chiropractors are also able to complete specialties in other areas such as pediatrics, sports rehabilitation, neurology, clinical nutrition, and addictions and compulsive disorders. Personally, I have advanced training in child and prenatal care and a certification as a sports chiropractor. I am always giving nutrition and lifestyle advice to my patients, but never forget -my main priority will be detecting and correcting (adjusting) subluxation. In my opinion, that should be the number one priority of any legit chiropractor.
Other than particular specialties and the differences in learning to adjust and learning to prescribe medication, our training hours are not dissimilar from that of a medical doctor. The following are the classroom hours for basic science requirements compiled and averaged following a review of curricula of 18 chiropractic schools and 22 medical schools.
7. Successful chiropractic patients accept responsibility. When somebody says that they tried chiropractic and it didn’t help, I cringe and get the feeling that they really missed the boat. Of course, there are cases with complicating factors, but I have heard this from people with straightforward chiropractic problems when it is very clear what has happened here. In most cases, one doesn’t acquire back pain over night, and it’s not going to go away over night. If a weak core from years of sitting at your desk is to blame for the additional stress on your joints, I would expect an adjustment to provide relief, but once the condition is no longer exacerbated, I would most definitely prescribe some exercises for you to do at home or possibly team with a good trainer of physical therapist. I might also suggest we evaluate your nutrition if I suspect an inflammatory diet may be wiring you for pain. Sure, I’m always happy to adjust someone and make a living, but if you’ve been given homework and you don’t do it, I better not hear you say chiropractic didn’t work when you’re hurting again!
8. Chiropractic may help you get sick less. Chiropractic patients tend to get sick less. Studies have indicated that adjustments consistently reduce the production of pro-inflammatory mediators associated with tissue damage and pain, and may also enhance the production of immunoregulatory complexes important for healthy immune system defense. As far back as the deadly flu pandemic of 1917-1918, chiropractors noticed that their patients seemed to have fewer fatalities than among the general population and were able to publish their work in an osteopathic journal since no scholarly journals were accepting chiropractic data. The estimated death rate among patients of conventional medical care in the U.S. was estimated at 5 to 6 percent while the fatality rate among influenza cases receiving spinal adjustments was estimated at 0.25%. In a recent study done in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics it stated that after a chiropractic adjustment the body’s white blood cell count increases 48% within the following 24 to 48 hours!
9. “I heard I’ll have to go forever”. This statement always amazes me. To me, this is just like saying, “I would go to the dentist but I know if I do I’ll just have to go forever”. It is true that many chiropractors recommend that you continue regular maintenance/preventive care but it is completely up to you. Many patients decide to quit care after they are symptom free. However, the greatest benefit from chiropractic typically comes when you don’t have symptoms. Just like the best time to see the dentist is before you get a cavity or tooth ache; or just like you take change your oil and rotate the tires of your vehicle before there is a major problem. Think of it as spinal hygiene much like we do for dental hygiene -instead of occasionally getting checked for tartar buildup and cavities you are getting checked for subluxations in the spine and helping keep your nervous system fully engaged, in balance and preventing arthritic "cavities" in your spinal joints.
10. Adjustments don’t hurt. There is no bone snapping or warrior-style pulling heads off spinal columns! I often think that Hollywood's use of Chuck Norris, Rambo, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal and other human "lethal weapons" on the screen have created an uphill battle for chiropractors. The neck adjustment some chiropractors use causes anticipation for many new patients, but is actually much more gentle than they imagined, and involves a quick, direct yet gentle thrust to a specific spinal bone. The sound an adjustment makes is called a cavitation and is only space being created within the joint causing gasses to be released from the joint capsule, which creates the popping or cracking noise. Adjustments typically feel amazing, especially when you have attained needed correction and stay well adjusted for maintenance. For those that are absolutely opposed to the traditional, hands-on style adjusting, we offer other effective techniques that create movement.
Also, chiropractic adjustments will not wear out your joints, as some imagine because they have been warned not to “crack their knuckles” for this reason in the past. Adjustments, unlike “knuckle cracking” or having your friend stomp on you while you lay on the carpet, are applied specifically to improve the motion of your joints and limit the small dysfunctions that over time can lead to arthritis. Most people after an adjustment describe the feeling as being “lighter”, having greater ease in moving the body, and being able to stand up taller.
Yours In Health,
Dr. David R. Mason, D.C.
Be Fit. Eat Right. Think Well. Get adjusted.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies
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