When do you need a Chiropractor?

The Chiropractic approach to healthcare is to uncover the cause of your health condition, not merely cover up your symptoms. The chiropractic approach is the wellness model which includes several aspects of overall health. Today's Doctors of Chiropractic go through an intense educational process similar to medical doctors over the first two years of schooling. In their second two years, chiropractic students focus on manual and physical methods of treatment. They study CMT (chiropractic manipulative therapy) or "adjusting", and various physiotherapy devices such as electrical muscle stimulation and therapeutic ultrasound.

What to expect on your first visit
Consultation: The most important question for your doctor to answer is whether or not you are a candidate for care . Your doctor is interested in trying to completely understand your health condition. He will ask you questions related to how your condition started, what makes your symptoms better or worse, the severity of your symptoms, how long you've had them, and other related health questions.

Physical examination: A physical examination will follow your consultation. This may or may not lead to services such as x-ray, blood work or other diagnostic testing. After ruling out conditions that require an immeadiate medical referral, your doctor will perform an evalutation of your neuromuscouloskeletal system

Report of findings: Upon completion of the physical examination an assessment of your condition will be given to you in what is known as the Report of Findings. Your doctor will discuss your diagnosis, recommend a treatment plan, including duration and number of visits, as well as outline your financial responsibility.

What's that cracking noise?
Most patients will sooner or later ask this question. A joint contains fluid that helps keep it healthy and lubricated (like oil for the joint). This "dynovial fluid" contains gas (like carbonation in soft drinks). When an adjustment is made you may hear a noise (called an "audible release"). This audible release or "crack" is simply the release of gas in a joint much like when you open a can of soda.

Relief, correction and wellness
There are three phases of Chiropractic care: Relief, Correction and Wellness. Relief is the first phase. The goal of the relief phase is to reduce or eliminate pain. The number of visits necessary to accomplish this will depend on your age, underlying spinal condition, length of time you've had your condition and lifestyle choices.

Restoring the body to normal or maximum function is the goal of the "correction" phase. In most conditions, pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave when treating the vertebral subluxation complex. Adaptations that have taken place in muscles and other soft tissues (such as the disc and ligaments) require care beyond the relief phase to correct.

The prupose of the Wellness phase of care is to prevent relapses of previous conditions and to address new conditions before symptoms appear. Wgen maximum improvement has been achieved, your doctor will suggest an appropriate level of care necessary to "maintain" the corrections made during the first two phases.

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