What Is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a healing discipline firmly grounded in science. Although its main focus is the relationship between the skeleton (particularly the spine) and the nervous system that runs through it, chiropractic is concerned with care of the entire body. Chiropractors use various diagnostic methods, including x-rays, to discover the state of your health, paying particular attention to your spine and bone structure. Spinal manipulation and other manual adjustments are the primary methods of helping your body heal itself. Chiropractic is the third largest health care profession in the world after medicine and dentistry with over 60,000 chiropractors world wide. The word “Chiropractic” comes from the combination of Greek words “choir” and “praktikos”, meaning “done by hand”.

What Is Chiropractic Treatment?
It consists of a wide range of specific manual techniques designed to improve function of the joints, relieve pain, muscle spasm and irritation to the nervous system.

How Are Chiropractors Trained?
Your Chiropractic doctor has studied for a minimum of seven years at a university and chiropractic college. Anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurology, biomechanics, radiology (x-ray), and spinal adjustive techniques are among the fields of study that are concentrated on. An Internship program provides students with further supervised training and the clinical “hands-on” skills required to practice chiropractic. Upon receiving their Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree, students must then pass a series of rigorous National License Exams. Chiropractors are then required to participate in approved continuing education programs throughout their professional careers.

Is Chiropractic Safe?
Although it must be recognized that all treatment methods have some degree of risk, what should be asked is how safe is chiropractic compared to other treatment methods? Chiropractic care is safer than anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, advil, etc.) by a factor of “several hundred time” (J.M.P.T. 1995), and “safer than spinal surgery by a factor of several thousand times” (RAND 1996). In other words, you are more likely to be struck by lightening than to be seriously injured by chiropractic treatments. Additionally, other studies have noted that: “spinal manipulations are less safe and less effective when performed by non-chiropractic professionals” (Ontario Ministry of Health, 1994).

What Results Can I Expect From A Treatment?
That depends on your condition. The length of time you have had the problem, your age and the degree of your disability all affect the length of your treatment. Your chiropractic doctor should tell you the extent of treatment recommended, and how long you can expect it to last.
One of the main reasons people like chiropractic is that they often get quick results. Individual cases vary and chronic conditions obviously need more treatment, but work injury study’s show, for example, that people with low back pain get back to work much faster with chiropractic care.
You might also consider the benefits of regular chiropractic adjustments even when you feel healthy, sometimes you don’t know you have a disorder of the neuro-muscular-skeletal system until it becomes acute and painful. So, just as you see your dentist to have your teeth checked and your optometrist for eye exams, regular visits to your chiropractor can catch major problems. Remember your spine is every bit as susceptible to wear and tear as your teeth and your eyes, you need to look after it.

How Do I Find a Good Chiropractor?
Chiropractors are “primary contact” health providers, which means you don’t have to be referred to them by your GP or anyone else. You can find your own chiropractror as with any other professional, referrals from friends are an excellent way to find a good chiropractor. The Yellow Pages can also come in handy to help find one in your area.

Facts About Chiropractic
Your chiropractor knows the structural integrity of your skeleton, how well it is working, how it makes you feel and how it affects the quality of your life.
Chiropractic pioneered the holistic approach to health care, continuing this philosophy through its practices in the areas of nutrition, exercise and lifestyles counseling. The scientific basis of chiropractic has been and continues to be demonstrated by quality research and scientific investigation.
The chiropractic profession celebrated its centennial in 1995. Over the past 100 years public acceptance of chiropractic has grown continuously, and today more than 4.5 million treatments are given in the US every year.

What Is An Adjustment?
An adjustment is a chiropractic procedure performed on a specific joint to restore normal motion and function by relieving pain, muscle spasms, and nerve irritation. Adjustments use a number of techniques, including controlled force, leverage, direction, and strength.

What Makes That “Cracking” Sound?
When bones lose their normal motion through stress, trauma or other causes, they affect the muscles and nerves that are linked to them, causing pain and discomfort. When Chiropractors restore mobility to the joints it often makes a “cracking” sound as a result of “joint cavitations”, in other words a release of gasses from the fluid that lubricates the joints. This restores joint motion, reduces nerve irritation, relieves pain, relaxes tight muscles, improves coordination and is many times safer than most medications and surgery.

I Hear That “Cracking” Bones Such As The Ones In Your Hands, Can Cause Arthritis. Won’t Chiropractic Do The Same?
No. Chiropractors are well trained to properly and safely treat joints, and chiropractic adjustments can actually reduce pain caused by arthritis.

What Conditions Are Suitable For Chiropractic Treatment?
Research has demonstrated that chiropractic provides safe, effective, cost-effective care for a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders such as; back and neck pain, sciatica, “slipped discs” (herniated discs), scoliosis, whiplash, arthritis, headaches, migraines, shoulder pain, elbow, wrist and hand pain, repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries, hip, knee, foot and ankle pain, sprained ankles, painful bunions, flat feet, tendonitis and poor posture.

What Is The Difference Between Medical Doctors And A Doctor of Chiropractic?
That’s like asking the difference between a physician and a dentist, they are different professions within the health care spectrum. Both chiropractors and physicians are legally entitled to use the title “doctor”. As the appellation MD means “Doctor of Medicine”, so DC means “Doctor of Chiropractic”.
The role of chiropractic is complementary to other areas of primary health care. Chiropractic is not, for example, a replacement for medical care, but may offer an alternative to medication and surgery in appropriate circumstances.
Recognition by health science that many illnesses of our modern society are lifestyle based has shown that we, as individuals, can influence our own health and well being. Many people, therefore, welcome chiropractic’s emphasis on a healthy lifestyle and patient responsibility, as well as its help in improving the body’s functions and ability to fight off disease.