Frequently Asked Questions

Chiropractic is an art, science, and a philosophy. The art of chiropractic comes from the skill necessary to successfully correct your spine by making specific spinal adjustments. The science of Chiropractic comes from the systematic method by which a Chiropractor analyzes your spine. The philosophy of Chiropractic states that your body is inherently intelligent and that the body has the ability to heal itself.

Because Chiropractors specialize in treating physical problems, they are especially effective for traumatic injuries or joint pain and stiffness in the neck, back, shoulders, arms and legs. Chiropractic is also effective for other physical problems like headaches, migraines, tight muscles and numbness in the arms or legs. Frankly, if you drive your body long enough down the road of life you are going to hit a few bumps. These bumps can cause misalignments or subluxations of the body. When this happens you may notice pain, pulling or tightness on one side versus the other. If the body does not correct itself in a day or so, it is time to make an appointment with your Chiropractor. 

Many patients entering a chiropractor’s office for the first time may experience an uneasy feeling largely because they are uncertain about what to expect before, during or after their treatments. Because all of our patients and their conditions are unique, the first part of your care is recommending a specific treatment plan, so that you can have realistically expectations for your care.

Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest, drug-free, and non-invasive forms of treatment in the world. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. The risks associated with chiropractic, however, are exceedingly small. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may experience mild soreness, stiffness, or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise. Current research shows that minor discomfort or soreness following spinal manipulation typically fades within 24 hours.

Doctors of Chiropractic are well trained professionals who provide patients with safe, effective care for a variety of common conditions. Their extensive education has prepared them to identify patients who have special risk factors and to get those patients the most appropriate care, even if that requires referral to a medical specialist.

When you have been injured in an auto accident, Chiropractic is an essential part of your full recovery. During most traumatic injuries, the impacted joint is stressed past its breaking point and structural damage to the muscles, ligaments and joints occur. For practical purposes we will call this a sprain / strain or whiplash injury. Most of us can relate to this term since we have probably sprained or strained an ankle, knee or shoulder during our lifetime. However, the treatment needed to heal a sprain/strain of the spine can be more in depth than just putting some ice on it and resting a few days.

This kind of whiplash recovery takes longer because it usually takes many months for torn muscles and ligaments to heal.   Without the proper care, the body tends to heal itself with scar tissue, which will not only fixate the joints, but do so with the wrong alignment. Scar tissue can also form permanent painful knots in the affected muscles.  In the chronic stage, a sprain/strain can become a vicious permanent cycle of pain, muscle spasm, and joint fixation.

Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness, or discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children, very gentle 

Most sports injuries are a result of trauma, twisting of a body part, straining a muscle, or spraining a ligament. Chiropractic can help recover from all these injuries through addressing the injured body part, as well as the areas surrounding the injury. For example, if someone has a rotator cuff injury, chiropractic not only addresses the shoulder pain, but also the adjacent areas of the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and scapular motion. The hip is another area where the surrounding muscles, pelvic motion, and lower back motion need to be considered for treatment to succeed. By looking at the big picture, Chiropractic can help to correct the underlying biomechanical dysfunction associated with injuries. 

A referral is usually not needed to see a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). However, on rare occasions your health care plan may have specific referral requirements, which can usually be found on their web site. We can also help this process by verifying your coverage prior to your appointment. 

Most Chiropractors use various types of techniques to adjust or change your spine. A technique is just a unique way that someone chooses to accomplish the same task as another person. There are a lot of standard techniques in chiropractic, but each chiropractor ultimately ends up with their own way of doing things. Our doctors are very versatile in over 15 different kinds of techniques. The most important thing about a technique is that it works for you. If you have been treated successfully by one chiropractor, there is no need to reinvent the wheel by treating you in a way that is uncomfortable for you. The most important part of finding a technique that will work for you is feeling like you can communicate with your doctor. Below are some of the major ways that we can begin to make changes to your spine.

Diversified technique - is one of the most standard techniques in chiropractic. It involves analysis of x-rays, leg checks and palpation of the spine to determine the areas of misalignment. Diversified adjustments are almost synonymous with hearing some kind of cracking sound during the procedure. They are excellent at breaking up fixations and restoring natural range of motion and alignment.

Extremity Adjusting - s a procedure used to establish proper alignment with the other joints of the body. Specifically the shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles, feet, knees and hips are all evaluated in this process. While some of the time a misaligned extremity will cause pain, many times it will not! Ankles and knee problems are frequently the silent culprits for causing low back pain as well. This can be the missing component that many patients need to help stabilize their back and get them pain free.

Motion Palpation - is a procedure used to test the mobility of spinal joints by feeling for movement between the vertebrae. Pinpointing fixations is like putting your finger on the problem. Motion is life and if one segment in your spine stops moving normally, then your body will begin to lock up and even degenerate.

Muscle Tone Palpation - is a technique to determine muscle imbalances in the body. Since muscles move bones, your doctor can tell where the bones have become imbalanced. This is also important for determining specific stretches that will allow you to be active in your own recovery.

Upper Cervical - analysis focuses on the correction of the atlas (C1) and sometimes the axis (C2). These are the first two bones in your neck and just under the base of your skull. In the initial consultation, the doctor will examine your alignment and x-rays are usually recommended.

Low Force - is a nondescript term used to describe any of a number of techniques that use very little force to adjust the spine.

Drop Table - is a low force technique that is usually dependent on the table being used. In this case the table itself is actually designed to give way to force. This allows the doctor to set areas into motion without causing any direct pain.

Activator - is a low force instrument used to make your adjustment. It is a small had held impact tool in which a quick force is applied to correct a vertebral misalignment according to a set pattern.

Arthrostim - is a low force instrument that is similar to the Activator, but it uses rapidly repeating pulses of very light pressure to get around any muscle guarding and restore proper alignment to the spine.

Muscle Energy - is a low force technique that focuses on balancing the pelvis and especially the tail bone by using resisted stretches and adjustments. The technique also helps to reeducate the body through the muscles.

Trigger Point - releases are a low force technique, either through Bio-energetic Synchronization Technique (BEST) or Sacral Occipital Technique (SOT), andare great at achieving long lasting relief for pain and muscle spasms in the body. These are especially effective for headaches or neck and shoulder pain.

Blocking - is a technique used within many different techniques like SOT. The key with blocking is using gravity to actually move or adjust the spine. This is especially helpful with adjusting the hips and back.

Flexion Distraction - is another technique that requires a special table that bends and flexes in the middle. This is very helpful with treating low back pain and disc problems because it allows the doctor to apply gentle corrective pressures while the back is already in motion and in a distracted position.

Food Testing - is a technique to help uncover food sensitivities. This involves the specific testing of different foods and how they affect the alignment and musculature of the body.