Frequently Asked Questions

Questions:

Is chiropractic expensive?

Chiropractic is a very affordable alternative since most insurance companies, PPOs, Medicare and HMOs cover most of the expenses. In the event there is no insurance coverage, our clinic offers very affordable rates that start as low as $35 a month. We also offer flexible, interest free payment plans.

Are chiropractic adjustments painful?

Chiropractic adjustments, when performed by a skilled practitioner, are completely pain-free and may actually provide the patient with instant relief. Most patients report that they can't wait to get adjusted, since it is comparable to a massage. Some patients may experience a "popping" sound, which is attributed to a release of vacuum within the joint. This is a painless side effect and is completely normal.

I've heard that "cracking" your knuckles causes arthritis. Is this true?

This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, not "cracking" your knuckles or restricting any joint's full range of motion promotes and accelerates degenerative change around the edges of the joint surface. By moving a joint through its full normal range of motion, you are actually preventing arthritic degenerative change by keeping the joint surface "well-oiled" with the body's natural lubricant, called synovial fluid. The old saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it" certainly applies to this example.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is based on applying scientific fact to stimulating the body's own remarkable resources. These important self-regulating and self-healing functions are controlled by your brain, spinal cord and nerves. When the nervous system is impaired through illness, injury or stress, it can cause tissue and organs throughout the body to function poorly. Doctors call this degenerative chain reaction the vertebral subluxation complex. It is an underlying cause of many health problems.

With chiropractic's hands-on, drug-free health care approach, millions have found a healthier lifestyle through diet, exercise and maintaining proper spinal function.

What is an adjustment?

When performing an adjustment, you doctor applies precisely directed force to a joint that is "locked up" or not moving properly. Restoring normal motion to joints can allow bones to gradually return to a more proper position and your body to function as it should. This safe, natural approach to removing interferences with spinal and nervous system function can improve your overall health.

This is not to say, however, that all adjustments are the same. Just as chiropractors are different individually, so are the many techniques. Usually the doctor's hands, or a specially designed instrument deliver a quick, therapeutic thrust to the affected joint. Other techniques however may require slow, constant pressure.

How long will I need Chiropractic care?

Each patient is unique. Long-standing or neglected problems may require ongoing care to restore and maintain good spinal health. The truth is, you wouldn't expect just one of the twenty pills of any prescription to produce a cure, so you shouldn't expect only one adjustment to do that either. Healing takes time.

While some patients seek chiropractic care only when pain is unbearable, this "crisis" approach is often time-consuming, costly and uncomfortable. Most patients find that the best results come form a regular individual care program and periodic chiropractic checkups.

Discuss your expectations for care with your doctor and ask questions about how you can achieve optimum spinal health.

Is Chiropractic Care Safe?

Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. While it's not unusual to hear of injuries from is-prescribed drugs, drug overdoses, drug combinations and erroneous treatments in the medical profession, it is extremely rare to hear of a problem resulting from chiropractic care. According to a government study in New Zealand, chiropractic care was found to be "remarkably safe."

Chiropractic doctors are trained to practice and perform hundreds to thousands of manipulations before delivering them to a patient. To become a Doctor of Chiropractic, the candidate must first pass the demanding National Board Examination. Then, to apply for a professional license, the doctor must pass an even more rigorous test before earning the privilege to practice.

Guided by a thorough case history and examination, your doctor will evaluate your individual needs and determine a course of treatment. This conservative, natural approach to better health avoids the dangers associated with invasive procedures and addictive drugs

Do I Have a Pinched Nerve?

Pain is usually the reason most patients consult with a Doctor of chiropractic. Most patients have heard the term "pinched nerve" and, some may even know that it's associated with pain, numbness, burning, or a "pins and needles" feeling. In truth, the compression lesion or pinched nerve is rare, causing only 10 to 15% of spine-related problems.

More often, pain comes from nerve tissues irritated by the rubbing, stretching or scraping of malfunctioning spinal joints. Such malfunctions can be caused by many everyday events including physical trauma or emotional stress. Chemical toxins can also affect the delicate tissues of the spinal cord and nerve roots.

Your doctor can determine the cause of your pain and the extent of your problem.

How Does The Adjustment Work?

To illustrate this principle, imagine a garden hose as a nerve and the water flowing through the hose as nerve impulses. When the hose is laid out straight without any kinds, water flows, freely. If on the on the other hand, the hose gets compressed or kinked, water flow is reduced or even stops. If the condition persists, eventually, the hose becomes damaged.

Like removing the kink form the hose, a spinal adjustment can ease pressure on a nerve, allowing nerve impulses to flow and protect the nerve from further damage.

Cavitation, a pop or click sound, is often heard or felt by the patient during the adjustment. Much like the opening of a carbonated soda can, cavitation is caused by a rapid release of air bubbles that have been under pressure within the joint. Cavitation occurs more often than not during an adjustment, but it does not have to occur for the adjustment to be effective.

Is There A Way I Can Speed The Healing Process?

The body's natural healing ability can't be hurried. However, there are several things you can do to give yourself the best chance for a speedy recovery. Your doctor will teach you proper sitting and lifting postures. Specific exercises to strengthen and retrain the muscles supporting your spine also may be recommended.

While you are healing, get as much rest as your body needs, but avoid sleeping on your stomach. Eat a health balanced diet. If you are overweight, this is the best time to reduce stress to your spine by taking off extra pounds.

Most important of all, keep all our appointments and follow your doctor's recommendations for the best results

What Ages Benefit From Chiropractic Care?

All ages can enjoy healthier living through chiropractic care. For seniors, improved spinal function can mean better mobility, endurance, appetite, and an improvement in many age-related ailments. Children and even infants also can benefit. Because spinal trauma can occur at birth and later childhood activities also may cause spinal problems, most parents prefer to have their children checked regularly.

When the body is changing through growth or through aging, maintaining good spinal and nervous system health is especially important.

For all ages, the safe, natural chiropractic approach to health maintenance makes sense.

What can I expect on my first visit?

After some office paperwork, The doctor will ask you about the health complaints with which you are chiefly concerned. He will also ask about your family history, dietary habits, other care you may have had (chiropractic, osteopathic, medical, etc.), your job, and other questions designed to help determine the nature of your illness or injury and the best way to go about treating the problem.

A physical examination will be performed which may include x-rays, laboratory analysis and other diagnostic procedures. In addition, a careful spinal examination and analysis will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities which may be affecting or causing your condition. All of these elements are important components of your total health profile, and vital to our physicians assessment of your problem. Many patients comment that they have never had so complete a physical assessment.

What is a Subluxation?

What is a Subluxation and what does it do to me?
First, the simple explanation.


A dysfunctional articulation or movement of a joint surface that results in pain, nerve interference and onset of pathological proceses which may be caused by a whiplash injury.










In simplest terms, a subluxation (a.k.a. Vertebral Subluxation) is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal nerves. Spinal nerves are the nerves that come out from between each of the bones in your spine. This pressure or irritation on the nerves then causes those nerves to malfunction and interfere with the signals traveling over those nerves.

How does this affect you? Your nervous system controls and coordinates all the functions of your body. If you interfere with the signals traveling over nerves, parts of your body will not get the proper nerve messages and will not be able to function at 100% of their innate abilities. In other words, some part of your body will not be working properly.

It is the responsibility of the Doctor of Chiropractic to locate subluxations, and reduce or correct them. This is done through a series of chiropractic adjustments specifically designed to correct the vertebral subluxations in your spine. Chiropractors are the only professionals who undergo years of training to be the experts at correcting subluxations.


Now, the detailed explanation.
Subluxations are really a combination of changes going on at the same time. These changes occur both in your spine and throughout your body. For this reason chiropractors often refer to vertebral subluxations as the "Vertebral Subluxation Complex", or "VSC" for short.

In the VSC, various things are happening inside your body simultaneously. These various changes, known as "components," are all part of the vertebral subluxation complex. Chiropractors commonly recognize five categories of components present in the VSC. These five are:

The osseous (bone) component is where the vertebrae are either out of position, not moving properly, or are undergoing physical changes such as degeneration. This component is sometimes known as kinesiopathology.

The Nerve Component is the malfunctioning of the nerve. Research has shown that only a small amount of pressure on spinal nerves can have a profound impact on the function of the nerves. This component is scientifically known as neuropathology.

The Muscle Component is also involved. Since the muscles help hold the vertebrae in place, and since nerves control the muscles themselves, muscles are an integral part of any VSC. In fact, muscles both affect, and are affected by the VSC. This component is known as myopathology.

The Soft Tissue Component is when you have misaligned vertebrae and pressure on nerves resulting in changes in the surrounding soft tissues. This means the tendons, ligaments, blood supply, and other tissues undergo changes. These changes can occur at the point of the VSC or far away at some end point of the affected nerves. This component is also known as histopathology.

The Chemical Component is when all these components of the VSC are acting on your body, and therefore causing some degree of chemical changes. These chemical changes can be slight or massive depending on what parts of your body are affected by your subluxations. This component is often known as biochemical abnormalities.

Chiropractors have known about the dangers of subluxations for over one hundred years. Today, more scientific evidence is showing the dangers of subluxations and the health benefits of correcting them. To be truly healthy, it is vital that your nervous system be functioning free of interference from subluxations. Our goal is to allow your body to return itself to the highest level of health possible by correcting VSC. Chiropractors are the ONLY health professionals trained in the detection, location, and correction of the VSC.