Chiropractic is a complimentary health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.
Doctors of Chiropractic – often referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians – practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes examination, diagnosis and treatment.
Patients will be assessed through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging and other diagnostic interventions to determine when chiropractic treatment is appropriate or when it is not appropriate patients will be referred to the appropriate health care provider when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition. If the condition warrants co management, in conjunction with other health care providers.
The most common therapeutic procedure performed by doctors of chiropractic is known as “spinal manipulation, “also called “chiropractic adjustment.” The purpose of manipulation is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled or restricted in their movement as a result of tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as improper lifting of a heavy object, or through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture for an extended period of time. In either case injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain and diminished function for the sufferer. Manipulation or adjustment of the affected joint and tissues helps restore mobility, thereby helping to alleviate pain and allow the muscles to heal. Chiropractic adjustment rarely causes discomfort. However, patients may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching following treatment (as with some forms of exercise) that usually resolves within 12 to 48 hours. Patients are requested to drink plenty of water and refrain from strenuous activity the first 24 hours after the initial adjustment.