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What is
Chiropractic?
Chiropractic
health care focuses on the structural integrity of the body with emphasis on
health disorders associated with the spine and central nervous system.
Chiropractic is a drug free, non-surgical approach to healthcare, which does not
include pharmaceuticals or incisive surgeries. The doctor performs an
"adjustment" or "manipulation" of the vertebra, or joint, which have
abnormal movement patterns and fail to function properly.
What can you expect on your first
visit?
A detailed
physical examination and history will be performed which may include
x-rays, laboratory analysis, and other diagnostic procedures. Then, your new patient
file will be assembled, and office procedures and protocols will be explained. In
some circumstances, therapy or an adjustment or combination of the both
will be performed on the first visit. However, In most cases the adjustment
usually takes place on the second visit.
Bring as many of your medical records as
possible on your first visit.
Medical records consist of:
· X-ray
reports and actual X-ray films.
· MRI
reports and actual MRI films.
· Electrodiagnostic
(EMG/NCV) testing.
· Operative
reports.
· Blood
testing results.
·
Prior Initial and Final medical
reports.
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For Acute
Low-Back Problems
"For patients with
acute low-back symptoms without radiculopathy, the scientific evidence suggests
spinal manipulation is effective in reducing pain and perhaps speeding recovery
within the first month of symptoms."
Clinical
Practice Guidelines, AHCPR (1994)
For
Long-Term Low-Back Problems
"There is strong evidence that manipulation is more effective than
a placebo treatment for chronic low-back pain or than usual care by the general
practitioner, bed rest, analgesics and massage."
Spine,
Van Tulder and Bouter et al. (1997)
"...improvement in all patients at three years was about 29% more
in those treated by chiropractors than in those treated by the hospitals. The
beneficial effect of chiropractic on pain was particularly clear."
British Medical Journal, Meade et al. (1995)
"Manipulative therapy and physiotherapy are better than general
practitioner and placebo treatment. Furthermore, manipulative therapy is
slightly better than physiotherapy after 12 months."
British
Medical Journal, Koes et al. (1992)
For Pain
"...patients suffering from back and/or neck complaints experience
chiropractic care as an effective means of resolving or ameliorating pain and
functional impairments, thus reinforcing previous results showing the benefits
of chiropractic treatment for back and neck pain." -
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Verhoef et al. (1997)
"...for the management of low-back pain, chiropractic care is the
most effective treatment, and it should be fully integrated into the
government's health care system." - The Manga Report (1993)
For
Headaches
"Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant
improvement in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain
and/or neck dysfunction and headache." -
Duke Evidence Report, McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001)
"The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is
an effective treatment for tension headaches... Four weeks after cessation of
treatment... the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a
sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients
that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values." -
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Bolineetal. (1995)
For the
Elderly
[Elderly]
chiropractic users were less likely to have been hospitalized, less likely to
have used a nursing home, more likely to report a better health status, more
likely to exercise vigorously, and more likely to be mobile in the community. In
addition, they were less likely to use prescription drugs." -
Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, Coulter et al. (1996)
For
Containing Costs and Getting Workers Back on the Job
"The overwhelming body of evidence" shows that chiropractic
management of low-back pain is more cost-effective than medical management, and
that "many medical therapies are of questionable validity or are clearly
inadequate." -
The Manga Report (1993)
First contact chiropractic care for common low back conditions
costs substantially less than traditional medical treatment and "deserves
careful consideration" by managed care executives concerned with controlling
health care spending. -
Medical Care, Stano and Smith (1996)
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What is the
chiropractic adjustment or manipulation?
The adjustment is
usually given by hand or and activator type instrument and consists of applying
pressure to the areas of the spine or joint that are out of alignment or do not
move properly within their normal range of motion. Under normal circumstances,
adjustments don't hurt, you just feel better. Sometimes you may experience a mild discomfort but it
usually lasts only a few seconds. Sometimes a popping noise is heard, it's
nothing more than a release of gas pressure between the two articulating joint
surfaces. It's always recommended that after your first adjustment you
avoid any strenuous activity for the remainder of the day, no lifting, or any prolonged
activities.
How long is
my treatment going to last? forever?
Your treatments
won't last forever. It's important to get you out of pain as quickly as
possible, get your body back to functioning normally again, and then
strengthen it a little to avoid future flare ups or exacerbations. Everyone's
recovery is different and dependent on your age, condition, lifestyle and
compliance with the recommended treatment plan, repeated visits may be needed
over weeks or months to reduce or eliminate your symptoms. On your second visit
to the office your treatment plan will be discussed in detail.
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