What type of education must Chiropractors have?
Chiropractors are required by the state of Florida to have a four-year undergraduate degree to obtain a license. After undergraduate school Chiropractic school is an additional four year program consisting of 4800 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical study, including anatomy, physiology, chiropractic technique, radiology, biochemistry, toxicology, biomechanics, nutrition, diagnosis and physical examination, and a clinical internship consisting of one year of hands-on clinical experience and training in a professional clinical setting. The Department of Health and Human Services classifies doctors of Chiropractic as category 1 providers, just like Medical Doctors, Osteopaths, and Dentists.A major problem in Chiropractic is that there are numerous ways to practice. Most patients and Medical Doctors do not know this. The colleges prepare us to practice and it is up to each individual Chiropractor to learn more on their own. Similar to when a medical student graduates from medical school they have to complete a residency. Unfortunately most Chiropractors and therapists do not put in the extra time needed to develop more solutions for their patients. At Sports Chiropractic and Natural Health Solutions, we have studied and have been certified, all post graduate, as Active Release Technique, Graston, Cox Flexion-Distraction, Loomis System of Enzyme Therapy and Certifications in Strength and Conditioning. Our techniques, combined with our evidence-based approach, produces results our patients expect in an efficient timeframe and helps them stay out of pain for a longer period of time.
Is Chiropractic Safe?
A number of literary reviews of serious occurrences from chiropractic adjustments have been documented. The most exhaustive study discussed 113 cases of vertebro-basilar accidents following spinal manipulative therapy, from 1934 to 1987, a period of 53 years. Of the cases documented 66 were chiropractic, 18 medical, 9 osteopathic, 2 physical therapist and the remaining 13 were divided between “wife,” “self,” and “unknown”.
Let’s put these numbers in perspective. There were 66 chiropractic cases in 53 years; a little more than one per year. There are currently about 52,000 chiropractors in practice treating, on average, about 100 patients per week. That works out to 5.2 million adjustments per week or 286 million adjustments per year. This works out to 1 to 2 cases of stroke, paralysis or death per 286 million adjustments. Maigne has stated, “there is probably less than one death of this nature out of several tens-of-millions of manipulations.” No matter how one interprets the results, more people die from complications of drugs and surgery in one single afternoon than in decades of cervical adjustments. As a comparison to the risk of manipulation, the risk of paralysis from neurosurgery of the cervical spine is 15,000 cases per million.
Haldeman S, Kohlbeck FJ, McGregor M. Risk factors and precipitating neck movements causing vertebrobasilar artery dissection after cervical trauma and spinal manipulation. Spine 1999:24(8), pp785-794.
How do I know that I need Chiropractic?
Pain is not always looked at as a great thing because it interrupts us from feeling our best. However, pain is a great indicator that something has gone wrong within the body that needs to be evaluated. The symptoms of pain or any other change in normal body function are similar to the oil light coming on within your cars dashboard. It indicates that something is wrong. There are two ways to turn off that oil light:
1.) You can cut the wire that goes to the light.
2.) You can replace the oil.
Both of these actions will turn off the oil light but only by replacing the oil will you correct the problem and prevent the car from breaking down. Cutting the oil switch relates to modalities that only cover up the problem. At Sports Chiropractic and Natural Health Solutions we test for the cause of your symptoms and aim to naturally restore your body’s’ normal function through Chiropractic adjustments, muscle therapies and nutritional intervention. We are well trained in diagnosing disease and referring to the appropriate health care practitioner if necessary.
Is there an age limit?
No. Chiropractic care is safe and effective for the entire family. The youngest of babies to the eldest adults can all benefit from decreased pain and a healthy spine. We are certified in numerous techniques, none of which are taught at Chiropractic Colleges. Because of this we do not have to manipulate (crack) our patients to get the results we come to expect. This allows us to work on a wider variety of patients and keep them out of pain for a longer period of time.
How long will it take?
The length of initial care will depend on many factors including the patient’s age, health, and length of time they have had the condition. Many times you will experience a tremendous relief following one or two visits. The subsequent visits will be to maintain the position of the vertebra, stabilize the muscles and ligaments that hold them in place and decrease scar tissue associated with the injury. This approach leads to patients with longer lasting results and a quicker healing time.
Will I be required to have x-rays taken?
It is the policy of our office to only x-ray if your exam or history presents with red flags. We always have the patient’s best interest and safety in mind. Sometimes a patient will be referred out for diagnostic imaging such as x-rays or MRIs or to see our Medical Doctor if medical intervention is called for.
Is it bad to “crack” myself?
While you may get a feeling of release after you self adjust, it is not recommended.When “cracking” your own neck or back you may increase the motion of the joint that was not moving well but you also mobilize the surrounding joints that do not need to be adjusted. If you twist your own neck or back enough to where you hear the “pop” you may end up causing an injury to the bone or stretching the ligaments of the spine too much causing something called hypermobility syndrome. This is when the ligaments become too loose and are not able to effectively stabilize the joint. As a result the surrounding muscles have to constantly contract to stabilize the joint and cover the job for loose ligaments. This is the reason that when you adjust yourself or go to a Chiropractor that adjusts every spinal segment you may feel a release in pain right away but within a short period of time that area will have muscle contractions and become stiff and sore. This feeling will lead you to want to crack yourself again which will restart the cycle of pain in that area. Be weary of any Chiropractor that adjusts every spinal segment when it is not necessary. That approach will lead to hypermobility syndrome as well.
I heard you could become addicted to Chiropractic and have to go for the rest of your life?
Our goal is to get you out of pain and correct the problem as quickly as possible. Initial care may be frequent, 1-3 times per week for a few weeks. Then care will taper and include nutrition, stretching and strengthening exercises, and ergonomic advice. Due to the techniques we use, after your symptoms disappear and you continue with your stretching and strengthening program, you do not feel the need to continually come in for treatment. We do have patients that see us regularly to get treated and review and/or progress with their exercises. For the patients that request this, we are happy to oblige. Maintenance care will be performed if the patient wishes but you will not be required to set up regular care.
Is it true Chiropractors do not work with medical doctors and do not believe in medications, injections, and/or surgery?
In most cases this is true. At Sports Chiropractic and Natural Health Solutions, our goal is to help our patients without using the above modalities; however, it is sometimes necessary. Our office is unique in that we are in a group with Medical Doctors and have the convenience of referring patients to them during the same day if clinically warranted. In fact, other than from satisfied patients, the majority of our new patient referrals come from Surgeons, Pain Management Doctors and general practitioners. That is unique for Chiropractors.
What should I expect during my first visit?
On your first visit you will receive a comprehensive neurological and orthopedic examination. This is the exact same examination you would receive at a neurologist, orthopedist or neurosurgeon. The examination also includes joint and muscle function/strength tests, flexibility evaluation, and if necessary, gait analysis or other dynamic movement tests. Depending on each individual’s diagnosis, a rehab program, including strength and flexibility is designed specifically for each patient. The first visit usually takes at least one hour. We recommend you bring gym shorts and a tee shirt for the first visit.
What should I expect on subsequent visits?
After the first visit we review the results of your exam then establish a diagnosis and treatment plan according to your findings. We then follow the treatment plan with the goals of getting you out of pain quickly and correcting the problem. We may treat you with Chiropractic adjustments, muscle therapies, stretching and strengthening, enzyme therapy, physiotherapy or a mixture of those according to your age, health and specific injury.
Do Chiropractors treat muscle injuries?
Many Chiropractors ignore the muscle component of an injury due to lack of knowledge and the amount of time it takes with each patient. In our experience if the soft tissue component of an injury is ignored the patient will not heal as quick and may not fully recover. This has lead us to learn post graduate certifications to effectively treat all soft tissue injuries. Active Release Techniques® (ART) and Graston Technique (GT) are treatments specifically designed to treat muscles and ligaments. Most of the time when muscles, tendons and ligaments are injured they actually tear. Pulls, strains, sprains and ruptures are really tears of the muscle and ligaments. Think of each muscle fiber as a single hair on your head. Did you cut (tear) one hair, all the hairs, or some portion of the hairs? What most people call a pull or strain is a tear of some of the muscle fibers, but not all, that make up the muscle. When a muscle tears, the first response in the body is inflammation that may or may not cause significant swelling. The texture of the muscle changes and after the initial inflammation the muscle tissue feels taut like a guitar string and bumpy like gravel. Have you ever kneaded bread dough or pottery clay and tried to get the lumps out to make it smooth? This is like what treating an injured muscle feels like. This “adhesion” or scar tissue must be broken up or kneaded away or the muscle will never function the same again. This can be accomplished with both ART and GT. This cannot be accomplished with anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin), naproxen (Aleve), Celebrex or Vioxx. These medications can help with the initial inflammation and pain, but they can disrupt and prevent proper healing of the muscle tissue. Also significant are the side effects, especially gastro-intestinal bleeding which kills thousands of people each year.Most problems that present to our office are a combination of muscle injury, joint dysfunction and nerve irritation. That is why it is important to address all the components of the injury during treatment. Loosening up the muscle and removing the adhesions before making the adjustment to restore proper function to the joint is critical to proper and speedy healing. Many nerve injuries can be the result of torn muscles, tendons and ligaments adhering to nerve fibers and causing nerve irritation, e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome. If this is the case the nerve irritation can be removed by removing the adhesion of the muscle to the nerve. Proper stretching and strengthening are then added to the treatment program. ART and GT may allow the injured area to become pain free during regular daily activities, but only proper rehabilitative strengthening and stretching will allow the area to sustain the added forces of sports or rigorous training.
Common “muscular” injuries treatable by ART and GT include rotator cuff tears, frozen shoulder, tennis/golfer’s elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, ilio-tibial band syndrome, patellar tendonitis, shin splints, sprained ankles, Achilles tendonitis or rupture, plantar fascitis, arthritic joints and common “pulls” like in the hamstrings. ART and GT work very well when combined with chiropractic adjustments for spinal problems as well.
