1. Are chiropractic adjustments safe?
Yes. By avoiding drugs and risky surgery, chiropractic care enjoys an excellent track record. Adjustments are about 100 times safer than taking an over-the-counter pain reliever.
2. What does an adjustment feel like?
Most patients report a sense of well-being or a feeling of calmness. Since repeated adjustments are necessary, if adjustments didn’t feel good, patients wouldn’t return to finish their care. Chiropractic doctors are expert at making adjustments feel good.
3. What is the “popping” noise that happens when a person is being adjusted?
When a patient receives an adjustment they often feel and hear a pop or click, this is called activation. It is the result of air pressure within the joint that is released.
4. Why would a newborn get adjusted?
Even today’s “natural” childbirth methods can affect an infant’s spine. Colic, unusual crying, poor appetite or erratic sleeping habits can be signs of spinal distress. Adjustments are gentle. Knowing exactly where to adjust, no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato is involved.
5. Isn’t some back pain normal?
Pain of any kind, at any age, is a sign that something isn’t right. Pain is the way your body signals that a limit has been reached or a problem has developed. Since we can adapt, minor aches and pains are often shrugged off. While they may go away, if the underlying problem remains unattended, the problem can slowly worsen until it becomes more difficult and expensive to resolve.
6. Can I adjust myself?
No. Some people can make their joints “pop” but that’s not an adjustment! Worse, damage can occur by mobilizing a joint with weakened muscles and ligaments. Adjustments are specific and take years to master. Even your chiropractic doctor must consult a colleague to benefit from chiropractic care.
7. Can I just stretch and get massaged for my pain?
While stretching and getting massages can help the muscles surrounding the spine, they do not help with the underlying cause which is the vertebral misalignments. This can only be corrected through chiropractic adjustments.
8. Can I have chiropractic care after back surgery?
Yes. Rest assured that we will avoid the surgically modified areas of your spine. Surgery often causes instability above or below the involved level. This will be the focus of your chiropractic care.
9. How many adjustments will I need?
The number of adjustments varies with each patient and their individual health goals. Many patients sense some progress within a week or two of frequent visits. Visits are less often as your spine stabilizes. In difficult cases, complete healing can take months or even years.
10. Do I Have To Keep Coming Back For Treatments?
You may have heard the notion that once you go to a chiropractor you have to keep going back. Before we answer that question, ask yourself how many times you have visited a dentist? Like most people, you’ve probably gone dozens of times. Why? Quite simply, to keep your teeth healthy.
Once we have eliminated your pain and rehabilitated the injured tissues we do recommend that you maintain a schedule of periodic spinal checkups. Like your dentist and like many of the medical experts are now recognizing, prevention is the key to reducing recurrences of existing health conditions and minimizing new injuries in the future.
So the answer is yes, we want you to keep coming back, but just periodically. Periodic chiropractic care minimizes spinal and nerve stresses, reduces recurrences of old injuries, prevents new injuries from developing, and minimizes degenerative processes, which enhances overall health and wellness.
Phases of Care | Chiropractic | Massage Therapy | Acupuncture | Rehabilitation
