Below are some facts about chiropractic, benefits, myths and education of a doctor of chiropractic.
Chiropractic FAQs
Q: What is Chiropractic?
A: Chiropractic is the complex science, art and philosophy of diagnosing and treating spinal misalignments (subluxation) with specific and gentle adjustments thus allowing your body to function at its optimum potential.
Q: What is a subluxation/misalignment?
A: A misalignment of one or more vertebrae, which causes interference to the nervous system. This impairs your body’s natural healing potential and may cause discomfort or pain.
Q: What is an adjustment or manipulation?
A:Chiropractors uses a wide variety of techniques, including specific area adjustments, general manipulations, low force and non-force maneuvers. An adjustment can be delivered gently by hand or with an instrument. An adjustment is just one of the treatment tools use in chiropractic. Other options include therapeutic modalities, cryotherapy, rehabilitation and nutritional counseling.
Q: What is the “popping” or “cracking” noise?
A: The noise that accompanies a manipulation is actually due to the release of nitrogen gas. Research has found that small pockets of nitrogen gas are found surrounding joint capsules. When the joint tissues are stretch due to a manipulation, the pockets of air “pops” to create the noise. The rapid stretching at specific joint provides relief. Not all adjustments produce a sound.
Q: How does it provide relief?
A: The rapid stretch of the joint fibers resets the muscle spindles, thus relaxing the muscles. Specific joint adjustment may stimulate increase immune function. Research has shown that upper thoracic manipulation provides relief to ear infections in children.
Q: Is chiropractic safe?
A: Yes, chiropractic is a conservative form of healthcare for that most people seek before opting for other forms of treatment such as surgery. In comparison to other treatment options, chiropractic is one of the safest. 250,000 people will die this year as a result of medical mishaps, making it the third leading cause of death in the United States (Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA; Vol.284, July 26,2000). Of the millions of people receiving chiropractic manipulations each year, only a handful will have complaints.
Chiropractic Benefits
Studies around the world have proven that chiropractic care is both safe and effective. Chiropractic is not a cure-all for all joint and back problems. In some conditions a manipulation must be accompanied along with other forms of treatment, such as electrical stimulation to be successful.
The following are excerpts from a few of the more recent studies found on the American Chiropractic Association’s website:
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, Boline et al. (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)
Popularity of Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
” acupuncture,..had a 200 percent increase in volume from 1999 to 2002, and chiropractic care,..rose 91 percent in that three year period.” -Top Growth Areas in the Outpatient market, A report from Solucient, LLC
Chiropractic Myths
Chiropractors only treat back pain.
That is a general misconception. Chiropractors treat a wide variety of conditions such as carpal tunnel, headaches, ear infections, and arthritis just to name a few. They are educated in a diagnosis, which includes general complaints (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc…) along with joints, bone and muscle complaints.
Chiropractic manipulation is a high-risk form of treatment.
The Ontario Ministry of Health commissioned Manga Report represents the largest analysis of scientific literature on the most effective and cost effective treatments for low back pain. After reviewing all of the international evidence on the management of low back pain, lead investigator Pran Manga, Ph.D., found the treatments provided by Doctors of Chiropractic were exceptionally safe – much safer than for standard medical treatments of similar conditions (The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) – University of Ottawa, Canada.). Recent study by Rand Corporation found that a serious adverse reaction from neck manipulation might occur less than 1/1,000,000 treatments. A more recent article in Canadian Medical Association Journal found only a 1/5,850,000 risk that a chiropractic adjustment of the neck may result in vertebral artery dissection. According the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) many experts now believe that it is physically impossible for a competently performed neck manipulation, as provided by a trained doctor of chiropractic, to cause a vertebral artery dissection unless the artery already has a significant pre-existing weakness.
Chiropractic Education
Doctors of Chiropractic are medical professionals who specialize in helping patients who suffer discomfort related to joints, muscles, nerves, and bones of the neck, back, arms, and legs. Chiropractors share the philosophy that the body has the inherent capacity to heal itself – and it often does unless the trauma or degenerative disease is too severe. Chiropractors use preventive and treatment methods such as manipulations or chiropractic adjustments, exercise and nutrition. Chiropractors are trained at accredited chiropractic colleges and receive a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree.
Chiropractors go through an immense amount of schooling to recieve a “Doctor of Chiropractic” degree (also known as a D.C.). Their collegiate agenda is as follows:
* Graduate from a four year college.
* Completing at least two years undergraduate study, with a focus on the sciences.
* Four years of Chiropractic Education.
* Take mandatory internships.
* At least 900 hours of work in a Chiropractic Clinic.
* After graduating, pass a written and oral board exams, at national and state levels.
A Chiropractor may opt to choose to advance their degree in an area of specialty. These areas include: Chiropractic neurology, radiology, sports medicine, as well as many other fields