1. Chiropractors are physicians
Though Chiropractors are traditionally thought of as “Spine adjusters”, we are much more than that. To become a chiropractic physician, we attend 4 years of undergraduate pre-medical schooling followed by 4 years of Chiropractic school which includes hundreds of hours in the physical exam, diagnosis, nutrition, and chiropractic manipulation. physical therapy and spend at least one year in a clinical internship treating patients.
Our license gives us the full scope of practice of a medical doctor without the ability to prescribe medications and perform surgeries. This means that we do not require a referral and are trained to diagnose musculoskeletal and internal conditions using clinical history, physical exam, blood labs, and imaging if necessary. Because we take a “conservative first” approach, we are an excellent first option when you are considering seeking medical care or consultation.
2. Chiropractic Adjustments are just one tool in the toolbox
The chiropractic profession was founded on the premise that a disruption in spinal alignment can lead to excessive strain on the nervous system resulting in disease and dysfunction. One of the most powerful tools we have in conservative manual medicine today is chiropractic adjustment, as we can use a hands-on approach to restoring proper movement of the spine and ultimately high functionality of our nervous system.
While the adjustment is an excellent tool and treats a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions, utilizing manual soft tissue work to ease muscular tension and physical therapy to improve movement quality leads to exceptional clinical outcomes and long-term relief.
3. Chiropractors take a holistic approach to your health
As conservative healthcare physicians, we pride ourselves on spending significant time with you as the patient, listening to your concerns, and establishing clear goals for us to accomplish together during your course of care. The initial consultation will typically last an hour because we will discuss your full health history and make sure that we understand not only what is not working well in your body but also what is working great. Our philosophy is that because your body is a closed system, we cannot neglect the whole picture to treat one area.
For example, if you are experiencing lower back pain, we may also ask about nutrition, sleep, stress, and what you do for a living. This not only gives us context for your treatment but also allows us to explore and utilize all avenues of care to make sure that we get you to 100% as quickly as possible. Improving lifestyle factors like these will not only potentially help you with your pain but also create an environment for health to prevent future occurrences.
4. Chiropractors are extensively trained in hands-on care
One of the unique differentiating factors of seeing a chiropractic physician is that generally, a large portion of our treatment is hands-on. Taking a hands-on approach allows us to even better understand your condition by assessing joint motion and muscular tension, which is an important piece of our clinician assessment. Though a neurological, orthopedic and functional movement examination are an important part of telling the story of your condition, hands-on palpation will allow us as the clinician to interpret messages from your body in the form of muscular tension and joint restriction.
In treatment, we utilize a hands-on approach in several ways including chiropractic adjustments, active release technique, instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy, dry needling, and therapeutic cupping. The specific manual therapy tool that we use is always dependent on the findings of each case as well as patient preference. We want to make sure you are not only feeling better but also happy with your care.
5. Chiropractors can treat more than just joint and muscle pain
Most individuals consider chiropractors to be primarily specializing in musculoskeletal disorders (joint, muscle and nerve pain) but chiropractors are also trained extensively in acupuncture, nutrition, and functional medicine. Some chiropractors chose to specialize in Sports Chiropractic while others spend hundreds of hours in the training of internal disorders such as digestive issues, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, and hormone imbalances.
If you are dealing with any of the conditions listed previously, a chiropractor may be a great first option for resolving these issues. For Functional Medicine conditions, we take the same holistic approach we do with every patient but our visit will be more focused on your symptoms and lab work to find conservative solutions involving nutritional intervention, therapeutic supplementation, lifestyle recommendations as well as hands-on care or acupuncture as part of the treatment plan.
If you are currently dealing with musculoskeletal pain or would like to inquire about our functional medicine and acupuncture treatments, please give us a call or schedule below with one of our physicians. We are here to help and guide you through your health journey.
