Chiropractic

Do you suffer from neck or back pain ? This is problem that is increasingly plaguing people all over the world. Because of the change in lifestyle from years ago, people have developed new symptoms and disorders that where rare in the years past. In the olden days, when people had back pain the recommended treatment was rest. As pharmaceuticals entered onto the medical scene, doctors started prescribing medications to relieve symptoms of back pain . Now alternative medicine has proven to be an additional option for patients who suffer from back problems.
Chiropractic is an alternative medicine that takes a hands on approach to diagnosing, treating and preventing disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The chiropractic philosophy is based on the body’s own natural ability to heal itself. When a disorder arises the chiropractic physician is able to return the body to is normal function through the relationship of the body to the spine. Chiropractors are highly trained professionals that have studied how the systems of the body interact with each other, therefore being able to resolve symptoms through eliminating the actual cause of those symptoms.
Chiropractic medicine takes a holistic approach to health to show that the body functions as a whole and not one part functions by itself. General health is affected by disorders that cause stress and disease through our nervous system. Our nervous system runs throughout the body but originates through the spinal column. The vertebrae of the spine act as a protector of the nerves and their connection to our brain.
Most people think that chiropractors only work on the spine. Although, a chiropractic physician manipulates or adjusts areas of the spine, in actuality these adjustments affect the entire body through the central nervous system. This is why disorders of the spine and nervous system can affect other areas of the body even if they seem unrelated. For example a problem with your foot can be caused by a disorder in the low back, or a symptom in the arm can be related to a disorder in the neck. Although they seem to the average person unrelated problems, the nerves, in addition to connective tissue, muscles and bones, are what connects a symptom in the foot to a disorder in the low back. In this example, by adjusting the vertebrae in the low back, the chiropractic physician takes the stress, and pressure off of the nerves that run down to the foot and eliminates those symptoms.
The goal of chiropractors is to relieve the cause of the problems to bring the spine back into balance so the body can function at is normal optimal health. The idea once the problem has been resolved is to maintain the body’s normal balanced state of functioning. To do this it is important to stay on a regular chiropractic treatment plan while making changes in your regular life to avoid re-injury or new disorders. That’s not to say you should become a hermit and stay in your home. But by including a healthy diet , exercise and bodywork into your normal daily routine you will help maintain a healthy, proper functioning body.
There are over 100 different types of chiropractic techniques available that chiropractic physicians can study during their schooling. Normally any given chiropractor will use about 20 of those techniques within their daily practice. Although, their chiropractic techniques are important to the fundamentals of patient care, many chiropractors will learn additional disciplines to maximize their patient’s ability to heal, and maintain a highly functioning body. These additional disciplines include nutrition, orthopedics, massage therapy, physical therapy, physical training and exercise , and vitamins and supplements. This allows the Chiropractor the ability to fully understand, diagnose and treat all problems without having to refer the patient to any additional specialists. This increases the ability of the Chiropractor to perform valuable services for their patients that they may have never received through their traditional medical practitioners.