So let’s answer some of the big questions concerning the practice, what it can do, and why it can be a safer alternative to traditional medicinal therapies for patients.
Why to Trust Chiropractic
1. What Is Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care, at its core, uses physical solutions to treat physical problems and is based on the belief that the human body is self-sustaining and self-healing. By helping the body back into its natural state, we can achieve the best health. It is undoing all the wear and bad habits we pick up over the years.
Care options range from spinal adjustments to Y-strap decompression therapy that help address chronic back pain, muscle spasms, or headaches. Procedures and diagnostic tests are non-invasive, using either hands or modern medical equipment tailored to patients’ needs. The goal is to remove structural or postural imbalance so that your body can heal itself.
Barring surgery, most medical care you receive treats symptoms, not the cause. Pain medication does nothing for the cause of pain, and cold medicine only dampens your sniffle. With chiropractic treatments, you do the opposite. Chiropractic adjustments address the root cause of your inflammation or discomfort, not masking the symptoms.
2. Therapy Types
For most people, treatment will take the form of a chiropractic adjustment, or what typically comes to mind when you think of the chiropractor. Adjustments are specific targeted manipulations to move the spine.
This therapy commonly results in the tell-tale popping sound by using specific spinal positions and the application of sudden controlled force to release the tension on a joint. While safe for most patients, depending on preferences, mobilization can instead be employed with slow movement and much lower amounts of pressure to achieve the same goals.
Adjustments aren’t the only types of therapy offered by chiropractic centers. To treat pain or damaged muscle tissue, you might undergo laser light therapy. This involves the simple application of laser light to specific body areas and is most helpful for those who have fibromyalgia, nerve pain, or are prone to migraines.
For those with chronic muscle tension or back pain, massage therapy helps improve blood circulation and relaxes muscles. Massage is by far the safest treatment, no matter your medical history. While it can’t fix misalignment issues, it will help improve the range of motion.
Finally, temperature therapy employs heat and cold on injured or chronic pain areas. Cold temperatures constrict blood vessels in body tissue and help reduce swelling and inflammation, while heat opens them up to increase circulation and promote healing in damaged areas.
3. Benefits of Chiropractic Care
The core benefit of chiropractic adjustments is reducing or eliminating a neuromusculoskeletal issue. That will mean pain treatment for most people, but it might also be dealing with posture, muscle spasms or stiffness.
Besides the core reduction of pain and inflammation, there is a host of secondary benefits to chiropractic care over that of invasive or chemical treatments:
- Decreased reliance on pain medication like opioids or NSAIDs
- Potentially eliminate the need for invasive procedures like injections or surgery
- Often can diagnosis and start treatment on the first visit
While we often think of chiropractic sessions focusing on the spine (neck and back areas), it is a mode of treatment that chiropractors can apply to any joint in the body.
Compared to invasive procedures and injections around delicate areas, or the potential adverse side effects of long-term medication use, chiropractic solutions to joint and muscle issues are the far safer option for both short and long-term health.
4. Set Your Own Goals
Going to a chiropractor isn’t a magic pill solution that will solve issues by itself. To truly benefit from chiropractic care, patients need to look at the habits or situations causing the pain in the first place.
Even if you can’t avoid sitting for long periods or lifting heavy objects as a course of your work, you can make positive changes to your lifestyle routine to help chiropractic adjustments stick.
Keep in mind why you are going to a chiropractor. If you have lower back pain and need a lumbar adjustment, ensure that you have the proper support if you sit for extended periods.
Make sure to include therapeutic exercise in your treatment. Stretching problematic areas, working specific muscle groups, and utilizing proper posture will help reap the benefits of your appointments.
If you have found you are most sore after waking up in the morning, work to have a different sleeping position, or consider whether or not your mattress type is appropriate for your body's needs.
What you set your mind to get out of chiropractic care is what you will. Prepare yourself for the adjustments and to maintain them with a healthier lifestyle.
Dispelling Myths
We have all heard some myth or misinformation on any topic at some point in our lives. Chiropractic care is no different, so let’s clear the air on a few of the most common misconceptions kicking around that might leave you a little hesitant to try out chiropractic care.
1. Does Treatment Ever Stop?
One of the most repeated myths about seeing a chiropractor is that once you go, you have to continue treatment or risk the health of your neuromusculoskeletal system. While some chronic pain conditions benefit from regular adjustments, the statement is false. Treatment length is entirely dependent on the patient’s needs and can stop at any time.
Chiropractic care is there to help you move and feel better and set you on a healthier lifestyle. For some patients, it is just as likely that a single adjustment with an adequately implemented home routine may give them all the benefits they require from just that session.
Chronic pain, however, may benefit from monthly treatments. And a recent injury might require weekly visits, but only for a month or two until healed.
2. Is it Scientifically Sound?
You may have also heard that chiropractic care is pseudoscience unsupported by the traditional medical establishment. On the contrary, you will find most hospitals now keep a chiropractic team on staff to work alongside medical teams to help provide the best possible care.
Chiropractic therapies are an accepted solution to many physical conditions, especially where traditional medicinal options are not viable for the patient.
3. Does it Hurt?
We have all seen it in a TV show or movie. A character goes to the chiropractor, and loud cracking and popping occur, followed by a pained expression. It’s important to remember that what you see in entertainment isn’t reality.
Chiropractors are experts in the mechanics of how the body’s muscles and bones work together. What they do during an adjustment should not hurt.
Depending on the adjustment you undergo, you may still hear cracking and popping, but it is entirely normal as gas and tension release from stiff joints. But other than feeling minor soreness in the immediate area, your pain or discomfort will be less than before the adjustment.
If you have concerns about pain during or after treatment, speak up. The goal is to realign and remove tension from joints and muscles, and not all therapy options work for everyone. If spinal manipulation feels too extreme, your chiropractor will work with you to find a treatment plan that works with you, not against you.
4. Licensure and Safety
One persistent misconception about chiropractors that might cause some fear is that they aren’t medical doctors. While technically accurate, chiropractors undergo as much education and licensure as their medical counterparts.
Once chiropractic students graduate and complete residency, they receive their Doctorate of Chiropractic degree and must pass and maintain national and state board exams to begin practice.
Every US state treats chiropractic licensure as a medical health care provider with monitoring by peer-reviewed boards.
Seeing a Chiropractor
You can find chiropractor offices in most towns and cities and will often have a few options for care available to you, even if you do not reside in an urban location. So the question then becomes how to select the right chiropractor. Your three best bets are:
- Your primary care physician can likely recommend a local chiropractor with whom they have an established working relationship.
- Word of mouth from family members or friends can also point you in the direction of a chiropractor with good outcomes and patient service.
No matter how you find your chiropractor of choice, check that they are appropriately credentialed and licensed to practice. Just like regular medical doctors and therapists, if you find that you aren’t comfortable with one, don’t stop looking.
Personality matters as much as licensure, and don’t let that keep you from finding treatment.
Your First Visit
Before any appointment, hydrate well with water and take a short walk or light exercise to get your body engaged in moving. Getting in some movement and being hydrated helps get your joints in a state to move and will make any adjustment easier. Your chiropractor will give you a set of pre-appointment recommendations based on your medical history.
Make sure to come with filled forms and be prepared to discuss your medical history and the symptoms that you want to address. Chiropractors take a holistic approach, but it is still vital for them to know of any chronic medical conditions, medications you take, and family history.
The more information you provide, the better your diagnosis and treatment.
After discussing your medical history and why you are seeking treatment, you will go through a physical exam. The chiropractor needs to understand how your body moves in relation to your inflammation and pain. Once diagnosed, you will discuss treatment options to help get you from your current state to where you want to be physically and set expectations for therapy and home care.
What to Expect After
For many people, it is normal to be nervous during their first visit. This extra tension and unfamiliarity with the therapy can leave you a bit out of sorts. If you notice any of the following symptoms, know that they are completely normal and temporary.
- Light nausea, especially from treatments around the neck
- Mild headache
- Dizziness or brain fog
These symptoms sound a bit like the flu, don’t they? Only about 20% of patients report any, but they are entirely normal.
Adjustment therapy can cause the release of toxic build-ups in joints and muscles, and as your body flushes them out, you might feel a little under the weather. Most side effects pass within a day and can be helped with proper hydration and a quick nap.
Monitto Chiropractic
It is understandable to be hesitant about things you haven’t experienced before, especially regarding your health and well-being. But chiropractic care is nothing to fear.
With over 40 years of experience providing quality and professional care to patients of all ages, Monitto Chiropractic is the trusted source for chiropractic therapy in Asheville, NC. We offer a range of therapy options, with treatment plans and appointments available every day of the week. We believe in affordable and accessible services.
If you suffer from back pain, whiplash, sciatic, or other problems, let our dedicated staff at Monitto Chiropractic help get you moving again. Feel free to contact us via phone or email to set up an appointment today.