Q: What conditions do chiropractors treat?
A: Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) care for patients of all ages, with a variety of health conditions, particularly back pain, neck pain and headaches, with highly skilled manipulations or chiropractic adjustments.
They also care for patients with a wide range of injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, involving the muscles, ligaments and joints. These painful conditions often involve or impact the nervous system, which can cause referred pain and dysfunction distant to the region of injury.
The benefits of chiropractic care extend to general health issues, as well, since our body structure affects our overall function. DCs also counsel patients on diet, nutrition, exercise, healthy habits, and occupational and lifestyle modification.
Q: Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?
A: A referral is usually not needed to see a doctor of chiropractic (DC); however, your health plan may have specific referral requirements. You may want to contact the insurance plan directly to find out if there are any referral requirements. Most plans allow you to just call and schedule an appointment with a DC.
Q: How is a chiropractic adjustment performed?
A: Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the doctor of chiropractic’s intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractic physician typically uses his or her hands--or an instrument--to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to restore or enhance joint function.
This often helps resolve joint inflammation and reduces the patient's pain.
Chiropractic manipulation is a highly controlled procedure that rarely causes discomfort. The chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Patients often note positive changes in their symptoms immediately following treatment.
Q: Is chiropractic treatment ongoing?
A: The hands-on nature of the chiropractic treatment is essentially what requires patients to visit the chiropractor a number of times. A chiropractor may provide acute, chronic, and/or preventive care thus making a certain number of visits sometimes necessary. The chiropractic will tell you the extent of treatment recommended and how long you can expect it to last.
Sources cited: American Chiropractic Association. "Frequently Asked Questions." ACA -. American Chiropractic Association, 03 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.