At Total Health Chiropractic we enjoy helping people from all walks of life, different shapes, sizes, ages and of course different ailments. With all the many different types of people we see, we have found there are a few common questions that are often asked at the beginning of Chiropractic Care.
Have a look at the top 10 most common questions below
1) I took a package of 40 visits with another chiropractic clinic a few years ago, however I am still experiencing some pain. How can your chiropractors help me?
I’m quite sure the chiropractic adjustments you previously had helped enormously. If they didn’t correct the cause of the problem then pain will always be the body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Also, there could be some degenerative changes to your spine that took decades in the making. Very often the correction can take several months or more. We at THC are corrective chiropractors; this is what we specialise in. To correct the problem we must affect bones, muscles, ligaments, blood supply and nerves, and that is why there must be a corrective program over a period of time. This must include regular adjustments, stretching or traction and spinal stability exercises. Without these, the problem can never be stabilised. Those who follow our corrective protocols invariably improve enormously.
2) Does chiropractic work for all types of health problems?
Chiropractic helps with most problems because by adjusting and reducing the subluxations (areas of spinal dysfunction) we are improving the function and balance of the spine and thereby the nervous system inside. Better nerve flow to vital organs, stronger immune system and realigned joints that are not degenerating anywhere near as fast, all mean greatly enhanced health.
3) What causes the sound similar to the cracking sound of bones during an adjustment? Why does the sound only occur occasionally?
As we adjust spinal joints we often hear a pop or a cracking sound. This is absolutely normal and is the sound of gas (mostly nitrogen and oxygen) being released by the joint we are manipulating. It is known as a ‘cavitation’ and it happens when the joint is opened for a microsecond creating a vacuum inside the joint capsule. Any fluid in a vacuum will immediately become a gas and this familiar sound is the fluid in the joint releasing gas briefly. It is usually associated with immediately feeling better. As we manipulate joints we don’t always get cavitation’s so there is no noise.
An example of where there would be no cavitation would be where there is a tremendous amount of scar tissue around the joint. It may take many adjustments, gradually improving the function of the joint, before a cavitation is heard. It’s very often a sign that subluxations have been there for many years, there is much degeneration, and there is much work to do to improve function and prevent further deterioration. All adjustments are beneficial, ‘crack’ or no ‘crack’
4) Can someone with back surgery still undergo chiropractic care?
In most cases yes. When they perform surgery, they rarely address the cause of the problem, usually cutting something our or immobilising joints. There is a remaining weakness or ‘weak link’ in the spine and an even greater need to make sure the spine is functioning at it’s optimum. The joints around the point of surgery are under much strain and tend to deteriorate much faster than normal. Also, we must consider the original problem. Too little curve, too much curve, scoliosis, leg length inequality, subluxation….all absolutely need correcting.
5) Which is better, chiropractic adjustments or acupuncture(TCM)?
They are entirely different. Acupuncture makes the muscles hurt less providing pain relief. Usually however, it is not a muscle ‘problem’, more a muscle ‘consequence’. This is usually only a temporary relief. Chiropractic on the other hand improves function and alignment of the entire spine so the muscle tightness and pain go away for the right reasons.
6) I had surgery for my slipped disc 6 months ago and I still feel pain. Physiotherapy doesn’t seem to be working. Can chiropractic cure me?
Absolutely. The physiotherapist is great at doing soft tissue (or mostly muscle) rehab, but often it’s not a soft tissue problem. In your case it is a joint and verve problem. Only precise, gentle chiropractic adjustments will restore the necessary function of your spine. These areas of spinal dysfunction are called subluxations and only chiropractors are trained to find and adjust them. The adjustments, or light manipulations, improve the function of the spinal joints and create more space for the nerves. As function improves and there is less nerve interference, then you will star to feel much better.
7) What are the major differences between physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy?
Osteopathy = Manipulations of all joints to improve blood flow and initiate healing.
Physiotherapy = Soft tissue rehab.
Chiropractic = Specialists in the spine, pelvis and nervous system. We identify vertebral subluxations, which are areas of spinal fixation and misalignments that cause premature ageing and nerve interference. WE adjust these joints to improve function, prevent early ageing and nerve pressure. Removing nerve pressure has innumerable beneficial effect on overall health.
8) How does a manipulation work?
Chiropractors do ‘adjustments‘ which are very precise spinal manipulations. It is good to think of these as restoring movement to fixated joints that are starting a process of premature ageing (degeneration). This initiates healing of the joints. At the same time the adjustments create more space for the nerves so there is less verve interference and obviously therefore enormous health benefits.
9) What causes the ‘stiffness’ in my spine, and how does a physical force (manipulation) remove the ‘stiffness’?
Joints that are ‘subluxated’ are misaligned and become fixated, causing stiffening. The body responds by tightening muscles which causes more stiffness. At the same time poor posture means the structure, especially the spine, is not straight in gravity, and muscle tightness must always be the result, causing chronic tightness and stiffness. Less movement means less blood supply to joints and tissues, which causes even more stiffness. The adjustments gradually restore movement and function to damaged joints and improve posture whist improving blood supply to tissues. A gradual reduction in stiffness will be the result. In addition, by removing pressure on the spinal nerves it allows muscle tightness around these joints to calm down. Chiropractic adjustments should always be supported by stretching and strengthening, all of which help reduce stiffness further.
10) Is it ok / good to exercise right after an adjustment?
Yes, it’s fine and usually you can exercise better and with less likelihood of injury. Most professional sportspersons in the United States are adjusted frequently, not to get out of pain but to prevent injury. Always stretch and warm up properly before exercise.
If you have any further questions we are always here to help. Please call any of our five clinics and speak to one of our chiropractic assistance with any questions you may have.