What Your Chiropractor Wishes You Knew
Don’t you love a fresh start! Push the reboot button, sweep the past to where it belongs and step forward with new resolve. It’s exciting just imagining where this could lead us
And a great place to start is with a visit to your chiropractor. When your spine goes back into alignment, it reconnects the central nervous system tucked inside with your brain and your body’s receptors. It’s like two old friends falling over themselves, putting everything back in order!
But the healing doesn’t end there. That is what chiropractors wish more of their clients took to heart, reinforcing the stage set in the office. It’s a jump-start to a full life … if you follow through.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Chiropractic care is proactive, not reactive to symptoms. Don’t wait for back pain to send you to the chiropractor. Regain the balance that will prevent the pain in the first place! (Too late? Chiropractors’ success in easing chronic pain is well-documented, and the subsequent changes often prevent a relapse.)
- Your chiropractor often can tell you what put your spine out of alignment and what you need to do to prevent it from happening again. Stand tall – posture counts. Eat better. Get a good night’s sleep. These aren’t just the obligatory follow-up to a chiropractic session. They are your marching orders, decreasing inflammation, training the spine to stay in position, and giving your body the resources it needs to heal itself.
- Don’t fall into the same old habits expecting different results because you had an adjustment. If sitting at your desk for eight hours straight with hardly a bathroom break brought you to the chiropractor, make some positive changes. Set a timer, and every hour, get up and walk around the room a couple times. Buy sensible shoes. Pick up a body pillow that keeps your spine in position while your body recharges every night.
- Live life to the fullest! Enjoy all the restored mobility, new energy, and a nervous system firing on all cylinders. And when someone notices, let them know what gave you a fresh start on life. According to the Gallup-Palmer College of Chiropractic 2018 report, the vast majority of people who visited a chiropractor for the first time did so on the recommendation of a friend. Be that friend – not a bad way to start a new year!
How safe are the vigorous neck manipulations done by chiropractors?
The chiropractor had just worked on Lynne Beliveau’s neck when she became dizzy, unable to see or move. Rushed to the hospital, Beliveau had a shunt inserted to relieve pressure caused by swelling in her brain. The Ashburn woman suffered a series of strokes and today, eight years later, the 41-year-old mother of three suffers from constant vertigo.
Approximately 20 million Americans visit chiropractors each year, according to the American Chiropractic Association, seeking relief from back pain, neck pain, headaches, sinus problems, ringing in the ears and more. For many, the manipulations provide relief. But one of the techniques chiropractors use, called cervical neck manipulation or “cracking the neck,” has raised concerns that it can cause serious harm.
Neck and spine
a District chiropractor who has practiced for more than 30 years, said every patient comes with “two neurological snags,” or problem areas: the neck and the spine. “It’s important to work on the neck if we are going to cure their problems,” he said. sits on the guidelines committee of the national Council on Chiropractic Practice, which describes its mission as providing evidence-based guidelines that “serve the needs of the consumer and are consistent with ‘real world’ chiropractic practice.”
Evidence of the effectiveness of chiropractic manipulation is inconclusive, in part due to a lack of large, rigorously designed studies. Some studies suggest that spinal manipulation may be helpful for lowering blood pressure, dealing with some headaches, helping colicky infants, limiting migraines, easing some types of lower back pain. Others, however, have raised concerns specifically about the sudden powerful thrusts used in cervical neck manipulations and the possibility that they might tear the carotid or vertebral artery leading to the brain. Such tears can cause a blood clot that travels to the brain, causing a stroke
A 2010 study of deaths after spinal manipulation found 26 published cases, and seven unpublished ones, mostly due to a tear, or “dissection of a vertebral artery,” and suggested that many more cases had not been reported. A 2007 survey of adverse effects published in medical journals between 2001 and 2006 found that “spinal manipulation, particularly when performed on the upper spine, is frequently associated with mild to moderate adverse effects. It can also result in serious complications such as vertebral artery dissection followed by stroke.
WAYS TO MAKE CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS LAST LONGER
hhh… So, now what? You’ve invested time and money to ease your discomfort and make sure your spine, joints and muscles are all firing optimally… and THEN..! Something slips back out of place. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make chiropractic adjustments last longer?
USE THIS EASY CHECKLIST TO MAKE YOUR CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS LAST LONGER.
What are the biggest complaints of patients that seek chiropractic care? It boils to just two big concerns:
patients are apprehensive about adjustments being little scary (or even painful),
and that it might take constant, frequent adjustments to stay feeling optimal
But your chiropractor’s technique is only a part of the equation. If the chiropractic patient doesn’t participate in the process, she’ll not only waste money and time…but she’ll likely experience more discomfort and for longer.
This saying is true always, but especially so in the care of your health. Your visits to your chiropractor need to be full sessions, without any corners cut. To take full advantage of the health beneifts, plan your schedule knowing that it’s not just a 2 1/2 minute “crack session”.
A good chiropractor will take the time to do these three things:
find subluxations and other issues,
make necessary adjustments, and
recommend a course of action to get the most out of that treatment!
Researched Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments
If you frequently deal with symptoms like joint pain, backaches or headaches, but are yet to ever visit a chiropractor for help, then you may be missing out on an effective and natural treatment option. Millions of people around the world have experienced the incredible benefits of chiropractic care, a holistic, non-invasive treatment approach that has been shown to help treat dozens of different conditions.
One of the best things about receiving chiropractic adjustments is that they are a completely drug-free path to healing the body naturally. Chiropractic benefits including helping to naturally improve problems such as:
Back pain
Headaches
Bowel regularity
Improved mental clarity
Ear infections
Neck pain
Arthritis and joint pain
Scoliosis
Asthma
Blood pressure
Healthy pregnancy
Organ function
Surgery prevention
Despite its popularity, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the field of chiropractic care, including how the practice works and how chiropractors are trained. For example, did you know that many chiropractic programs incorporate an entire year of PhD-level advanced nutrition training?
What Are Chiropractic Adjustments?
What is the meaning of chiropractic? There are a number of chiropractic definitions depending on who you ask.
According to the World Federation of Chiropractic, the meaning of chiropractic medicine is:
A health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal adjustment and other joint and soft-tissue manipulation.
things you need to know about TMJ pain
TMJ pain can be debilitating When she was in middle school, she started experiencing severe headaches. Her jaw would get stuck in place and sometimes dislocate. The pain was so severe that she could not concentrate at school and was unable to participate in extracurricular activities.
was born with a small jaw and needed surgery to relieve her pain, but she could not have it until she was off the pain medications that were getting her through the day for six months. Unsure how she would manage this pain without medication, her surgeon referred her to a chiropractor
The causes of TMJ pain
The bones of the TMJ are separated by a disc of cartilage to keep your jaw moving smoothly. When those muscles become irritated, the disc is displaced. Common symptoms include popping, a clicking sound or sensation, muscle tenderness, joint tenderness, and being unable to open your jaw wide
There are three main categories of TMJ pain:
The most common is in the muscles that control the jaw and the connecting neck and shoulder muscles;
Internal disorder of the joint, or a dislocated or displaced disc; and
A degenerative joint disease in the jaw joint, like arthritis.
Managing TMJ pain
There are several things you can do to treat or reverse TMJ-related pain:
Eating softer foods
Applying ice packs
Avoiding extreme jaw movements
Learning techniques to relax and reduce stress
Practicing gentle stretching of the jaw to help increase its movement
Soft tissue massage