What is Chiropractic?
According
to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic is
a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the
musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects
of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic care
is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints,
including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain
in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.
Doctors of Chiropractic – often referred to as chiropractors–
practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that
includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractors
have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend
therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to
provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.
The most common therapeutic procedure performed by doctors
of chiropractic is known as “spinal manipulation,” also
called “chiropractic adjustment.” The purpose of manipulation
is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled
force into joints that have become hypomobile – or restricted
in their movement – as a result of a tissue injury. Tissue
injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as
improper lifting of a heavy object, or through repetitive
stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor
spinal posture for an extended period of time. In either
case, injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes
that can cause inflammation, pain, and diminished function
for the sufferer. Manipulation, or adjustment of the affected
joint and tissues, restores mobility, thereby alleviating
pain and muscle tightness, and allowing tissues to heal.
Chiropractic adjustment rarely causes discomfort. However,
patients may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching
following treatment (as with some forms of exercise) that
usually resolves within 12 to 48 hours.
In many cases, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care
may be the primary method of treatment. When other medical
conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support
medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects
associated with the condition.
Doctors of chiropractic may assess patients through clinical
examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging and
other diagnostic interventions to determine when chiropractic
treatment is appropriate or when it is not appropriate.
Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate
health care provider when chiropractic care is not suitable
for the patient’s condition, or the condition warrants co-management
in conjunction with other members of the health care team.
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