Frequently Asked Questions

Chiropractic is a conservative and natural form of health care that concentrates on keeping people well. In fact, research has shown that patients under chiropractic care have stronger immune systems, and don’t get sick nearly as much as the normal population. Doctors of chiropractic attempt to get to the cause of a health problem rather than just treat the symptoms. The primary focus of chiropractic is the detection, reduction and correction of spinal misalignment (subluxations) and nervous system dysfunction.

Yes, to receive the Doctor of Chiropractic degree, candidates must complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited chiropractic institution. A doctor of chiropractic receives education on par with medical doctors or dentists. Before they can practice doctors of chiropractic must pass the National Boards, as well as the licensing exam for the state in which they wish to practice. Most states require the doctors to attend continuing educational programs for annual re-licensure.

Chiropractic works with your body’s internal electricity – the nervous system. Health is a way of life. You were designed to be healthy. Your body really wants to be healthy. So why fight it? Sound simple, doesn’t it? So what makes this way of thinking so different? Day and night, television and advertisers tell us we can rub, inject or swallow our way to good health. We’ve learned to believe that the answer to all of our health problems is in a little bottle of pills. The truth is that the potential for good health is already within each one of us. Chiropractic releases that hidden potential without the use of drugs.

Most patients notice significant improvement when starting care. However, in a small percentage of patients, they may notice a little discomfort as their spine is adapting to the changes being made. One of the main reasons for the consultation and examination is to clearly define the cause of your health conditions. If you have misaligned vertebrae, then chiropractic can help. If that’s not what you have, we will suggest a referral to the proper health care professional. Our concern is that you get the proper care so your health will improve.

Yes! Every year, more and more people, of all ages are turning to chiropractors to improve their health and performance, not just injured workers or athletes. Chiropractic is the fastest growing and the second largest primary care profession. Chiropractic services are in high demand as we look for better ways to be healthy, other than relying on surgery of drugs.

Yes! Those pains you’ve been hiding with pills, injections and creams are really trying to tell you something. Pain is not the problem. Pain is your body’s alarm system. It alerts you when something is interfering with your health. By ignoring the cause of the pain, you could be inviting severe consequences. Possible long term effects include spinal joint degeneration, nerve damage or organ problems that may not become evident for a long time.

Some patients may experience a slight soreness when first starting care. This is similar to starting a new exercise program. Most patients, however, enjoy their adjustments and look forward to them.

An adjustment often makes a noise. The noise is a gas that escapes from a joint when it is moved quickly. An adjustment takes the joint just past its normal end range of motion for a fraction of a second and, in that time. The buildup of nitrogen gas is usually released. Them is nothing that cracks or breaks, If there is no popping noise, it means there was no sound from escaping gas.

Each person and each case, is different. The length of your care depends on the problem you have and its severity. We can provide a much better estimate after an examination and consultation. For most patients pain relief occurs within the first few weeks. Patient results vary depending upon many factors. How long have you had your problem? Did you keep all of your appointments? Are you getting the proper rest, exercise and nutrition? Are you in otherwise good health? Within a short period of time, most patients sense enough progress to justify completing our recommendations.

After a patient’s initial examination, a program of care is established. This may run anywhere from 3-9 months, depending on the patient’s condition. This is similar to putting braces on crooked teeth. After this time, most patients choose to maintain a check-up program to keep their spine healthy, free from pain and to prevent a relapse. Most patients think of this as wellness or preventative care similar to dental check-ups. Of course, how much care you chose to receive is always up to you.

The principle of chiropractic was discovered on September 18, 1895 by Dr. Daniel Palmer of Davenport, Iowa. Palmer was carrying on a shouted conversation with the deaf building janitor. Harvey Lillard. Lillard was telling Palmer that 17 years earlier, while working in a cramped, stooped position, something had popped in his neck and his hearing loss had become progressively worse. Dr. Palmer, a curious man, examined Lillard’s back and found a painful, misaligned vertebra. Suspecting a connection between this vertebra and the hearing problem, he repositioned the vertebra with a gentle thrust Lillard’s hearing improved immediately. With continuing daily care, Lillard was able to hear well within a week.

It is unfortunate that the majority of the population believes that the only thing that chiropractors are good at is treating sore backs. Chiropractic has been shown to be extremely effective in helping people with sore backs, but that is a small fraction of what it is we actually do. The avenue of approach that we take to effect a change on your body is via your spine. MD’s prescribe medication that is usually taken orally, but we don’t call them “mouth” doctors. A doctor of chiropractic is actually a “nerve” doctor. The nervous system controls every tissue, gland and organ in your body. By allowing this system to function at its optimum, patients enjoy better overall health and well being. We have helped hundreds of patients with conditions such as: asthma, allergies, ear infections, bladder infections, PMS, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, cronic pain, sinus infections, childhood scoliosis and many others.

Many people, as well as the medical profession, believe that the reason people get sick is that they were exposed to a germ (bacterium or virus). This theory fails to explain why do some people get sick and others don’t when exposed to the same “bug”. In reality, people get sick because their resistance (immune function) is low. Then when exposed to the germ, it attacks those week tissues and you get sick. Germs no more cause disease than cars cause automobile accidents. The viruses and bacteria we call germs are everywhere. They’re in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. They can only result in disease when our bodies provide a hospitable environment for them to reproduce. Long term chiropractic patients usually enjoy better overall health and just don’t seem to get sick as much. In the future, doctors will do more to promote better “health”, than just treat patients in crisis.

Also, drugs (prescription and over the counter) in our culture are big business. They spend billions on advertising alone. This tends to brainwash many people into thinking when they have a “symptom” they must take a drug to get rid of the symptoms. Then we wonder why we have such a drug problem in our society. In fact the third leading cause of death is now “iatrogenic disease”, which stands for doctor induced. Actually, the best doctor is the one inside every patient. Your body innately knows how best to run and take care of itself. In chiropractic we don’t put anything in to your body, and we don’t take anything out. We allow your body to heal from the inside, naturally and conservatively.

Actually chiropractic care is much more affordable and effective than many other types of care. Physical therapy is at least twice as expensive per visit, and spinal surgery can be over $50,000. Our office is unique in that we offer cash discounts to patients that make care very affordable, and most everyone can bring in their entire family for care. Many insurance companies also help to offset the cost of your care.

Insurance companies make two mistakes by limiting or denying coverage. First, they ignore current research showing the superiority of chiropractic care in many cases. Plus, they overlook the lower cost and higher patient satisfaction enjoyed with chiropractic care. we offer ways to make chiropractic care affordable for just about anyone.

Many times I am asked, “Gee doc, I didn’t do anything, how did this happen to me”. There are basically 5 causes of spinal subluxations (misalignments). Sometimes it starts at the birth process itself. Many times the delivery is assisted by forceps or vacuum extraction, this has been shown to cause tearing of the nerve fibers, and can set up a spinal problem. In childhood, kids bump and fall all the time. Not every fall causes a subluxation, but it leads to a higher incidence of potential spinal trauma. Just like every candy bar doesn’t cause a cavity, but it will increase the likelihood of one developing. The next cause is a macrotrauma, such as a car accident or lifting injury. This will knock spinal bones out of alignment and cause subluxation. Cumulative microtrauma is probably the most common cause of subluxation.

Things such as improper sleeping, poor posture, and, occupational hazards will cause subluxation. The last cause is emotional tension and stress, this will cause muscles to tighten and pull the bones out of alignment. So buy the time most patients make it to my office, it is usually a combination of all these factors. Just like where did you get that cavity? Was it because you ate candy, didn’t brush or visit your dentist? It is unfortunate that pain is the last thing to show up, and usually the first to go. So if we just base your good health on your symptoms, we really sell you short, and you don’t get the care that you need. We encourage everyone to receive a regular spinal check-up, just like you would practice preventative dentistry you will feel better and be healthier because of it.