Understanding
with Chiropractic care and your Chiropractor
There are many misconceptions about Chiropractic Care and the Chiropractor. We will try to answer the most common questions from the population today. Some of which have some knowledge about the Chiropractor and accept it as fact, but is actually myth. We will provide research and scientifically based facts to help you understand more about our services and more importantly about who is providing these services to you.
Myth #1 : The Chiropractor is not a real doctor, they are just therapists who can crack your back...
The key difference from the Doctor of Chiropractic and the Doctor of Medicine is the therapeutic procedures that are utilized to treat the patient. Nevertheless, the educational background is nearly identical from mandatory pre-medical undergraduate prerequistes to the 3 years of graduate studies in basic medical science. However, a directional split begins when extensive practice in chiropractic manipulative treatment is attained apart from the pharmacological based treatment typically seen in traditional medicine.
In many attributes chiropractic educational requirements do exceed medical educational requirements due to the chiropractor's specialization in musculoskeletal disease and disease process. It is the rationale that injuries of such should be directed to the Doctor of Chiropractic alternatively to the Doctor of Medicine which are current standard practices today.
Each sector of healthcare has the ability to accept a new patient without the need for a referral and both can be your primary care provider. Nevertheless, each doctor has it's place in your healthcare plan. Medicine is necessary in situations of emergency and in critical life threatening conditions. Chiropractic is necessary in the event of acute and chronic musculoskeletal injury. It is an example of why both disciplines work closely together in full-rehabilitation facilities across the nation.
Myth #2: Once you get cracked (adjusted) by the Chiropractor, you will get addicted and you need to get cracked for the rest of your life...
The fact is chiropractic care is beneficial for short-term pain relief as well as long-term relief. Many who choose to get adjusted or use chiropractic manipulative treatment find that immediate relief usually ensues after treatment. However, chiropractic care is not addictive in any stance. It may be observed as beneficial to the patient receiving treatment and become apart of their weekly or monthly regimen. But the doctor does not make recommendations to continue treatment unless there is an necessity.
Common treatment plans are catered to the person injured in accidents, sports trauma, and acute conditions of which require short-term treatment plans. The necessity for long-term treatment plans are limited to chronic conditions and diseases that require psycho-somatic relief. However, there are options available to the person who value the benefits of chiropractic care beyond acute rehabilitative care, which is referred to as wellness care.
Differentiating recommendations set forth by your doctor from the pain relief treatment plan to a wellness care plan is important. Wellness plans are always an option, but never apart of symptom based or chronic based care.
Myth #3: Chiropractic manipulation of the neck will cause an otherwise healthy adult to have a stroke...
Manipulations to the neck by a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic does hold inherent risks such as stroke. The inherent risk statistics, however show that 1 in every 5.8 million chiropractic manipulations does an adverse event occur. In another study, research is showing no inherent statistics or connection to neck manipulation and stroke. One must ask, is fear based media really telling the truth? Wagering risk versus benefit, research and studies are showing there is more inherent risk in taking aspirin; exhibiting that death occurred in 24.8 cases per million who took aspirin. There is no doubt, there are some inherent risks in every procedure, but clarifying the evidence is important for you and your family's well-being.
One can say, you probably have a better chance in getting struck by lightning. However, just like prevention is needed in avoiding lightning; there are precautions that can be taken in preventing adverse events. Performing a thorough consultation and examination renders risk to minimal to even non-existent. Nevertheless, if there are any indications of risk, a referral will be made out to the cardiovascular specialist in your area to further evaluate our concerns.
A cerebrovascular accident or stroke can happen in a variety of environmental and physiological conditions such as overexertion, conditional high stress environments with poor diet, to even placing your head in the hair washing station at the salon. Incidences of stroke occurring typically to the elderly, it is fact that one's health status is key in comprehending risk.
Dr. Daniel L. Pennell, D.C. will make certain every potential patient is healthy enough to receive chiropractic care before beginning any treatment and will accommodate to each patient in making sure it is prudent and effective by offering less evasive adjuctive care if necessary. Dr. Pennell will not take any risks he believes will jeopardize anyone's health including yours and your family's.
Myth #4: Infants and children should not be adjusted by a Chiropractor...
This is one of the biggest myths out there in the population today. The belief that children can not benefit from chiropractic care is mere fiction. On the contrary, chiropractic care actually benefits the child more so than the adult due to the developmental hurdles of growth and physiological changes that require continual monitoring. Injuries are frequently observed in the first stages of the maturing toddler in instances such as crawling to walking. Injuries of which can have an adverse effect on the baby's future development.
Developmental hurdles can be worrisome, however trauma does occur quite commonly in the first seconds a newborn is delivered. Statistics showing 7 per 1000 births a year are traumatic. This can set up a multitude of infant syndromes that can have one at the pediatrician's office more often than average. Syndromes such as colic, or colicky baby is a sign the infant may have an underlying musculoskeletal condition. A condition of which can be addressed non-evasively with chiropractic care.
When passing the infancy stages of growth, children and parents can face many developmental conditions which may seem unrelated to the musculoskeletal system. Common conditions such as ADHD and chronic ear infections can benefit from chiropractic care which research is observing. Nevertheless, the chiropractor should not be shunned away when the results are clear that children are benefiting remarkably with care.
Myth #5: Popping your fingers regularly will cause you to have arthritis, the belief is the same for your spine and other joints...
This myth is probably the most viral of the culture today, nevertheless a myth that is completely false... The thought that joints with more motion will develop arthitis is fictitious. On the contrary, it is the lack of motion in a joint that creates arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a common condition today, often worsened with poor diet and lack of exercise. The primary cause, however routinely related to unresolved injuries of the past. Common consequences of past trauma involve mislignments and fixations of related areas of injury such as the spine, knee, and other associated joints.
Observing human physiology, it has an incredible ability to heal from injuries. However, injuries may often over heal. This understanding is clear when observing it from outside with keloid scarring of the skin. Just like the outside physiology of your skin, one must understand that over healing does occur within your joints and bones. Specifically, structures such as the joint which are uniquely close to the bones of your body. When traumatic injuries like accidents occur, fixations of joints specifically your spine look quite similiar to your bones. Consequently, this begins the diligent process of human physiology over healing areas of damage. Due to the body's misconception of joint fixation from actual fractured bone, this begins to rebuild the joint as if it is damaged bone. This development takes years in its process and commonly with no symptoms at all. Nevertheless, after a duration of over healing; joints become stiff and painful with the person suffering muddled in disbelief, wondering how?
Joints are made to move efficiently without obstruction. Commonly, when over healing has occurred within the joint space in the form of calcium. It can create havoc within the soft tissue areas of cartilage and ligaments, in turn creating the chronic condition osteoarthritis.
This condition can be diverted non-evasively with chiropractic care. After trauma of any type even with or without pain make sure you visit your local Chiropractor. Addressing the cause which is the misalignments and fixations of joint motion will allow your human physiology to heal correctly and what is necessary.
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