Chiropractic care is unique in its breadth- anyone from a newborn to a centenarian can visit a chiropractor, and they can help with not only back pain but also a wide range of chronic and acute ailments. Despite this, many people associate chiropractic care with only injuries or back pain, not knowing that it can be useful for overall health and healing. If you are going to visit a Snellville chiropractor, you may want to know more about what to expect and where the practice comes from. Below are some chiropractic fun facts to help you understand your care and get you ready for treatment.
- Chiropractic care as we know it has been around since 1895, but versions of therapeutic spinal manipulation have existed for over 2500 years!
- The term “chiropractic” is a mash-up of two Greek words. Praktos means “to do,” and cheir means “hand,” making the term mean treatment that is done by hand.
- The profession of chiropractic care is a health care practice that is dedicated to non-surgical treatment for issues with the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.
- The father of chiropractic care is a Canadian man named Daniel David Palmer. Though he had no formal medical training, Palmer began the practice in 1895 after restoring a partially deaf janitor’s hearing through spinal manipulation.
- Daniel David Palmer also founded the first college dedicated to teaching chiropractic care in 1897. The Palmer Chiropractic School & Cure is still operating today to provide education to future chiropractors.
- There are more than 60,000 chiropractors actively licensed in the United States. This spans all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, all of which recognize licensure.
- Chiropractors are everywhere! From independent practices to hospitals, from NFL teams to the military, chiropractors are a well-known part of multidisciplinary health teams.
- While manual adjustment is the main tool used by Snellville chiropractors, they may also use electrical muscular stimulation, ultrasound, or massage as a part of their treatment. However, they will never use pharmaceutical drugs or invasive surgeries.
- The goal of chiropractic care is to use a natural method of healing by stimulating the body’s communication system to work effectively. This allows the nervous system to initiate, control, and coordinate the various functions that cells, organs, and other systems are meant to perform to keep the body healthy.
- Chiropractic care can be used in conjunction with more conventional medical treatment and is primarily used as a pain relief alternative. Whether you’re dealing with pain in your muscles, joints, bones, or connective tissues, chiropractors have got your back (and more)!
- Spinal manipulation and other forms of chiropractic care are considered both safe and effective for treating acute low back pain. Unlike chronic pain, acute back pain lasts no more than 6 weeks and is usually brought on by a sudden injury that results from activities like moving furniture or getting tackled playing a sport. There are other causes of low back pain that many are not aware of, as well.
- While it focuses on the spine, chiropractic care is considered a holistic practice, and patients can look to a Snellville chiropractor for overall wellness. It’s a booming field in preventative medicine, helping you stay healthy rather than just fixing you up after you’re hurt.
- Chiropractic care focuses on maintaining your health, allowing your body to resist disease naturally, as opposed to treating the symptoms after a disease develops. This means chiropractors pay attention to other factors as well, like exercise, nutrition, sleep, environment, and genetics.
- In addition to manual therapy, some chiropractors will help with other areas of health. They may provide advice on exercise, diet, or nutrition. This is intended to improve and manage your health, as well as avoid the recurrence of any known health conditions.
- The most common reason people seek chiropractic care is lower back pain, followed by neck pain, then headaches, and problems with the extremities like arms and legs.
Fun Facts About Chiropractic Techniques
Chiropractic care includes a variety of techniques beyond spinal manipulation that can address specific patient needs and conditions. Your Snellville chiropractor will assess your health and put together a personalized treatment plan that incorporates the best techniques for you. In addition to manual chiropractic adjustments, here are some other techniques your chiropractor might use.
- Activator Method: This technique involves the use of a handheld instrument called an activator adjusting instrument. It delivers a controlled, gentle impulse to the spine or joint to restore motion and alleviate pain.
- Flexion-Distraction Technique: Primarily used to treat conditions like herniated discs, sciatica, and spinal stenosis, this technique involves a specialized table that gently stretches and decompresses the spine. The goals are to improve spinal alignment, reduce pressure on spinal nerves, and improve mobility in affected areas.
- Myofascial Release: This technique targets the fascia, a connective tissue covering muscles, to release tension and improve flexibility. It involves applying sustained pressure to specific areas like muscle tightness or trigger points, which promotes relaxation and restoring healthy muscle function.
What Conditions Chiropractors Can Treat
Chiropractic care extends beyond treating back and neck pain to include a wide range of musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. Here are just a few examples of what conditions your Snellville chiropractor can treat:
- Sciatica: Characterized by pain radiating along the sciatic nerve, chiropractic adjustments can relieve pressure on the nerve roots caused issues like spinal misalignment or herniated discs.
- Migraines: Chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate migraines by improving spinal alignment and reducing tension in the neck and upper back muscles, which lead to headache frequency and intensity.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Chiropractic care focuses on addressing misalignments in the wrist and elbow joints to reduce compression on the median nerve responsible for carpal tunnel syndrome. Chiropractic care can offer relief for carpal tunnel symptoms like pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and fingers.
- Car Accident Injuries: Chiropractors can effectively treat various car accident injuries, including whiplash, soft tissue injuries, back pain, and more. By realigning the spine and relieving tension in the affected areas, chiropractors can help restore your mobility and reduce pain.
- Herniated Discs: Chiropractic care can provide relief for herniated discs by using gentle spinal adjustments to reduce disc pressure and alleviate associated symptoms like pain, numbness, and weakness.
- Chronic Back Pain: For people suffering from chronic back pain, chiropractors offer long-term management strategies, including spinal adjustments, exercise recommendations, and lifestyle modifications to improve overall spinal health and reduce pain.
- Spinal Stenosis: Chiropractic care can help manage spinal stenosis, a condition where the spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves. Through spinal adjustments and targeted therapies, chiropractors can alleviate symptoms like pain, numbness, and weakness.
Fun Chiropractor Facts: Pediatric, Geriatric, and Sports
Did you know that chiropractors can also help everyone, from kids to aging adults? Here are three surprising fun facts about chiropractic care for unique populations.
- Pediatric Care: Chiropractic adjustments for children are gentle and modified to suit their smaller frames and developing musculoskeletal systems. Chiropractors commonly treat conditions such as colic, ear infections, and musculoskeletal issues that may arise from birth trauma or childhood activities.
- Geriatric Care: For older adults, chiropractic care focuses on maintaining mobility, managing arthritis-related pain, and improving overall quality of life. Techniques are gentle and adapted to accommodate age-related changes in bone density and joint flexibility.
- Athlete Care: Chiropractors play a vital role in sports medicine by providing treatments to enhance joint mobility, flexibility, and muscle function. They also focus on injury prevention strategies through biomechanical assessments and corrective exercises tailored to athletes’ specific sports and training regimens.
7 Examples of Multidisciplinary Care with Chiropractors
Here at AICA Snellville, we’re passionate about far more than just chiropractic fun facts! We love collaborating with a variety of healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive and holistic care for our patients. This multidisciplinary approach helps ensure that you receive individualized treatment plans tailored to your specific. Here’s how chiropractors work alongside physical therapists, orthopedic doctors, and other professionals.
Collaborative Assessment and Diagnosis
Chiropractors and orthopedic doctors can collaborate closely in the assessment and diagnosis of various musculoskeletal conditions. While chiropractors specialize in spine and joint health, orthopedic doctors are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint disorders. Together, they can provide a thorough evaluation to determine the underlying causes of a patient’s pain or dysfunction.
Coordinated Treatment Plan
Once a diagnosis is made, chiropractors and orthopedic doctors can collaborate on developing coordinated treatment plans. Chiropractic adjustments may be used to restore spinal alignment and improve joint mobility, while orthopedic interventions such as injections or surgeries may be recommended for certain conditions like bone fractures or joint degeneration.
Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Chiropractors frequently work alongside physical therapists to provide rehabilitation and physical therapy programs. Physical therapists focus on improving strength, flexibility, and functional mobility through targeted exercises and therapeutic techniques. Chiropractic adjustments can complement these efforts by addressing underlying issues that may contribute to musculoskeletal concerns.
Pain Management Strategies
In situations where pain management is a primary concern, chiropractors may collaborate with pain management specialists to offer additional modalities such as medication management, nerve blocks, or alternative therapies to alleviate pain and improve quality of life.
Comprehensive Patient Education
Chiropractors, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals work together to educate patients about their conditions and treatment options. They empower patients to actively participate in their recovery through things like lifestyle modifications, ergonomic improvements, and self-care practices that promote long-term wellness.
Referral Networks
Chiropractors may also utilize their referral networks with a range of healthcare providers, ensuring seamless continuity of care for their patients. Referrals to orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, radiologists, and other specialists may be made when additional diagnostic testing or specialized interventions are needed.
Encourage Holistic Wellness
By integrating chiropractic care with other disciplines like nutrition counseling, mental health services, and other alternative therapies, healthcare teams can address all the various aspects of a patient’s well-being. This holistic approach promotes overall wellness and the effectiveness of treatment outcomes.
Rely on AICA Snellville for Chiropractic Care and More
Whether you have been seeing a chiropractor for years or are seeking care for the first time, it is important to understand the philosophy of chiropractic care and the variety of benefits it offers. When you visit AICA Snellville, you will work with not only an expert Snellville chiropractor but also a team of specialists dedicated to your recovery and health. Experience these fun facts about chiropractic care firsthand when you contact us today to begin working with our team!