COMMONLY TREATED CONDITIONS

Q: How can chiropractic care be helpful for athletes?

Chiropractic care can be incredibly helpful for athletes. Chiropractic care can be used preventatively to help try and avoid injuries by working on tight and irritated muscles, encouraging proper range of motion and mobility, encouraging proper muscle strength and activation and helping with strength and conditioning. Nutrition and supplementation recommendations can be provided as well. If an athlete suffers from an injury or is post-surgical, many soft tissue techniques, manipulation and adjusting and rehabilitation exercises can be performed and taught to an athlete to facilitate recovery quickly and properly, similar to how a physical therapist would help.

Q: Are chiropractic treatments painful?

Chiropractic treatments can be uncomfortable, but the provider does not necessarily want any patient to be in an excruciating amount of pain while treatment is occuring. There are some techniques that can be a little bit more sore or uncomfortable compared to others, but generally the treatments are very tolerable and the results of pain relief afterwards speak for themselves.

Q: What symptoms can chiropractors treat?

Chiropractors can treat a range of symptoms. Common symptoms are sharp and stabbing pain, dull and achy pain, throbbing pain, numbness, tingling, loss of balance, pain with taking a deep breath, pain with coughing or sneezing, loss of strength and more!

Q: What are some common treatments that chiropractors use?

Chiropractors can use a wide variety of treatment techniques depending on their background, education, experience and continuing education. Chiropractors are well-known for adjustments and manipulations. But there are chiropractors who perform a wide variety of soft tissue work (muscle, tendon, ligament and fascia work) and rehabilitation techniques (therapeutic exercises, stretching, strength and conditioning and therapeutic activities.) Some chiropractors will spend more time doing specific types of treatment depending on their expertise and what the patient needs. Some soft tissue work techniques include manual therapy (which can include many techniques well), cupping, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (otherwise known as scraping, but GRASTON is arguably the most commonly known technique), dry needling, athletic taping, kinesiology taping, utilization of massage guns or percussion instruments, electrical stimulation (E-Stim), therapeutic ultrasound and more!

Q: How can chiropractic care be helpful for adults that are not competitive athletes?

Chiropractic care can be utilized by adults preventatively, for treatment of any sudden symptoms they may have due to a neuromusculoskeletal disorder, if they have chronic symptoms or just want to be on a maintenance program to keep them feeling well and moving well. A large number of adults spend hours sitting, sitting/standing behind a computer screen and looking down at phones or tablets and exercising, which can all predispose adults to having symptoms down the road.

Q: What conditions can benefit from chiropractic care?

There are many conditions that can benefit from chiropractic care. If an individual is suffering from any ache or pain, I typically recommend seeing their chiropractor (especially sports chiropractor) to see if anything can be done to help assist their symptoms because most often the answer is YES! This is typically less invasive than a surgery and has less side effects than taking any prescribed medications as well. Some common conditions that can benefit from chiropractic care are: neck pain, low back pain, rib pain, disc injuries, radiculopathy/radiculitis, pinched nerves, headaches, jaw pain or TMJ disorder, shoulder pain, impingement syndrome, rotator cuff injuries, tennis and golfer’s elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, pain in the hands or wrists, hip pain, pelvic pain, sciatica, runner’s knee, meniscus tears, ankle sprains, calf pain, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and more!

Question 1

Is chiropractic care safe and appropriate for children?

Answer

Chiropractic care is very safe for children and can be very beneficial for children through their growing years, as they play sports, spend time behind a desk or screen for school, or if they have any neuromusculoskeletal conditions such as scoliosis.

Question 2

Can you receive chiropractic care during pregnancy?

Answer

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe and can be very beneficial for both the mother and the fetus or baby. Pregnancy can typically result in back and pelvic related pain for the mother and these can be treated safely with gentle adjusting procedures and specific soft tissue (muscle, tendon and ligament) techniques.

Question 3

What causes the popping sound during chiropractic adjustments?

Answer

This has to do with anatomy and some physics of a joint. A joint is where two bones come together and articulate. Around where the two bones come together, there is a piece of tissue called a joint capsule, which is like skin to the joint. Within the joint capsule there is synovial fluid, which helps to lubricate and nourish the joint where there is cartilage at the end of each bone. When an adjustment is performed, the surfaces of the bone separate ever so slightly, and it changes the fluid pressure within the joint and it results in what we call a cavitation, which is the release of a gas bubble making the audible popping noise. This usually can indicate that the joint moved enough for an adjustment or manipulation to be effective and can result in immediate increases in range of motion and a decrease in pain in the area.

Question 4

Can I perform chiropractic adjustments on myself?

Answer

The most common area that individuals tend to adjust on themselves in their fingers by “popping their knuckles.” Some individuals try to pop and crack their neck and back as well. This tends to not always be the safest because most individuals are not properly trained in how to do this appropriately with minimal risk and can result in an injury, especially in delicate areas. It is not recommended that individuals or patients try to adjust themselves.

Question 5

Can you get chiropractic care after having spinal surgery?

Answer

Chiropractic care can definitely be utilized even after having spinal surgery. If adjusting in the area is not permitted, muscle work, mobility work and rehabilitation exercises to reduce ongoing symptoms can be incredibly helpful or even help a patient recover from the surgery.

Question 6

Can you get chiropractic care after having surgery on an extremity?

Answer

Chiropractic care can be incredibly helpful after having surgery on an extremity. Some chiropractors (especially sports chiropractors) have a strong background in therapeutic exercise and rehabilitation and can practice very similarly to a physical therapist. They sometimes will have advanced equipment and exercise techniques to progress a patient through a full post-operative treatment and rehabilitation program. That being said, chiropractic care can be helpful post physical therapy programs or alongside physical therapy programs as well because more specific soft tissue work and manual therapy techniques can be performed to assist the physical therapy program and a chiropractor can incorporate care in other areas of the body that are related to the surgery as well.

Question 7

How do I know if I need or should get chiropractic care?

Answer

Generally, if you are an upright individual that gets out of bed, goes to work, exercises and participates in hobbies, chiropractic care is recommended for you. That being said, individuals should strongly consider chiropractic care if they have have headaches, jaw pain, neck pain, back pain, pain while taking a deep breath or while sneezing, shoulder pain, hip or pelvic pain, knee, pain, foot or ankle pain, elbow or wrist pain, hand pain, or if there is numbness or tingling in their arms or legs. If individuals are suffering sudden pain, chiropractic care can usually be helpful pretty quickly. If individuals have chronic pain, chiropractic care can be helpful. If you’re an athlete or someone who exercises often with some aches and pains or wants to prevent injury, aches or pains, then chiropractic care should be strongly considered as well.

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