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CHIROPRACTIC is the third largest healing profession after medicine and dentistry.
The following two definitions of chiropractic are frequently used:
1. A drugless, non-surgical health profession which specializes in the diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of biomechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system,
particularly those involving the spine and their effects on the nervous system.
2. Chiropractic is the branch of the healing arts concerned with the restoration and
maintenance of health, by restoring the functional abberrations of the nervous
system, stemming from vertebral and other joint dysfunction.
The doctor of chiropractic (D.C.) is a primary care, first-contact physician. The
chiropractic physician bases treatment upon a foundation of diagnostic information
gathered through physical examination, patient history, clinical laboratory results
(blood chemistries, urinalysis, etc.), diagnostic imaging (X-rays, MRIs, etc.), and other
diagnostic measures in addition to evaluations unique to chiropractic
Following development of a diagnostic impression, the chiropractic physician may
care for the patient through the application of spinal and extravertebral adjustments
or manipulations. Care may also include nutritional counseling, physiological
therapeutics, acupuncture, trigger point therapy, lifestyle counseling, emotional
support and other related therapies, without the use of drugs or surgery.MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1.What is manipulation or adjustment?
Manipulation is one of several forms of manual therapy. Manual therapy is treatment using any of a group of procedures by which the doctor's hands directly contact the patient's body to treat the joints and related soft tissues of the body.
Manipulation or adjustment is treatment using the doctor's hands to apply body leverage and a physical thrust to one joint or a group of related joints to restore joint and related tissue function. Through the use of manipulation, the doctor seeks to provide relief from symptoms, improve join and muscle function, and speed recovery. Spinal manipulation or adjustment is the most common form of manipulation. Manipulation or adjusment should not be confused with other forms of manual therapy such as mobilization and massage.
2. What Type of Education do Doctors of Chiropractic get?
Today's Doctor of Chiropractic is well educated. The science of chiropractic requires a special emphasis on anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurology, biomechanics, X-ray, spinal adjusting techniques and related subjects. This demanding curriculum prepares chiropractic doctors to locate the Vertebral Subluxation Complex and help correct the resulting nervous system dysfunction.
Course in classroom hours
Chiropractic-------------------Medicine
540-----------Anatomy -------- 508
240-----------Physiology------ 326
360-----------Pathology------- 401
165-----------Chemistry------- 325
120-----------Microbiology--- 114
630-----------Diagnosis------- 324
320-----------Neurology------- 112
360-----------X-Ray------------- 148
60 -----------Psychiatry------- 144
60 -----------Obstetrics------- 148
210-----------Orthopedics----- 156
-----------TOTAL HOURS--------
3,065----------------------------- 2,706
OTHER REQUIRED SUBJECTS
Spinal Adjustments, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Immunology,Advanced Radiology, General Surgery
GRAND TOTAL CLASS HOURS
Chiropractic-----------------Medicine
4,485----------------------------4,248
Before beginning Chiropractic school, chiropractic students need to complete 3 years of undergraduate education to obtain the necessary prerequisites. Over 60% of them have a bachelor's degree before applying to chiropractic school. A chiropractic student then completes 4 years of graduate school to receive a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. One additional year is spent at the school clinics as an intern. However the testing is not done. Each candidate must then pass both Federal and Provincial board examinations in order to receive a license to practice chiropractic. It takes about 7 years of post-secondary schooling to learn how to be a chiropractor !
A chiropractic education never ends. Most doctors continue to educate themselves by taking postgraduate courses and staying current by reading the latest scientific research.
After undergraduate studies, today's chiropractic doctor completes
an additional four-year curriculum of over 4,500 classroom hours of health sciences.
3. What are those "cracking" noises during joint manipulation?
During joint manipulation you can often hear "cracking" or "popping" sounds. These sounds are generated when carbon dioxide and other gases are released from your joint fluid during rapid distraction of the joint surfaces. The effect is similar to the bubbling and "hissing" you hear when you open a softdrink bottle or can and in no way harms your joints.
4. How long will it take for me to get better?
Time for recovery and return to full function depends on many factors such as your particular condition and its severity; your level of involvement in the healing process; It is important to keep in mind that pain is usually the last symptom to appear and the first to go away. While your symptoms may decrease dramatically within your first few chiropractic treatments, the underlying cause of the pain is not usually fully resolved. Therefore, it is important to follow your personally tailored treatment plan.
Following your completed course of treatment, you may elect to begin a Preventative/Maintenance care program as-needed basis.
Preventative/Maintenance seeks to prevent disease, promote health, and enhance your quality of life by identifying and treating an underlying problem before symptoms appear. The chief goals are to reduce your dependence on passive therapy and concentrate on prevention in order to improve your quality of life. A visit to the chiropractor once every three to six months depending on the patient's condition might be required.
5. Does chiropractic treatment hurt?
The chiropractor makes every treatment as comfortable as possible by applying the appropriate therapies according to your condition and comfort level. Usually, your treatment is pain free and you can feel positive results right away, especially in terms of decreased pain and increased mobility.
Keep in mind that the soft tissues surrounding your joints--the joint capsule, ligaments, tendons, muscles--can become contracted, fibrous, or tender when irritated. During or after joint manipulation, or any other form of manual therapy, these tissues may occasionally feel tender. This tenderness usually passes quickly.
6. What causes subluxations?
Three different types of stress can cause subluxations:
a. Emotional Stress: According to research, the #1 cause of subluxation in America today is emotional stress. Other patients may find their symptoms have begun to disappear, and the problems that initiated the visit to the chiropractor have begun to lessen after the first visit. Some patients feel no difference after an adjustment. This does not mean they are not benefiting from their adjustments, but rather they're not feeling any external reaction. Emotional stress can result from family problems, financial difficulties and work or school related problems. It is important to understand that emotional stress can cause tension in your muscles that in time can pull vertebrae out of alignment.
b. Physical Stress: Physical stress can be caused by accidents, sports injuries, falls, and other trauma, poor posture, repetitive movements that gradually wear down your body parts and difficult birth. Although vertebral subluxations are the most common forms of interference with nerve messages, they are by no means the only ones. Broken bones, arthritis, tumors, direct pressure (when your legs or arms 'go to sleep'), and neurological diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, polio and cerebral palsy, can also damage nerves.
c. Chemical Stress: Chemical addiction (drug intake), being over medicated, or being exposed repeatedly to industrial chemicals can cause Chemical Stress.
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