Answer's To Your FAQ

We've all heard about chiropractors and chiropractic. How much do you really know? You may think that chiropractic care is only for back and neck pain. These are the most common conditions that we address. The truth is, chiropractic care addresses a wide variety of common health problems stemming from dysfunction in your spinal joints. Everyday wear and tear, old injuries, and even stress can cause your vertebrae to lose their proper position.

Spinal misalignments may be a source of irritation to your nervous system, causing pain and nerve interference throughout your body. By correcting spinal joint dysfunction, chiropractic care helps your body heal itself so you can feel your best.

01 -     WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC?
02 -     WHAT CAN CHIROPRACTIC DO?
03 -     HOW DOES CHIROPRACTIC WORK?
04 -     FYI - ABOUT SUBLUXATIONS
05 -     WHAT CAN CAUSE SUBLUXATIONS?
06 -     IS CHIROPRACTIC EXPENSIVE?
07 -     DO I NEED A REFERRAL TO VISIT A CHIROPRACTOR?
08 -     WHAT HAPPENS ON MY 1st VISIT?
09 -     HOW LONG WILL I NEED CHIROPRACTIC?
10 -     IS CHIROPRACTIC SCIENTIFIC?
11 -     IS CHIROPRACTIC SAFE?
12 -     WHY ARE PEOPLE SOMETIMES PESSIMISTIC ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
13 -     DOES IT WORK?
14 -     WHY DON'T CHIROPRACTORS TREAT PATIENTS WITH DRUGS?

16 -     HOW WELL EDUCATED ARE CHIROPRACTORS?
17 -     WHY DO CHILDREN NEED CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
18 -     FYI - "AN OPTIMAL SPINE EQUALS OPTIMAL HEALTH."


01 - WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC?
Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism, controlled by the brain, spinal cord and nerves of the body. The vertebrae, which protect the brain and nervous system, when misaligned or subluxated cause irritation to the nearby nerves leading to malfunction of the tissues and organs throughout the body.

There are numerous paradigms in chiropractic. Most basically, the concept is that the body knows how to heal itself. However, accidents, injuries, stress, and lack of proper nutrition can hinder the body's innate healing process. Chiropractic adjustments, which release subluxations in the joints, aim to re-open the body's own healing capacities, release tension and restore motion. In chiropractic a "subluxation" refers to a joint that has abnormal motion or a lack of motion. One way this might be experienced is as a stiff neck.

Where there is a lack of motion in a region, there is a decreased function of the joint. This inhibits stimulation of specific receptors known as "mechanoreceptors." These are important communicators in our nervous systems. They reside within joints, muscles, blood vessels and body fascia, but they are most prevalent in the region of the spinal column. Through chiropractic we can change the frequency of stimulation of the mechanoreceptors. So, by stimulating these in specific ways, we can send a quantum signal to the brain, which causes specific reactions in the body. For example, we can inhibit pain, increase muscle strength as well as improve balance, vision, digestion and blood pressure.



02 - WHAT CAN CHIROPRACTIC DO?
Chiropractic is ideally suited to helping you deal with the many pains and strains that can result from playing sports and pursuing physical fitness programs. Chiropractors have expertise in dealing with spine-nerve problems, with range-of-motion and biomechanical issues often central to what makes people prone to sports-related injuries. Among health care professionals, chiropractors are some of the most actively involved in sports-related conditioning, injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

A chiropractor can examine you before you begin or change a program of physical activities. This is especially important before you engage in competitive sports or try something like a marathon, which might put significant strain on your body, and particularly on the back and joints. A doctor of chiropractic can help you assess your athletic and exercise fitness goals and analyze your motivation to prevent injuries caused by going beyond sensible activity limits given your age, health profile, preexisting conditions, and any other factors. Chiropractic creates an atmosphere of mutual trust in which patients can be confident that their feelings and needs are appreciated and will be dealt with appropriately. This makes chiropractic especially effective in dealing with issues and problems associated with sports and fitness. Patients need to keep their health care providers informed of what they are doing and how they feel.

Chiropractors listen and they keep their patients aware of how best to prepare themselves for exercise or competition and are there to help if overexertion or accident causes an injury. Many professional and high-level amateur athletes depend on chiropractic to protect them from costly and career-threatening injuries.



03 - HOW DOES CHIROPRACTIC WORK?
Chiropractic works by restoring your own inborn ability to be healthy. By restoring spinal function with Chiropractic adjustments, nerve interference by misaligned vertebrae is removed, thus allowing optimal nervous system function and normal health.



04 - FYI - ABOUT SUBLUXATIONS
A Subluxation (misaligned vertebrae) is a problem in the spine where abnormal position/movement of the vertebrae disturbs communication within the Central Nervous System causing abnormal function in the body. The spinal column houses your spinal cord, and spinal nerves branch out from between your vertebrae to all areas of your body (including muscles, organs, glands, and blood vessels). A subluxation is a misalignment of a vertebra, pinching or choking a spinal nerve, resulting in loss of normal body function.

Chiropractic adjustments correct the spinal misalignments, restoring normal nerve and body function, while also alleviating numerous potential symptoms. Many of your body's stresses and traumas have a direct effect on your spinal column. Nerves radiating outward from the spine affect every part of your body, as well as many of the systems crucial to your good health. By focusing attention on the spine and those critical nerves, regular chiropractic care also helps people achieve total body wellness and enhanced quality of life.



05 - WHAT CAN CAUSE SUBLUXATIONS?
Here are common causes for subluxations - How many of these apply to you?

- Birth traumas
- Slips and falls
- Sports injuries
- Poor posture
- Extensive computer work
- Carrying heavy bags, backpacks, purses, or children!
- Car accidents
- Work injuries
- Repetitive bending or lifting
- Continuous lifting or standing
- Hours of driving



06 - IS CHIROPRACTIC EXPENSIVE?
No. In fact, most insurance plans now cover Chiropractic care!



07 - DO I NEED A REFERRAL TO VISIT A CHIROPRACTOR?
Absolutely not! A Doctor of Chiropractic is a primary contact physician, meaning you do not need a referral. If yours is not a Chiropractic case, a responsible Chiropractor will refer you to the appropriate health care provider. Imagine a world where the patient and the Doctor think more about keeping well than about getting well! It's more than just a dream, it happens every day at Back in Balance.



08 - WHAT HAPPENS ON MY 1st VISIT?
Similar to a medical doctor visit, a detailed health history is taken to determine the nature of your difficulty and the best course of treatment. X-rays may be ordered to confirm the diagnosis.

If necessary, specialized diagnostic such as CT scan or MRI may be ordered. In addition, Dr. Lisa will perform a physical exam, which may include orthopedic and neurological evaluations in addition to specific chiropractic assessments.

Working with Dr. Lisa by keeping the recommended adjustment schedule helps to ensure the most effective and rapid recovery.

We understand your discomfort and appreciate the opportunity to work with you for your complete healing. For over a century, Doctors of Chiropractic have cared for the health needs of millions of people.

Dr. Lisa helps patients to overcome the pain and disability that their spinal problems create, and helps you stay fit in order to enjoy life to the fullest.



09 - HOW LONG WILL I NEED CHIROPRACTIC?
There are 3 types of care in Chiropractic: Initial care to remove symptoms; Rehabilitative care to correct the cause of the underlying muscle weakness, soft tissue damage, and degenerative changes, and Wellness or Maintenance Care. Similar to brushing teeth, tuning up your car or regularly visiting a dentist, Wellness Care is important for maintaining optimal health, saving money, and enjoying a healthy lifestyle. How long you decide to benefit from Chiropractic is always up to you.



10 - IS CHIROPRACTIC SCIENTIFIC?
Research from New Zealand, Australia, the United States, England, Denmark and Canada has validated Chiropractic. Recently, the "Manga Report," produced at the University of Ottawa has validated Chiropractic for its safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness for Chiropractic and low back pain. On-going research is now validating Chiropractic and headaches, asthma, whiplash, and premenstrual syndromes to name a few.



11 - IS CHIROPRACTIC SAFE?
In one simple word, YES! Chiropractic has an excellent safety record, and is statistically safer than any back surgery, muscle relaxer, or even aspirin! Chiropractors safely adjust millions of people every day, ranging anywhere from babies to senior citizens. Also, according to professional liability insurance carriers, Chiropractic is the safest health care available today. If safety is one of your concerns, know that Dr. Lisa is very thorough in her patient exams, and complete in educating you about your condition. She will also explain every technique or treatment she will be performing, in order to help you feel more comfortable.



12 - WHY ARE PEOPLE SOMETIMES PESSIMISTIC ABOUT CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
The medical profession hasn't always supported us, nor understood us. Most medical doctors have never been adjusted by a Chiropractor or educated about the philosophy, science and art of chiropractic. It may seem easier to think we can treat the symptoms of a headache, ear infection, arthritis, or neck pain with a drug. However, these symptoms are a clue, a sign... like warning lights in your car!

As a patient, you need to listen to the signals your body gives you. These symptoms your body expresses are not mistakes or the actual problem. A symptom is a signal expressing itself to awaken you to a change that needs to happen somewhere inside of you. The Chiropractor's job is to search for the subluxations and correct the cause of the symptom before degeneration and further breakdown occurs. When subluxations are reduced or corrected, the power of life is turned on automatically. Can you imagine how relieved you would feel if you could get to the CAUSE of your problems?



13 - DOES IT WORK?
Research has shown that Chiropractic care is effective in the treatment of back pain, neck pain, headaches, migraines, numbness or tingling in the arms or legs, painful joints, shoulders, hips, jaw problems, fatigue and stress, to name a few. Current research is demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic and children with conditions such as chronic ear aches, asthma, bedwetting, colic, and growing pains.



14 - WHY DON'T CHIROPRACTORS TREAT PATIENTS WITH DRUGS?
Chiropractors are doctors that are dedicated to finding the cause of less than optimal health, and their goal is not the treatment of symptoms, therefore, chiropractors have no use for drugs in their practices. That's not to say that there isn't a time and place for them in medical emergencies or certain disease processes. Chiropractors feel that the body comes equipped with all of the tools necessary to restore health so there is no need for dangerous drugs.

We live in a drug-oriented society, and eventually we will pay the price. Chiropractors appreciate the fact that if nature was smart enough to create the universe, set the laws of nature in order, create a power in each of us that was able to create our entire body in just 280 days. It didn't just happen to forget to put antibiotics, vaccines, and other drugs into our blood stream.

Some drugs extend the life of people who would otherwise die, but most drugs do nothing more than interfere with the body's normal function and heal on its own. Drugs rarely fix the cause of decreased health, they usually only mask symptoms. Chiropractors envision a society where people experience health at such a level that they don't need to turn to the little pills in the bottle.



15 - I UNDERSTAND NOW THAT CHIROPRACTIC IS GOOD FOR MAINTAINING OPTIMAL HEALTH, BUT WHAT IF I GET INJURED PLAYING SPORTS?
There are problems and risks associated with engaging in sports and physical fitness activities. Backs, necks, shoulders, knees, ankles, wrists, fingers, toes and in fact most bones, joints and connective tissues are subject to misuse and injury when people play hard! Seniors, individuals long out of shape or with disabilities, children who haven't yet learned how to protect themselves during physical exertion, and adolescents whose bodies are changing rapidly are among those at even greater risk than men and women in fairly good shape. Among the causes of sports-related injuries are:
-     Overreaching, overdoing it, pushing too hard to achieve health or performance goals;
-     Failing to use good judgment to avoid injuries;
-     Not knowing your limitations, or knowing them and driving yourself beyond them in the heat of competition and the desire to perform more and better;
-     Trying to recapture a lost (or even imaginary) past of youth and vigor when you excelled effortlessly at physical contests and pastimes that you now find so difficult or demanding that they are nearly impossible for you;
-     Playing all out with insufficient warm-ups, nutrition, training, and guidance;
-     Not receiving the treatment possible for injuries that do occur;
-     Failing to recuperate fully after injuries or overexertion because you can't wait to "get back into the game."



16 - HOW WELL EDUCATED ARE CHIROPRACTORS?
Today's Doctor of Chiropractic is well educated with an education curriculum similar to medical school. Special emphasis is placed on anatomy, neurology, biomechanics, nutrition, x-ray, physiology, diagnosis, and spinal adjusting. Post graduate education totals 7 years and demanding national boards must be passed.



17 - WHY DO CHILDREN NEED CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
A recent study by Nilsson in Denmark reports that children under Chiropractic care are healthier than other children, miss less school, are more attentive and have less need for drugs. Children with conditions such as earaches, colic, bed wetting, scoliosis, "growing pains", torticollis, and asthma respond wonderfully to Chiropractic Care.



18 - FYI - "AN OPTIMAL SPINE EQUALS OPTIMAL HEALTH."
Back in 1895, the founder of Chiropractic wrote that mental, emotional and chemical stresses as well as physical trauma i.e. (car accidents, slips and falls) create disturbances in our nervous system affecting our fullest potential for health. This premise takes into account that our central nervous system, comprised of our brain and spinal cord, acts as the intelligence line of our body. (Information travels along and through the spinal cord.) When this intelligence line is adversely affected, the body's ability to heal itself is in jeopardy. That’s when we need help. A Chiropractor can locate and correct the areas of spinal misalignment. Correcting these misalignments begins first with looking at your posture and how you stand in relation to gravity as well as reviewing how the body parts move in relation to each other and right versus left sides of the body. Sometimes additional tests such as x-rays are ordered to complete the diagnosis. In a healthy spinal system the life force (nervous system impulses) moves uninterrupted throughout the body from above-down, and from inside-out.