In the interest of their bodies and their health, people are considering alternative choices to care for themselves, including chiropractic.

A chiropractor, or a doctor of chiropractic, uses a holistic approach to heal the body. It is similar to Eastern practices in that they treat the entire body to solve the complaints that the patient is making.

Chiropractic deals mostly with the musculoskeletal system – the muscles and bones that make up our framework within which all other systems exist. The treatment options are non-invasive and revolve not only around medicine, but also lifestyle changes that can be made to heal the body.

The term “reference pain” means that a pain in one area could reflect a problem somewhere else. To that end, chiropractic uses spinal manipulation to restore movement to the body to help the body to heal itself.

The Process

Chiropractic services begin with a thorough assessment. A medical history and a review of symptoms are taken from the patient. Laboratory testing may be done to be sure that there is no underlying issues that may contraindicate this type of medical approach to your care.

Diagnostic testing tools are also used to assess what is going on in the musculoskeletal system. Trauma can occur in any system. Lots of incidents involve this system at some level. You may not have felt pain at the time, but during the healing process, tissues and muscles can form alternate pathways that lead to more pain later. Inflammation can fuel this process. No amount of pain management will have lasting effects if the underlying problem is not addressed.

Once the assessment proves that chiropractic can be of some help to your body, then the spinal manipulation usually begins. It may take several visits to see the results that you are looking for, but that will be explained to you.

Through spinal manipulation, the patient experiences a shift in muscle and tissue placement. Using gentle movements and touch, a chiropractic can feel when misplaced tissues are causing misalignment problems, limited mobility and range of motion. Pain is not a component of the healing process with chiropractic. Nothing that is done should cause you increased discomfort. If it does, verbalize that right away.

Chiropractic can be the first line of care for those who embrace a holistic approach to their care. Through spinal manipulation, people are helped back to health and mobility after trauma that has affected their musculoskeletal system.