CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT

What Is Chiropractic Treatment?

Chiropractic adjustment refers to a treatment in which trained experts (chiropractors) apply a regulated, sudden force to a spinal joint using their hands or a device (Salehi, Hashemi, Imanieh, & Saber, 2015). The purpose of this therapy, also known as spinal manipulation, includes enhancing the body’s physical function and spinal mobility. This treatment helps to improve the low back pain, headache, and neck pain of a patient. Good Chiropractors use a similar approach to patient treatment as traditional doctors. They interview the patient, take a complete medical history, examine the patient, run tests, and come up with a working diagnosis. They create a management strategy, begin treatment, and track the patient’s progress. Chiropractors deal specifically with musculoskeletal issues. Chiropractors employ a variety of manual therapy procedures, including stretching and prolonged pressure (Gevers-montoro, Provencher, & Descarreaux, 2021). They also perform particular joint manipulations by hand, which involve a rapid and mild push. This manipulation aims to treat the spine and other regions of the body and improves joint mobility and function.

What’s the Education and Licensure of a Chiropractor?

Chiropractors must obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree, pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners test, and earn a state license to operate in the United States. Many jurisdictions additionally require chiropractors to pass a state-specific legal test, and all states mandate that professional chiropractors should attend continuing education programs. The Council on Chiropractic Education, an accrediting organization by the US Secretary of Education, usually issues the D.C. degree. In 2017, 18 campuses offered 15 recognized D.C. programs (Blanchette et al., 2016).

Students need to complete at least 3 years of undergraduate study to enroll in a D.C. program in the United States, which normally takes four years to finish. During undergraduate, students learn skills such as spinal examination, correction methods, and diagnosis while taking basic sciences courses such as anatomy and physiology. Many chiropractors also pursue a postgraduate degree in special subjects such as orthopedics or pediatrics to specialize in. The scope of chiropractic practice differs by state. Some health insurance programs also cover the cost of chiropractic care to a limited extent (LeFebvre, Peterson, & Haas, 2013).

What Conditions Benefit From Chiropractic Care?

Neurosurgeons suggest chiropractic to a wide variety of patients with neck pain, lower back pain, leg pain or sciatica, headache, repetitive strains, osteoarthritis, adult scoliosis, radiculopathy, whiplash, spinal injuries due to sport or accidents, etc. Although, this procedure can come with some serious complications such as nerve compression, herniated discs, stroke after neck manipulation, etc. Neurosurgeons advise patients not to perform chiropractic if they have the following conditions: osteoporosis, spinal tumors, spinal cancer, stroke, bony abnormalities in the upper neck, numbness, tingling in the arm or leg, etc.

How Should Patients Prepare for Chiropractic Care?

Patients require no special preparation before undergoing a chiropractic adjustment. Typically, a chiropractor will ask several questions about the patient’s medical history and perform a brief physical examination, paying special attention to the spine. The pattern of questions will cover the duration and frequency of symptoms, description of symptoms, areas of pain, patterns of pain, etc. A chiropractor may use a variety of ways to assess which spinal segments require chiropractic therapy, including but not limited to static and motion palpation techniques to identify hypomobile (limited in mobility) or fixated spinal segments (To, Rezai, Murnaghan, & Cancelliere, 2021). Chiropractors also perform other examinations and tests, including X-rays, to observe the condition of the spine or detect any spinal curvature. X-ray helps to locate the altered position of the vertebra or subluxation. Many chiropractors treat the bipedal structure as a whole, using a holistic, biomechanical approach to try to balance the structure from the feet up.

How Do Chiropractors Perform an Adjustment?

During a routine chiropractic adjustment procedure, the chiropractor will place the patient in particular postures to address affected regions. Here, the patient will lie on a specially built, cushioned chiropractic table in a facedown position. Later, the chiropractor will apply a controlled, abrupt force to a joint, causing it to move beyond its normal range of motion. During the treatment session, patients may hear popping or cracking sounds as the chiropractor rotates their joints. After this adjustment procedure, the patient may experience some side effects such as headache, fatigue, or pain in some parts of their body for a few days. 

Although much of the research reveals just a slight improvement — similar to the outcomes of more-conventional therapies — chiropractic adjustments can prove useful in treating low back pain. Some research suggests that spinal manipulation can help with headaches and other spine-related issues, including neck discomfort. Chiropractic adjustments do not work for everyone. If a patient’s symptoms do not improve after many weeks of treatment, some neurosurgeons may suggest chiropractic adjustment. Neurosurgeons suggest patients perform regular exercise to strengthen the muscles of the lower back and manage acute pain. For any information, please contact us.

References

Blanchette, M. A., Stochkendahl, M. J., Borges Da Silva, R., Boruff, J., Harrison, P., & Bussières, A. (2016). Effectiveness and economic evaluation of chiropractic care for the treatment of low back pain: A systematic review of pragmatic studies. PLoS ONE, 11(8), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160037

Gevers-montoro, C., Provencher, B., & Descarreaux, M. (2021). Clinical Effectiveness and Efficacy of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Spine Pain. 2(October). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.765921

LeFebvre, R., Peterson, D., & Haas, M. (2013). Evidence-Based Practice and Chiropractic Care. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 18(1), 75–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587212458435

Salehi, A., Hashemi, N., Imanieh, M. H., & Saber, M. (2015). Chiropractic: Is it Efficient in Treatment of Diseases? Review of Systematic Reviews. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, 3(4), 244–254. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26448951%0Ahttp://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=PMC4591574

To, D., Rezai, M., Murnaghan, K., & Cancelliere, C. (2021). Risk factors for low back pain in active military personnel: a systematic review. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 29(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-021-00409-x