Chiropractic
Chiropractic Care
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Introduction
The discovery of chiropractic is attributed to D.D. Palmer in 1895, with the first school for the training of chiropractors commencing in the United States of America in Davenport, Iowa in 1897.
The term “chiropractic” combines the Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (practice) to describe a treatment done by hand.
The key thing to understand Chiropractic Care is to understand the concept of "Misalignment & Tightness."
Misalignment of Head, Neck, Shoulder, Spine, Hips and Legs: When someone's head or neck is off-balance or they experience tightness in their head, neck, shoulder, back, hip or leg muscles; it generally means there's an issue with alignment of the spinal cord and that it is compressed at some point within the spine.
This misalignment results in disruption of normal nerve flow. Chiropractors refer to this disruption as "Subluxation". When one part of the musculoskeletal system is off, the body tries to compensate for it, which may gradually result in additional subluxations.
A Doctor of Chiropractic is trained to diagnose and find these subluxations and perform a treatment referred to as "Spinal Adjustment". Once adjusted correctly, the normal nerve flow resumes and associated symptoms such as pain, tension, headaches, pressure, discomfort or stress go away!
The goal is to correct alignment problems, ease pain, and support the body's natural ability to heal itself.
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What is a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC)?
Also called Chiropractic Physicians or Chiropractors
According to the American Chiropractic Association
"Doctors of Chiropractic practice a hands-on, drug-free approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.
DCs may assess patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging and other diagnostic interventions to determine when chiropractic treatment is appropriate or when it is not appropriate. Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate health care provider when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition, or the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other health care providers....
In many cases, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care may be a patient's primary method of treatment. When other medical conditions exist, chiropractic services may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition. " -
Common Terms Used in Chiropractic Care
Terms commonly used in chiropractic care are:
Adjustment:
Any chiropractic therapeutic procedure that ultimately uses controlled force, leverage, direction, amplitude and velocity, which is applied to specific joints and adjacent tissues. Chiropractors commonly use such procedures to influence joint and neurophysiological function.
Biomechanics:
The study of structural, functional and mechanical aspects of human motion.
Joint Manipulation: A manual procedure involving a directed thrust to move a joint past the physiological range of motion, without exceeding the anatomical limit.
Joint Mobilization:
A manual procedure without thrust, during which a joint normally remains within its physiological range of motion.
Palpation:
(1) The act of feeling with the hands.
(2) The application of variable manual pressure through the surface of the body for the purpose of determining the shape, size, consistency, position, inherent motility and health of the tissues beneath.
Posture:
(1) The attitude of the body.
(2) The relative arrangement of the parts of the body. Good posture is that state of muscular and skeletal balance that protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity irrespective of the attitude (erect, lying, squatting, stooping) in which the structures are working or resting.
Spinal Manipulative Therapy:
Includes all procedures where the hands or mechanical devices are used to mobilize, adjust, manipulate, apply traction, massage, stimulate or otherwise influence the spine and paraspinal tissues with the aim of influencing the patient’s health.
Thrust:
The sudden manual application of a controlled directional force upon a suitable part of the patient, the delivery of which effects an adjustment.
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Statistics
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Chiropractic is one of the most popularly used forms of manual therapy. It is practiced worldwide and regulated by law in 40 countries.
8% of adults (more than 18 million) and nearly 3% of children (more than 2 million) had received chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation regularly.
The use of practitioner-based chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation was nearly twice as high in the West North Central region as in the United States overall.