Chiropractic care is a patient-centered, non-invasive, hands-on, regulated healthcare profession that focuses on the overall functioning and health of your spine, muscles, joints and nervous system. Chiropractic care is commonly used to treat pain, promote mobility, and prevent injury.
What Is a Chiropractor?
A chiropractor is a licensed healthcare professional. Chiropractors are spine, muscle, joint and nervous system experts, with at least seven years of post-secondary academic and clinical education. Using the best available evidence and clinical expertise, a chiropractor can examine, diagnose and treat issues affecting your body’s movement.
When to See a Chiropractor
Treatment
A chiropractor can diagnose, treat and care for many conditions affecting your spine, muscles, joints and nervous system, including:
Back or neck pain
Injury or accident-related issues, including whiplash
Frequent headaches
Joint pain and dysfunction
Pain related to cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis and other chronic conditions
Prevention
You don't have to have a specific health concern or be in pain to see a chiropractor. Many people, from expecting mothers to athletes, choose to visit a chiropractor to improve their mobility and posture or to reduce their risk of injury.
What to Expect
During your first appointment, your chiropractor will discuss your medical history, current symptoms, and what you hope to get out of chiropractic care. Some topics that may be covered during this discussion include:
Past surgeries, injuries or other health conditions
Medications you may be taking
Lifestyle habits, including exercise, diet, and sleep
Mental stressors
Your chiropractor will also perform a physical exam to assess issues affecting your spine, muscles, joints and nervous system and key health markers. They may perform:
Blood pressure, pulse and breathing checks
Reflex, strength and sensation tests
Orthopedic tests
Posture and mobility analysis
Hands-on evaluation of your spine movement
Your chiropractor may also order X-rays or refer you to your family doctor or nurse practitioner for diagnostic tests, such as lab work or advanced imaging.
After learning more about your symptom profile and what may be causing your discomfort, your chiropractor will be able to diagnose issues affecting your body’s movement based on exam findings and the results of diagnostic tests.
Your chiropractor will discuss treatment options and work with you to determine the best treatment plan to restore your mobility, relieve your pain, and prevent it from returning.
Treatment Plan
Your personalized treatment plan may involve various techniques, including:
Adjustments: Manual, ‘hands-on’ therapy, in which your chiropractor gently realigns joints to decrease pain and increase range of motion.
Soft tissue therapy: To relax tight muscles, relieve spasms, and release tension in the connective tissue that surrounds muscles.
Therapeutic exercises and stretching: To restore and maintain joint stability and mobility.
Electronic modalities: Such as therapeutic ultrasound and cold laser therapy, to help reduce inflammation.
Self-management strategies: Postures for relief and pain-management techniques.
What Happens During an Adjustment
During a chiropractic adjustment, also known as spinal manipulation or joint manipulation, your chiropractor will use their hands or small instruments to apply controlled force to a joint and guide it through a range of motion. A chiropractic adjustment can help restore range of motion, reduce pain, and correct your body’s alignment.
You may feel or hear a popping or cracking sensation during a chiropractic adjustment, as trapped gases leave your joint. This procedure is generally painless.
Following a chiropractic adjustment, you may experience mild soreness in areas of your body that your chiropractor worked on. This feeling usually goes away within 24 hours and rarely affects patients who visit a chiropractor regularly.
Chiropractic care is widely recognized as one of the safest, drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of headaches, neck and back pain, and other muscle, joint, or nervous system issues.