The Quick Answer
(i.e., I'm hurting so please, just get to the point)
Doctors of chiropractic practice an evidence based, hands-on, drug-free approach to health care and pain relief that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment.
Chiropractic is an effective, evidence based, non surgical, non drug treatment for most back and neck related issues. The simplest way to look at Chiropractic Care is to understand that the injured area of your body has more mechanical stress on it than the other areas. This could be due to a sudden injury like a quick twist, a fall or car accident, or it could have developed over time. Either way this extra mechanical stress will cause soft tissue in or around the injury site to stretch and tear and thereby cause the pain, stiffness and swelling you feel.
Normally, when the joints in our neck or back (or any joints) are moving properly, the muscles and ligaments surrounding that joint can move within their normal pain-free range of motion. When they move beyond that range like in a sudden injury, or even slowly over time with repetitive stress, they can become damaged, causing the majority of the pain we feel in classic back pain. It's like if you have a cut on your finger, and you keep pulling at it, it takes a lot longer to heal correctly. Sometimes, the nerves can become involved which leads to pain that runs down the legs as in sciatica or into the arms and hands, or even up into the head causing headaches. A Chiropractor will do a thorough exam and locate areas that aren't functioning correctly, usually, but not always, in or around the painful area. Treatment often involves gently getting the injured joints moving better. By taking the stress off the area by "unsticking the joints" and restoring motion and alignment, the injured soft tissues (i.e. muscles, ligament, tendons, and nerves) can start healing, which means less pain and stiffness.
Treatment
The basic chiropractic treatment involves gentle re-alignment of the misaligned bones and restricted joints. These specific manipulations done only by chiropractors are called "Adjustments". Chiropractors perform adjustments on other joints of the body, as well as the spine, to treat foot, ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, hip and shoulder problems. While other factors affect the total health of an individual, elimination of subluxations is a crucial step to living a happier, healthier, and more active pain-free life.
Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Medication often just masks the symptoms, and does not address the real cause of the problem. If the oil light came on in your car, would you cover the light with tape and ignore it? Of course not, you would address the problem and prevent major problems in the future. It is exactly the same with your body, only far more important.
The information provided in this website is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment. Consult a licensed health care provider for further information.
