1. They don’t do an a assessment or initial visit

Chiropractors are legally responsible for gathering your health information and assessing you before starting care. This means you should fill out paperwork, sit down and have some form of a discussion pertaining to why you are there before the adjustment occurs.

2. The chiropractor does everything but adjust you

The main job of a chiropractor is to find interference in the nervous system and adjust it based on your diagnostic findings. If you go to the chiropractor and they are stretching, massaging, taping, etc, but no actually adjusting occurs you should be concerned. All of these modalities are great in conjunct with chiropractic, but adjusting is what Chiropractors are trained to do.

3. Your chiropractor is ONLY concerned with getting you out of pain

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because it is one of the main reasons people go see a chiropractor. It does however show the chiropractor is either not aware of or choses not to focus on the importance of solving the problem for what got you in this situation to begin with. Usually, it can be structural but it’s also important to look at work and life habits to begin to solve the problem and ask the question “Why did this happen now”. During your care, your chiropractor should discuss health/life goals you are looking to achieve. This is important because your chiropractor should have the tools or resources available to help you achieve health goals, other than just getting out of pain.

4. Your chiropractor doesn’t track your progress

If you have been getting consistent care your chiropractor should have performed a Progress Examination. This is where they can see how you are progressing and share the results with you. This is important because if the care is not working, another technique, chiropractor, or professional should be implemented.

Best Ways to Minimize Back Pain at Work

Have you ever heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking”? Well it is true, humans sit more than ever. Our bodies were made to move, not to live in stagnation. Most of us work a desk job sitting for 7+ hours. This posture can lead to a variety of abnormalities which eventually can be a cause of pain in the back.

When seated our hip flexors are in a contracted state, there is usually forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and tense low back muscles. There are several different exercises, postural awareness, and ergonomics changes that can be implemented to prevent, manage, and improve pain from chronic sitting.

First, it is important to become aware of how one is seated. Making sure to keep your shoulders back and head in line with your shoulders. Often times, people are slouched over which can be a possible cause of headaches. It is also important to not sit on a wallet or have crossed legs. Over time, this can lead to one hip being higher than the other which can put pressure on the nerves of the low back and lead to pain. Muscles that most likely need stretched are hip flexors, pec major, and SCM all of which stretches can be googled for. Muscles that possibly need strengthened are are glutes, and rhomboids. Be sure to check in with your chiropractor/healthcare provider before implementing any new exercises or stretches. If the office space allows, it is also helpful to get a standing desk or to sit on an exercise ball. Take walks during breaks, get outside, stretch every 30 minutes and take deep breathes. All of these things can help rewire and reignite the brain/ body.

Remember our bodies are designed to move. A healthy spine leads to a healthy life. Get up, move your body, go see a chiropractor, get some sunshine, and the conquer the day!

How often should you go to a chiropractor?

The frequency of visits is going to depend from person to person. This will depend on a couple factors such as: severity of condition, amount of time the condition has been present, and how well the body responds to adjustments. Each person requires a specific care plan and therefore the amount of visit and frequency will vary anywhere from twice a week, every other week, once a month, etc.

The severity of a condition refers to what state the body is in? Has the patient had many injuries? Do they have neurological findings? Is there degeneration or change in the tissue? All of these different factors, and more must be considered to determine how severe a condition is. Usually the more severe, the greater amount of visits are required.

Another consideration is how long has the condition been present. It is important to realize as we age we experience various traumas through our life. No matter how big or small our nervous system keeps records of them. These traumas can add up and outwardly express as postural imbalances, neurological deficiencies, muscular tightness, etc.

Finally, how well a patient responds to adjustments is another determining factor in frequency of visits. This can be effected by stress, hydration, medications, and joint mobility.

As a patient progresses through stages of care and achieves specific outcomes the frequency of visits will change. How long this takes again varies from patient to patient. The number of visits can also increase if someone has a major change in their life such as an accident or large stressor. The good thing is after receiving consistent chiropractic care people usually tend to bounce back to their precious state faster after an injury or trauma.

Is Chiropractic Care Unsafe?

The fear of chiropractic being potentially dangerous is common among people. Most people fear being paralyzed, or having a stroke. Chiropractic has been around for more than a hundred years and the documented cases of a chiropractic injury have been extremely low, especially when compared to the number medical injuries. One study showed for patients aged 66-99 with “risk for a neuromusculoskeletal problem, risk of injury to the head, neck or trunk within 7 days was 76% lower among subjects with a chiropractic office visit as com-pared to those who saw a primary care physician” (Whedon).

Chiropractic is a gentle, natural way to improve nervous system function. When done properly, an adjustment should not take much force. In fact, one study showed the force it takes to sever the spinal cord is equivalent to the impact created by a 500-pound car crash-ing into a wall at 30 miles per hour (Pbs). Therefore the likeliness of a chiropractor hurting your spine and causing paralysis is very unlikely.

There are only a couple different scenarios when someone should not be adjusted. These include certain spinal injuries, severe degeneration, certain grade herniations. It is important that the chiropractor takes certain precautions with these patients such as X-rays and low force adjusting techniques. Another population that some may think can not go to the chiropractor are pediatrics and pregnant women. Kids can be adjusted as early as birth and it is extremely important to their wellbeing to do so. Pregnant women are also encouraged to get care throughout the entire pregnancy. In most cases, this helps the birth process and overall pregnancy go much smoother. Both of these populations are safe to receive low force adjustments.

Stay informed, do your research, and realize there are many false claims about every profession. When preparing to go to your chiropractor, make sure to tell them about any previous injuries, car accidents, surgeries, or conditions. You could even ask to observe an adjustment before receiving yours to help calm any nerves.

—

Whedon JM, Mackenzie TA, Phillips RB, Lurie JD. Risk of traumatic injury associated with chiropractic spinal manipulation in Medicare Part B beneficiaries aged 66 to 99 years. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2015 Feb 15;40(4):264-70. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000000725. PMID: 25494315; PMCID: PMC4326543.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/take-sever-human-spine

Healthy Habits

Happy 2021, our patients! There is no one else we would rather start this year off with than you. Yes, you! We raised our hands and crossed the finish line of 2020 – together. Our hope is that this new year is filled with newness, joy, adaptability, and all-out resilience. For the month of January, we are going to be talking about all things (you guessed it!)… healthy habits. More specifically, habits relating to our favorite topics: health, wellness, and chiropractic.

Screen Time

First up – let’s talk screen time. Did you know? The average amount of time spent on screens is seven to ten hours. With that being said, the recommended screen time usage is two hours per day. Our guess is that the average adult exceeds that recommendation… including you! That’s why we are here to help and encourage you to start small. For you, limiting screen time to two hours a day might not be super realistic.

Setting Small Goals for Healthy Habits

If you are spending a lot of time on screens, start by setting smaller goals. Instead of diving headfirst to the recommended two hours a day… start by simply cutting your screen time in half. Sometimes, we think we need to approach our health with an all-or-nothing mindset. However, that is not always shown to be sustainable. By setting more realistic and attainable goals… we are not as likely to get overwhelmed or quit too soon. Ya tracking with us?

Modeling Appropriate Behavior

Parents – the best way that we can show our children appropriate screen time behavior is to model healthy habits ourselves. If our children are constantly seeing us on our phones, computers, or tablets… you betcha they will want to copy that same exact behavior. We get it! The online world and new technology of today is pulling us in every single direction. But remember… it has its own time and place. Besides, there is so much freedom in disconnecting for a while!  It’s only when we make the conscious decision to disconnect… that we are able to authentically connect with those right in front of us. Trust us, it’s far more than worth it!