4 Red Flags of a Chiropractic Practice

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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.

10 Signs You Need to See a Chiropractor

10 Signs You Need to See a Chiropractor

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1. You notice postural imbalances in your body

These asymmetries can show up as one shoulder being higher than the other, rotated hips or even a crooked nose. Chiropractors are trained in seeing misalignments in the body and work to restore balance in the structure.

2. Your body feels like it is not running at it’s best

A less than optimally functioning nervous system can be one cause of fatigue, aches and pain, headaches, etc. A goal of most chiropractors is to help remove nerve interference to the
nervous system, and in turn increase the function of the body.

3. You sit often

Sitting can put a lot of abnormal stress on our bodies. A chiropractor can help unwind this tension and some can provide exercises/stretches to do throughout the day.

4. The soles of your shoes wear out differently

One heel might be more worn than the other, or at an angle. This is a tell tell sign that some-thing in the structure of your body is off.

5. You have limited range of motion

If you have trouble bending or experience tightness during stretching a chiropractor may be able to help. Sometimes this is due to a structural misalignment leading to tight muscles.

6. You are active

If you run a lot, or want to maintain an active lifestyle, getting adjusted is an important way to make sure your body is moving properly.

7. You have had physical trauma

Whether you got in a car crash, or have played sport, both micro and macro trauma adds up in the body. This trauma can lead to structural imbalances and degenerative conditions.

8. You want to live a more health conscious life

Chiropractors are full of knowledge of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Most of them are vitalistically minded, meaning they recognize the bodies ability to heal and work to help the body express the innate potential within.

9. You experience tingling in an arm or leg

A lot of times this can be contributed to a pinched nerve. A chiropractor is trained in finding the root cause and addressing it.

10. You have a lot of stress

Chiropractors can help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and reducing stress.

Best Ways to Minimize Back Pain at Work

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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!

Can You Only See a Chiropractor for Back Pain?

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Can you only see a chiropractor for back pain?

Back pain is one of the main reasons someone may think to go to the chiropractor, but is not the only thing chiropractic can improve. Chiropractic helps remove interference from the nervous system, allowing it to function better. The nervous system innervates, skin, muscle, joints, organs, everything in the body to be exact. Without this communication from the brain through the nerves, to the rest of the body we would not function. Removing the interference from the nervous system and improving its function can in turn help a wide array of issues. These issues can include but are not limited to, migraines, thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel, and sciatica. Chiropractors can also adjust more than just the spine. Anywhere on the body that has a moveable joint can be adjusted. This means chiropractors can adjust feet, ankles. knees, elbows, etc. There are even chiropractors who adjust the sutures of the skull.

There can be a lot of secondary benefits of chiropractic due to the stimulation of the nervous system. For example, patients sometimes see a decrease in anxiety. This is due to the fact that certain adjustments can stimulate what is known as the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for putting the body in a relaxed state. Each segment of the spine has nerves that come out and control certain areas of the body. For example, one of the vertebrae in the top of the spine can help the sinuses drain if you have allergies or a cold. Removal of nerve interference is essential to make sure the body is functioning at it’s best.

chiropractic benefits

How often should you go to a chiropractor?

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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.