The word chiropractic comes from the Greek word meaning “treatment by
hand”, which is exactly what chiropractors do--they use their hands to
perform manipulation to the spine to relieve pain and promote the healing
process. Modern chiropractic began in the late 1800’s by Dr. D.D. Palmer.
Today, chiropractic is the third largest area of medicine and is the
largest Complementary and Alternative Medicine health profession.
Chiropractors are licensed in every state with over 50,000 practicing
chiropractors in the United States. Chiropractic continues to gain wide
acceptance by the medical, legal, and patient communities through its
record of beneficial results and ongoing
research and is now
considered by many to be a part of mainstream Western medicine. In fact,
many hospitals now have chiropractors on staff and chiropractors are
currently being incorporated into the U.S. military health system.
The basic chiropractic principle is “a healthy
nervous system is the key to a healthy body”. The spinal cord in your
spine carries information throughout the body and is responsible for all
bodily functions, including voluntary movements (such as walking) and
involuntary functions (such as the heart beating). When the systems of
the body are in balance, it is called homeostasis. Disorders of
the bones, muscles and nerves can disrupt homeostasis and increase the
risk of health problems. The body is able to relay a problem to your
brain by using pain as a warning sign. Chiropractors differ from other
health disciplines by looking beyond the pain and working to correct the
problem; thus preventing future problems from occurring.
Doctors of Chiropractic are health professionals who
are
trained to diagnose and treat disorders of the
musculoskeletal and nervous systems. They use traditional diagnostic
testing methods (x-rays, MRI, nerve conduction studies, and lab work)
along with specific chiropractic techniques that involve gentle hands-on
manipulation of the “stuck” joints of the body and therapeutic
modalities (ultrasound, electric muscle stimulation, hydrotherapy,
heat/cold etc.) to the muscles. Chiropractors also offer nutritional and
lifestyle counseling to aid in the treatment of the whole patient.
Doctors of chiropractic elect not to prescribe medications or perform
surgery, however, many chiropractors work closely with medical doctors
of various specialties and are trained to refer a patient when medically
necessary. In addition, many chiropractors have extensive post-graduate
training and become board certified in certain areas of interest such
as: Neurology, Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Physical Rehab, Nutrition,
and Diagnostic Radiology.
