There has been an interesting phenomenon quietly unfolding in Windsor over the past decade. The number of chiropractors has actually tripled over the past decade. Of course this means that greater numbers of Windsorites are availing themselves of the services of a chiropractor and many others are wondering whether their aches and pains would be appropriate for chiropractic care.

Therefore the following is a series of questions most frequently asked by people who have not yet had the opportunity to experience chiropractic care.

1. What is a chiropractor and do I have to see my family doctor for a referral to see a chiropractor?

A chiropractor is a primary contact physician, 1 of 5 professions licensed to diagnose and to use the title doctor in the province of Ontario. This means you do not need a referral to see a doctor of chiropractic. A chiropractor has received a minimum of 3 years of University and 4 years of Chiropractic College. The scope of practice of a chiropractor is neuro-musculoskeletal. That means that a chiropractor addresses the nervous system, muscles and bones of the body, primarily by manipulation of the joints. By manipulating the joints of the spine the chiropractor has an influence on the nervous system, which of course in turn influences a variety of functions of the body through the organs and the endocrine system. That is why chiropractic can have an influence on such things as colicky babies and asthma in children. There are specific studies to demonstrate this influence.

2. When should I think about seeing a doctor of chiropractic?

The most common reason for a patient to walk into a chiropractor’s office is pain. This pain could be in the back, the neck, the shoulders, knees, hips, feet, headaches or any combination of these. The pain might be related to some sort of overuse syndrome or could be related to an injury at work or a slip and fall or motor vehicle accident. Many chiropractors also take a special interest in nutritional counseling as well.

3. What sort of treatment does a chiropractor give? Does it hurt?

While pain is what brings a patient into a chiropractors office the primary focus of the chiropractic treatment is to improve function thereby removing the source of the pain. Therefore chiropractic treatment involves improving the movement of joints that are compromised and reducing inflammation and muscle tension related to that dysfunction.

How a chiropractor does that is by manipulation. This manipulation may be administered either by hand or by use of an instrument. There are cave drawings in China that illustrate that manipulation is as old a healing art as acupuncture. Many chiropractors also include a number of modalities.

4. I have heard that once you start seeing a chiropractor you have to keep going.

This is akin to saying that once you start seeing a dentist that you have to keep going. The goal of chiropractic is to optimize the function of all of the joints, muscles, and nervous system. Once the problem is corrected the chiropractor usually gives exercises that will help maintain the improvement achieved. However, life goes on and we continue to use or overuse particular areas either at work or at play and correcting these resulting imbalances before they are actually creating a problem is time well spent in a very cost effective form of wellness and preventative care. Low back pain is surpassed only by the common cold as a reason of lost time at work. The Manga report commissioned by the Government of Ontario in 1993 stated that hundred of millions of dollars a year would be saved in our health care budget if chiropractors were the gatekeepers of low back pain alone. This translates into significantly greater savings in the workplace when WSIB studies show that chiropractic gets the worker back to work in half the time.

5. What is the noise that occurs with the chiropractic adjustment?

The primary therapy used by a chiropractor is an adjustment of the joints, most commonly in the spine, however any joint in the body. When this occurs the joint is taken slightly past its usual range of motion. When the joint is taken just past that range and into what is called the paraphysiological space the pressure inside the joint capsule changes. The nitrogen that is in the synovial fluid, that lubricates the joint, changes states from liquid to gas. This change in pressure is much like opening a pop can and hearing the fizz. Some people think that the noise is bone grinding but in fact it is the changing of states from liquid to gas, which causes the noise. When you hear this noise you know you have achieved an increase in the range of motion of that joint. Of course an increase in the range of motion can be achieved without the noise but we know that you get better improvement when you hear what we refer to as cavitation.

In closing if you have any questions about chiropractic or about your problem being appropriate for chiropractic care please feel free to email me.