What is Chiropractic Care?

Traditionally chiropractic care revolves around the treatment of the spinal column:

24 vertebrae (spinal bones) make up the spine 
7 cervical (neck)
12 thoracic (mid back)
5 lumbar (low back) vertebral bodies. 

The spinal cord is housed by the spine, and spinal nerves exit through holes (intervertebral foramen) formed by adjacent vertebrae. These nerves carry messages from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to every tissue in the body. In addition, every tissue in the body sends nerve messages to the central nervous system. If the vertebrae are malpositioned (subluxated) then the nervous impulses traveling to and from the spine are interrupted (pinched nerve). This is what chiropractors refer to as a subluxation. Depending on the location of the subluxation, different body systems can be affected. For example, if the nerve being pinched is traveling to and from the lung, then breathing may be affected (as in asthma). This is what is known as somatovisceral disease. Somato refers to the spine and visceral refers to the lung. To put is simply, the abnormal position of the spine is affecting the nerve impulses traveling to and from the lungs causing asthma like symptoms. This is not to say that all cases of asthma are a result of abnormal spinal positioning, but if a subluxation is present and effecting the nerves traveling to the lung then the asthma will most likely be helped as a result of chiropractic manipulation. 

What is chiropractic manipulation or adjustment?
Chiropractors primarily treat the neuromusculoskeletal system (nerves, muscles, bones). Some examples include nerve impingement syndromes like sciatica, muscle spasm or pain, traumatic joint and soft tissue injuries (sprains and strains), neck and back pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fascitis, herniated discs, and rotator cuff syndrome. The primary form of treatment used by chiropractors is an “adjustment” or “manipulation.” A chiropractic manipulation can be given to any joint in the body, but most chiropractors primarily adjust the spinal joints to relieve pressure on nerves and to restore normal joint function to the vertebrae (bones of the spine).

How does this treatment help me?
Chiropractic adjustment is very safe and dramatically reduce pain and inflammation. A recent study published in the medical journal, Spine, compared chiropractic treatments with pain medication, acupuncture, and physical therapy and found that chiropractic was the most effective treatment for acute low back pain. Other treatment modalities commonly used by doctors of chiropractic include spinal decompression, exercise instruction, nutritional counseling, ultrasound, and electric muscle stimulation.

What other benefits can this treatment provide?
New research is finding that chiropractic manipulation works in others ways as well. A manipulation given by a chiropractor can reduce muscle spasm and pain by inhibiting special nerve cells in the spinal cord that transmit pain to the brain. In addition, chiropractic adjustments have also been shown to restore normal movement and range of motion to damaged joints thus helping them heal at an accelerated rate.

Schedule an appointment: please call the Town Center Wellness Chiropractic & Nutrition office 281.240.2229 for Houston and Sugar Land, Texas.

FAQ’s about chiropractic
Q: How well educated is a doctor of chiropractic?
A: Chiropractic Education:

Traditionally, people think of doctor of chiropractic as “bone poppers”. This thought, however, is inaccurate. Chiropractors are trained very similarly to medical doctors. The major differences in the curriculum between the two are as follows:

Chiropractic colleges focus more on treating disease (primarily of nerve, muscle, and bone) with chiropractic manipulative therapy, nutrition, and lifestyle education.  Medical schools focus primarily on treating disease with pharmacotherapy (medication use) and surgical procedures.  The following chart summarizes the difference in curriculum between chiropractic and medical schools:

Chiropractic Student Hours	Class Description	Medical Student Hours
520	Anatomy	508
420	Physiology	326
271	Pathology	335
300	Chemistry	325
114	Bacteriology	130
370	Diagnosis	374
320	Neurology	112
217	X-Ray	148
65	Psychiatry	144
65	Obstetrics & Gynecology	198
225	Orthopedics	156
2,887	Total Hours	2,756
1,598	Specialty Coursework	1,492
4,485	Total Hours Taken	4,248

Similar to medical students, chiropractors may do postgraduate work to obtain specialty degrees in orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, internal medicine, radiology, nutrition, obstetrics and gynecology, and more.

Q: Does a chiropractic adjustment hurt?
A: Simply put, no. However, it is possible to be sore the day after your first adjustment. This is because the doctor is mobilizing joints that are not used to proper movement. A similar analogy can be made of muscle soreness after going to the gym for the first time in months. Some soreness is anticipated. Most patients do not experience soreness after their first adjustment but some do. In fact most patients look forward to being adjusted because they experience immediated pain relief directly after.

Q: My orthopedic doctor told me that my condition would require surgery. Can chiropractic care help me?
A: Many patients may not require surgery after undergoing a course of chiropractic care.  Often times surgery is recommended without trying chiropractic care first.  This is unfortunate, because chiropractic care is safe, conservative, and extremely beneficial for most orthopedic cases. 

Q: Can chiropractic care help with my headaches?
A: Chiropractic care is a very effective treatment for chronic headache sufferers.  Chiropractors employ a number of techniques to rid patients of headaches to include, adjusting, stretching, muscle stripping, massage, ultrasound, electric muscle stimulation, diet changes, and exercise.

Q: Will a chiropractic adjustment make my herniated disc worse?
A: Absolutely not! Chiropractic adjustments are a very successful treatment used to help herniated discs heal. 

Q: I have had back surgery in the past. Is it safe for me to see a chiropractor?
A: Yes.  It is unfortunate that many who undergo back surgery end up with a condition known as failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Chiropractic care may help to prevent additional back surgeries in the future for these individuals; in addition, spinal decompression has shown to be 86% effective.

Q: Is chiropractic care safe if I am pregnant?
A: Yes. Many pregnant mothers find that regular chiropractic care during pregnancy decrease low back and sacro-iliac pain as a result of hormonal changes. In addition, many find that it improves the quality of their labor and delivery.