Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Chiropractic treatment safe?
A: Yes, chiropractic treatment is safe and effective. Statistics show that patient risk is substantially lower in Chiropractic care as opposed to medical care, where the use of prescription drugs and surgery pose higher risks. While any form of health care contains a degree of inherent risk, there is little danger in chiropractic care when administered by a licensed practitioner. To assure competency, all states require that Doctors of Chiropractic be board-qualified, licensed, degreed, and regulated according to strict criteria.
Q: What conditions do Chiropractors treat? A: Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems and the effects these disorders have on physical health. Chiropractic care is used to treat back pain, neck pain, extremity pain, headaches, and more.
Q: Do I need a referral from an MD?
A: A referral from an MD is not usually necessary unless your insurance company requires it for payment purposes. Following a consultation and examination, the Doctor of Chiropractic will arrive at a diagnosis under chiropractic care, or refer the patient to the appropriate health care provider.
Q: What can I expect on my first visit? A: After your new patient paperwork is filled out, the Doctor will conduct a consultation and full exam. The exam includes some questions, as well as some physical and orthopedic tests to verify the origin of the problem or injury. If necessary, the Doctor will also take X-rays at this time. On your second visit, the Doctor will discuss your diagnosis and Chiropractic treatment plan with you.
Q: Is Chiropractic treatment appropriate for children? A: Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and injuries from the activities of daily living, as well as from sports. Injuries such as these may cause back and neck pain, stiffness of joints, soreness, or discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient, and in the case of children, it is very gentle.
Q: Will my insurance cover Chiropractic? A: Many insured Americans have Chiropractic benefits in their health care plans. You may contact your insurance company for an explanation of your benefits, or you may contact us at (901) 867-1001 and we will be happy to verify your insurance benefits for you.
Q: Is Chiropractic treatment ongoing?
A: The hands-on nature of the Chiropractic treatment is essentially what requires patients to visit the chiropractor a number of times. To be treated by a Chiropractor, a patient needs to be in his/her office. In contrast, a course of treatments from medical doctors often involves a pre-established plan that is conducted at home (i.e. taking a course of antibiotics once a day for a couple of weeks). A Chiropractor may provide acute, chronic, and/or preventative care thus making a certain number of visits sometimes necessary. Your doctor of Chiropractic should tell you the extent of treatment recommended and how long you can expect it to last.
Q: What type of education does a Chiropractor have?
A: Chiropractors are educated as primary health care practitioners, with an emphasis on musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. Education requirements for doctors of Chiropractic are amond the most stringent of any of the health care professions. The typical applicant at a chiropractic college has already aquired nearly four years of pre-medical undergraduate education, including courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology, and related lab work. Once accepted into an accredited chiropractic college, the requirements become even more demanding. Four to five academic years of professional study are the standard. Because of the hands-on nature of chiropractic, and the intricate adjusting techniques, a significant portion of time is spent in clinical training. In total, the chiropractic curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical experience. The course of study is approved by an accrediting agency that is fully recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Q: Why do children need chiropractic care?
A: The birth process is often the cause of your child's first subluxation. The very soft and undeveloped spine of an infant can suffer trauma during delivery. It is estimated that as much as eighty pounds of pulling pressure can be exerted to remove a baby from the birth canal. Then, as children grow up and become more adventurous, the number of injuries to their spines become higher. The repeated falls as children learn to walk, the running, the jumping, twisting, bumping, and falling all over the place while playing iin the yard or on an athletic field will often cause your child to become subluxated. However, often children do not show any signs or symptoms of being subluxated until later in life. Chiropractic care offers your child a more responsive body, a more balanced flow of energy and an overall increased performance as he/she passes through the stages of development. Being subluxation free as a child also helps to minimize the risk of future health challenges.
Q: Is it bad to "crack" your neck or back on your own?
A: This question is frequently asked because people often associate the "cracking" or "popping" of one's back or neck with a chiropractic adjustment. If a person has a desire to "crack" his/her neck or back, it is often because one area of their spine has become subluxated causing another nearby area to become hypermobile and to sometimes "pop" by itself. It's the subluxated area that needs to be properly adjusted by a chiropractor to restore normal motion to the entire motion segment. Self-adjusting or "cracking" your own spinal joints can also be dangerous. A person can easily cause damage to the surrounding soft tissues if not properly trained in the art of chiropractic manipulation. Anyone who has a habit of "popping" of "cracking" their own neck or back should be evaluated professionally by a doctor of chiropractic.
Q: Should I continue chiropractic care now that I am no longer in pain?
A: The short answer is yes. Just because your symptoms are no longer apparent, it does not mean that your spine has been corrected. Most of the people that I have seen in my practice have had underlying spinal issues that have taken years to develop. Scar tissue and improperly healed tendons and ligaments from old injuries take literally months and sometimes years to properly rehabilitate. Arthritis and degenerative changes can easily complicate the healing process and cause joints to be more prone to irritation and becoming weaker with time. Being sure that a joint is strong and stable again is what a chiropractor is trained to do. Following the chiropractor's treatment plan and advice will help to ensure that you are as good as you are going to get before you are released from care.