Frequently
Asked Questions About Chiropractic
1. What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic techniques are many and varied
-The main procedure is the ADJUSTMENT. Some chiropractors
also use other modalities such as massage or phyical
therapy devices. However, the common principle does not
change: Removal of spinal misalignment or subluxation so
that the body's innate/inborn healing ability may prevail.
My office procedures are based around the chiropractic
spinal adjustment. Without this, the defining feature of
chiropractic is lost. This does not mean that I do not
recommend other forms of care or refer to other doctors.
2. What is subluxation?
Subluxation in the chiropractic sense is a
spinal focus of manifestation of stress. In simplistic
terms: its a painful or locked-up area of the spine. But
you can find many areas of the spine that are painful. The
chiropractor sytematically finds the original points of
focus for correction via the chiropractic adjustment.
Usually areas of compensation do not solve the problem long
term. Anybody can crack a joint or treat pain areas.
Chiropractors focus on areas clinically proven to get
closer to the cause. These are subluxated vertebrae.
3. What can chiropractic cure?
There is virtually no evidence of disease
cure. Data suggests that chiropractic helps the body in
many ways, though. If you want a condition based appraisal
of what my patients see me for, click here. More and more,
however, we can find papers and research on back and
neck pain, head ache, childhood problems like asthma
and colic, and chronic disease sufferers like Multiple
Sclerosis and Parkinsons Disease.
4. Can chiropractors treat scoliosis?
Some chiropractors claim to straighten
spines, and we certainly do in our office, based on
radiological findings. BUT some scolioses NEVER will
straighten, so beware any guarentees that you may be given.
In simple terms: some can be corrected, others not, but
given the need for health maintenance through a healthy
spine, all scoliosis patients should be kept free of
subluxation and spinal problems. In this office protocols
of monitoring and referral for orthopaedic consultation
are, of course, followed, and the point of chiropractic
here is not to "treat" but to remove spinal stressors. A
chiropractor will inform you of which can be helped and
which are unlikely to.
5. What is upper cervical chiropractic?
It is not common in Australia. Upper
cervical refers to a specialised branch of chiropractic
that focuses attention and study to the upper neck, near
the brainstem.The first vertebra in the neck is called the
Atlas, or C1. All chiropractors adjust C1,either by hand or
with instruments, but some give it greater focus of
attention and have devoted hundreds of hours to imaging (x
ray) techniques and anatomy of this area. My technique of
choice is Atlas Orthogonal.
6. How do we help sports?
7. Why take X Rays when they
cause cancer?
