Frequently Asked Questions

Chiropractic care utilizes spinal adjustments which help to restore normal motion in joints and to improve the range, as well as the quality of the motion. The addition of nutritional counseling, x-rays, lab work, exercise and rehabilitation, and other soft tissue therapies help with the healing and maintenance process. The goals of chiropractic care are the restoration of function, the prevention of injury, as well as pain relief in treating many conditions affecting the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.

In a word, no. Popping and adjusting are actually two different things. When two joint surfaces separate, it creates a popping sound. Think suction cups here. Almost any joint can be made to pop if you pull on it hard enough. Adjusting occurs by moving a joint through a specific restricted or absent normal range of motion while the joint surfaces are separated. So, popping and adjusting often coincide, but are not the same thing.

Most insurance plans cover Chiropractic services at some level. You can look at your policy provisions online or call your insurer to determine the specific benefits available to you.

Extremely Safe! What Chiropractors do does not involve bone-on-bone contact, as dramatic as it may feel or sound at times. Adjusting is more like opening a joint space and restoring movement where it was restricted. The relative movement involved is rather small. We talk about being “in” or “out” of alignment, or indicate that a vertebra is misplaced, but we aren’t talking Legos here. It isn’t physically possible for a normal chiropractic adjustment to cause dislocation, fracture or any major tissue damage.

Lastly, if you compare the rates/premiums for malpractice insurance across the medical field, Chiropractor’s policies are far less expensive than most other specialties- which indicates less risk to people and fewer incidents of patient injury leading to claims.

Absolutely Yes. In fact, Chiropractic care is the safest way to deal with the physical stresses on a pregnant person, as no drugs are involved. Additionally, the effect of the hormone called Relaxin, which is produced in increasing amounts through a pregnancy, is to loosen connective tissue, thereby allowing the pelvis to stretch and flex during delivery. It also ‘loosens’ the rest of the connective tissue in the body, making it easier to get ‘out’ of alignment. Fortunately, that very laxity makes it easy and relatively comfortable to get thing back ‘in’ alignment.

Only to the extent that you can get addicted to enjoying good spinal health, normal function of your body and fewer injuries.

Chiro Kids miss fewer days of school due to illness, have fewer urgent medical visits, and are on fewer medications than those not receiving chiropractic care. In general, children have fewer accumulated stresses and injuries than adults and may not need extensive care, but regular checkups and alignments help ensure that they don’t develop long-term or permanent issues with their spines.

Chiropractic School and Medical School are IDENTICAL for the first 3 years/ 6 semesters or so. Same number of hours in the same subjects: Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Histology, Endocrinology etc. At that point, the medical students start pharmacology classes and doing hospital rounds, and the Chiropractic students devote more time to X-ray analysis and manipulation techniques. Chiropractic education involves an undergraduate degree followed by four more years of schooling.

Usually, Yes. Depending on the type of surgery, Chiropractic is safe to help with healing, relieve pain and discomfort in the body, and in preventing further need for more procedures. Extra time and care is needed with post-surgical patients to gather imaging studies and make sure that Chiropractic care is indicated.

Several different factors can contribute to your response to chiropractic treatment including your age, activity level, previous injuries, length of time you have been in pain, lifestyle factors, the type of injury you have etc. The “magic pill” has not been invented yet but starting with a Chiropractor can be the quickest and most effective way to get out of pain. The relief may not be instant, but changes can start to be noticed after a few visits. The ultimate goal is not only to get you out of pain but to address the underlying issue(s) causing that pain.