Patient Education
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The more you understand your body and how it functions, the better equipped you'll be at taking care of yourself to achieve optimal health. Our team of chiropractic professionals empower patients to take charge of your own health and future, educating you about your condition to decrease your need for future care. We've included the Patient Education section on our website to provide you with valuable, practical wellness information which you can incorporate into your lifestyle to improve the quality of your life. We hope you will turn to these pages whenever you have a question about health related issues and urge you to contact our practice at any time to make an appointment with one of our chiropractors.
The purpose of chiropractic is to improve and sustain quality of life.
This is achieved by awakening the body's natural healing ability through treatment of the musculoskeletal system, the healing power of touch and guidance in proper nutrition and exercise.
On Health
Many People think that health is how you feel. But lack of symptoms doesn't mean you're healthy. If you look good and feel great but have undetected cancer - you're sick.
True health is how well your body works mentally, physically and socially. If something isn't working right, then you're sick.
It is the purpose of your brain and nervous system to control the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system of your body. A properly working nervous system in concert with musculoskeletal integrity, proper nutrition and exercise is the key to good health.
We believe in the body's ability to heal itself. We believe healthy people are happy people.
On Chiropractic
Besides medicine and dentistry, chiropractic is the third largest doctoral health profession in the United States.
The typical applicant at a chiropractic college has already acquired four years of pre-medical undergraduate college education including course in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and related lab work. Intensive studies include course in anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition and public health.
The curriculum includes no less than four years of classroom, laboratory and clinic experience - all aimed at preparing the doctor of chiropractic to be a portal-of-entry healthcare provider. The course of study is approved by an accrediting agency which is fully recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This has been the case for 25 years.
Chiropractic involves the study of philosophy, science and art. Philosophy considers the fundamental nature of the existence of human beings and their interaction with the environment. The sciences deal with aspects of the universe related to human biology, and especially the relationship between spinal segments and the nerve system. Chiropractic's art is the expression of its philosophy and the concern with locating and correcting vertebral subluxations.
Instead of treating your symptoms, your Doctor of Chiropractic is primarily interested in detecting, reducing, and preventing the Subluxation.
How Chiropractic Works
To understand chiropractic, one must have a basic understanding about how the body functions. From the time you were born, an "inner wisdom" has known exactly how to keep you healthy and alive. It knows how fast your heart should beat, how often your lungs need to breathe, how to digest food and how to eliminate waste. There are millions of details controlled by this inner wisdom that keep this marvelous machine in prime functioning condition.
Every living organism in our world possesses what chiropractors call Innate Intelligence. The body machine comes out of the "factory" fully able to function, as long as it has regular fuel and adequate maintenance, thanks to this Innate Intelligence.
Innate Intelligence sends instructions to every organ and cell in your body through the nervous system housed and protected by the vertebrae. However, if these vertebrae are misaligned, even a little, those instructions can be interrupted. The result is "dis-ease" and dysfunction.
The word disease is a combination of 'dis' and 'ease'. 'Dis' is a prefix meaning "apart from" and ease meaning a "state of balance." It follows then that dis-ease is a lack of comfort, a loss in harmony in the system. When there is a lack of harmony in music, the musician adjusts the notes to complement each other. That's exactly what a chiropractic adjustment strives to do, restore body harmony, thus restore health.
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"Health is worth more than learning."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Patients whose problems were not answered by surgery sometimes call upon chiropractors for help. It is unfortunate they did not consult with a chiropractor before surgery to determine whether their pain or other symptoms would be addressed without drugs or surgical intervention.
That said, as many as 40 percent of the 200, 000 people who have lower back surgery each year do not attain their desired outcome. Some of them are even in worse condition following surgery.
This condition is what's referred to as "failed back surgery syndrome," a general term for a host of problems that may be related to the surgery, but also other factors such as poor body mechanics, or medication problems.
People with failed back surgery syndrome often complain about unrelenting pain or physical impairment. Back injuries are cited as the most common reason for absenteeism in the general workforce after the common cold. It is estimated that about 80 percent of adults experience a back injury in their lifetime, and about 10 percent will suffer a re-injury.
Common types of back injuries include:
Overuse injuries – These are the kinds of injuries that occur during the course of everyday activities, such as housework or exercise. Symptoms may include pain, muscle spasms, and stiffness.
Acute or traumatic injuries – These injuries occur after an unexpected event, such as a fall, a sports injury, a job accident, or motor vehicle accident. If you think you have sustained a traumatic back injury, STAY CALM AND DO NOT MOVE until help arrives. It is very important to keep your back as immobile as possible following a traumatic injury as moving may worsen the injury .
Spinal fractures – These are one of the most serious kinds of back injuries. Many people survive spinal fractures and return to normal activities. Others who are less fortunate are left paralyzed.
If a fracture involves the spinal column but not the spinal cord, there is a good chance that long-term paralysis will be avoided. Fractures to any of the spine's components, such as the vertebrae, joints, or discs, could affect the spinal cord and its more than 60 nerve roots.
Some people incur compression factures to the vertebrae. In these kinds of injuries, the vertebrae can be crushed. Compression fractures are more common in the thoracic (middle) and cervical (neck) portions of the spine, since the lumbar vertebrae are the largest and sturdiest. Other kinds of injuries, such as twisting or impact injuries, can cause a fracture to vertebrae or joints.
You may have incurred a serious back injury if you have:
- Back pain that follows a severe injury, such as a motor vehicle accident.
- Been struck forcefully on top of the head or fall hard onto the buttocks.
- Fallen from a height of 15 feet or more.
- Incurred a direct blow to the spine with a moving object.
- Incurred a sports-related injury.
- Sustained a penetrating injury, such as a gunshot wound or stab wound.
If you sustain a back injury and experience any of the following symptoms, seek medical attention immediately:
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Numbness or tingling in the buttocks, genital area, or legs.
- Pain in the upper back that occurs with chest pain that is crushing, squeezing, or feels like a heavy weight on the chest or that occurs with any other symptoms of a heart attack.
- Signs of shock.
- Weakness in the legs.
Most sprains and strain injuries to soft tissues, such as muscles, if treated properly with rest and ice/heat therapy, will diminish within two weeks. Many other kinds require expert medical attention. Consult with your physician about whether chiropractic care would help.