Although chiropractors are not medical doctors, they attend graduate-level health colleges where they learn to treat disorders and conditions affecting nerves, bones, ligaments, and muscles. They graduate with a doctor of chiropractic degree.
They specialize in treating problems in the neck and back area and can also treat conditions that affect bones and the soft tissue of the body.
SnapCrack Chiropractic recommends that you see a chiropractor when you are experiencing pain in your back and want to find a solution that does not require taking medications.
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What certifications must chiropractors have?
It is widely believed that chiropractors can get their degrees in a short period of time. In truth, chiropractors must spend a significant amount of time completing their training. Chiropractors must go through eight years of higher education before being licensed.
Their first step in their education is a four-year undergraduate degree. Most graduates with a degree in kinesiology or biology and many of their courses are related to the sciences, such as psychology, physics, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry.
Chiropractic graduate programs involve a further four years of education, during which they learn the specifics of their profession after completing 4.200 instructional hours.
What do chiropractors learn during their graduate program?
Chiropractic graduate programs generally include:
First year – Chiropractic principles, general and spinal anatomy, and biochemistry.
Second year – Chiropractic procedures, clinical orthopedics, imaging interpretation, pathology, and research methods.
Third year – Clinical internships, pediatrics, dermatology, ethics and jurisprudence, and integrated chiropractic care.
Fourth year – During their last year, graduate students perform a clinical internship in which they study under the mentorship of a chiropractor. Students must also finish rotations in a hospital or veterans’ clinic.
Once they finish their four years, chiropractors who wish to practice in the United States must sit for their state licensing board. Once they have their license and certification, they become doctors of chiropractic.
Some chiropractors go on to further their education by selecting one of a wide variety of specialties. They may opt for a program in nutrition, orthopedic rehabilitation, or sports medicine, just to name a few options.
What do chiropractors heal?
Chiropractic care centers around spinal manipulation, but these doctors also study the spine and how its structures are related to the rest of the functions that the body must perform.
Through their work, chiropractors make adjustments to heal neck pain, lower back pain, headaches, and whiplash-related conditions, and they may also provide postural analysis and other actions aimed at promoting better overall health through nutrition and exercise routines.
Who can benefit from chiropractic treatment?
The main purpose of chiropractic treatment is to help reduce pain and disability in individuals who suffer from certain acute and chronic conditions. Among them:
Low Back Pain
Chiropractic treatment has shown to be effective for low back pain. Through spinal manipulation, improvements in pain and function can be achieved.
Patients may also benefit from a combination of medical care with chiropractic sessions. When both are applied, patients tend to feel an improvement in the level of intensity and disability they are experiencing.
Neck Pain
After low back pain, pain in the neck is the second most prevalent complaint among patients seeking chiropractic care. Neck pain may be chronic, or it may have appeared suddenly as a result of whiplash after a car accident.
Chiropractors have various techniques at their disposal that are helpful when treating neck pain. These include massage manipulation, neck mobilization, and thoracic manipulation.
Great results can be achieved when chiropractic treatment for neck pain is combined with stretching, exercise, and manual therapy.
Headaches
There is evidence that suggests that headache sufferers may benefit from chiropractic therapy. Spinal manipulation seems to have positive effects on people who suffer from migraines or cervicogenic headaches.
Osteoarthritis
If you suffer from neck and back pain due to osteoarthritis, chiropractic is a safe treatment to help you conquer the pain. You may also use it as a supplement to traditional medical therapies.
Are chiropractic adjustments painful?
Some people believe chiropractic adjustments are painful because of the popping and cracking sounds that can be heard as the manipulation is performed.
However, these sounds are simply produced by gas and air moving through the joint fluids as the joints are manipulated. What’s more, immediate relief after a chiropractic session is quite common.
What some people do experience during the treatment is discomfort or a feeling as though they’ve just had a hard workout. These feelings subside within hours or days after the adjustment.
How often should you receive a chiropractic adjustment?
Treatment plans vary depending on the patient and their condition. However, it is the patient who ultimately decides how often they want to visit a chiropractor.
The treatment plan that each patient needs depends on the reason why they are seeking treatment. Some people like to take advantage of the relief they feel after a chiropractic session to schedule routine care. Others may require more intensive treatment if they are just recovering from an injury.
It is common to receive multiple adjustments at the beginning and, as the body recovers, these can be reduced to once a week. You may then move on to a couple of adjustments per month and finally to a visit once or twice a year.
Are chiropractic adjustments safe?
Chiropractic adjustments are not only safe but they are less invasive than other more traditional treatment options.
By being drug and surgery-free, patients avoid any potential side effects. The aim of chiropractic treatment is to go after the initial source of pain and provides immediate pain relief. That is why it has become such a popular treatment option among people who suffer from chronic neck and back pain.
The risks associated with receiving chiropractic treatment are minimal and much less worrisome than those linked to over-the-counter or prescription medication.
It has actually been suggested that chiropractic treatment should be the first line of care before opting for a riskier or more invasive alternative. After all, the goal of a chiropractor is to preserve and restore overall body health.
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Chibueze Uchegbu is a certified medical physiologist with a great passion for healthy living.