What is Chiropractic?

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What do Chiropractic Doctors Do?

Chiropractic care focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous system and the effects of those disorders on overall health and lifestyles. Everything in your body has a relationship with your nervous system. Nerve impulses leave the brain and travel down the nerves through the spinal column to every cell, tissue, organ and system of your body. When these nerve impulses are missing, impaired, or interfered with, the organs and tissues controlled by the affected nerve do not work as they should. Numbness, pain and tingling can be experienced, setting the stage for additional health problems and symptoms.

Frequently this nerve interference comes from the 31 moving bones (vertebra) of the spinal column and the surrounding soft tissues like discs, muscles, tendons and ligaments. When the vertebra of the spine loose their normal motion or position, nerves can be stretched, rubbed, choked or irritated. This is called a Vertebral Subluxation. Chiropractors help to restore proper spinal biomechanics and improve nervous system functioning by finding and correcting subluxations and misalignments of the spinal column.

Doctors of Chiropractic may assess patients with a case history, clinical examination (orthopedic, neurologic and spinal), laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging (ie. x-rays/ MRI’s) and other diagnostic interventions to determine what chiropractic treatment is appropriate. Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate health care providers when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition or the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other members of the health care team.