Q & A Commonly Asked Questions About Chiropractic Q: What do chiropractors really do? A: Chiropractors are nationally and state licensed to provide a natural mode of health care . The mode of care is centered around the chiropractic adjustment (manual manipulation). A chiropractic license allows a Chiropractor to administer physical therapy treatment, vitamins and nutritional counseling along with manipulative therapy. Q: What happens on my first visit?  What should I expect? A: You will fill out initial paperwork, including a description of your present health complaints.  The doctor will then consult with you regarding your present complaints, previous treatment, past medical history or injuries.  An exam of the area of complaint is next, including range of motion, ortho/neurological evaluation and evaluation of the muscle tone.  It is at this time that x-rays are taken, if warranted.  Your x-rays and exam findings are reviewed with you , and if your condition would benefit from chiropractic treatment, the method of treatment will be offered.  If not, a referral to the proper health care professional will be made. Q: I've often thought about seeing a chiropractor for problems I have, but frankly I'm wary because I've heard people say you have to keep coming in without end. A: The answer to this question is yes and no. On the no side, you as a patient, may do what you wish at anytime. If you desire to discontinue care, that is your prerogative. You will never feel pressured into a long term program at this office. Many times the number of visits will continue or discontinue based on how you feel and respond to adjustments. On the yes side, when you understand the benefits of continuing care, the choice to continue is yours to make. Those patients are the ones who continue to benefit, and who are pleased about ongoing chiropractic checkups. Q: How will chiropractic help manage my pain? A: Chiropractic has a very good history with symptom reduction . What we find is that roughly 80 percent of people obtain good results, 10 percent have SOME help with pain, and the final 10 percent have no appreciable change. Each person is different, and the doctor must work with this in mind. It is also advantageous to treat your injury sooner rather than later. Problems you have had for many years may take longer to treat as opposed to a recent injury. Remember, it takes time to affect a natural change in the body. Medications simply mask the symptom and allow you to have temporary relief. The adjustments affect the CAUSE. That is the difference! Q: What is required to be a doctor of chiropractic? Do you have the same degree as a medical doctor? A: No, chiropractors do not have the same degrees as an MD. Chiropractic philosophy is different from that of medicine. We must have four years of undergraduate work (a degree), in order to enter chiropractic school . Then there are four more years before we graduate with a doctors degree. Between entry and graduation, we obtain an education in much the same areas as the medical doctor . We have a one year residency before we are allowed to practice. The new graduate must pass a difficult national and state board exam to be " board certified ". Q: My actual visits are quick and to the point. I like that, but I am surprised that is all it will take to create a change in my spine. How will it do that? A: Once I know, as the doctor, WHERE the subluxaton exists in your spine, it then becomes a matter of adjusting , and that is where the change comes about. Turning on a light at the switch (source) is a simple matter, but just look at the wide spread results . The adjustment acts much the same. Most of the time the less done to the body, the better it is for healing. We are letting your own inborn healer (the nervous system) do the real work AFTER the adjustment is given. So, what more is there to do but patiently let the process work? Q: I have had the current pain I suffer with many times in the past. It has always gone away on its own. What is to say it won't do that again without the chiropractic adjustments I am beginning? A: This has always been a "preaching point" for me. My opinions come from peer reviewed research and my own clinical observations . Pain is NOT a sound indicator of the CAUSE of a health problem. Yes, it is true that when we have pain we don't feel healthy or happy. As a doctor, I give more value to FUNCTION than chasing the pain . The question you asked brings up a point: PAIN COMES AND GOES. It will continue to if it is not addressed at the source . Improving the function of the spinal nerves and joints almost always improves the pain syndrome, yet it takes TIME to do this. In most people pain is decreased in six weeks NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, but the poor function continues and shows up again to cause future health problems. Our focus here is to address the function and to be sure your nervous system has as little interference as possible. Q: I've heard friends say different things about the Chiropractor they see or have seen in the past.  Why would one Chiropractor be different from another? A: Chiropractic treatment can differ greatly from one Chiropractor to the next, often depending on what chiropractic college they attended.  In this clinic we apply the Palmer Method of evaluation and treatment.  The Palmer Method is the standard in Worldwide Chiropractic Care, and the most recognized method utilized.