How Can Chiropractic Help You?

 Chiropractic is many things, some of them true, some of them not. To some it is a panacea for all things medical, for others it is voodoo medicine and like most things in this world the truth lies somewhere in that grey area in-between. Chiropractic is a healing science that is a little over a century old at this point, and as in traditional medicine, there is still much to learn. For many, the spinal manipulation is primary mechanism that chiropractors use to affect the tissues of the body, however there are many other ways to treat the human body when all systems are not firing properly, so to speak. These other mechanisms include physical therapy, electro-therapy, soft-tissue mobilization techniques (including massage), and even acupuncture. There are numerous others as well, but we don't need to go into great detail about those at this time.
 However, as it has been for that aforementioned century, the spinal (and really most joints) manipulation remains the primary mechanism to affect tissue change. Whenever I speak to patients or to groups of people, I always try to remind them that the human body was designed to move, and move quite a bit. We'd be stones if we were supposed to sit around all day long. A complex interaction that truly involves most, if not all of the bodys' systems, regulates movement. From the joint spaces to the muscles to ligaments to nerves to even the blood vessels and blood cells, all are involved in some form or fashion in movement, or kinesiology. In order to keep this system as healthy as it can be, it must be utilized via walking, running, jogging, exercising and really just not sitting around.
 Chiropractic, and chiropractors in general, are doctors of biomechanics. Biomechanics is a term that denotes the mechanism of how "life," or in this case, humans, move. It's that simple. Whether you are old or young, male or female, athlete or sedentary, it doesn't really matter. The body is supposed to move in certain ways and this is where chiropractic comes into play. Chiropractic, at it's heart, is the medicine of movement. When movement is incorrect, whether from postural issues, injuries, advancing age, improper nutrition, over-training or whatever cause, the body reacts by sending out pain signals. Pain is typically what drives patients into the offices of any physician, and chiropractors are no different in this respect. The art of any medicine is diagnosing aberrant patterns and correcting them.
 In fact, after the founding of chiropractic in the late 19th century, a branch of traditional medicine was born, termed physiatry. Physiatrists, whether of the D.O. or M.D. degree, often treat similar conditions as chiropractors, and I've maintained that had chiropractors been accepted or wanted to join the larger medical doctor degree, they would be physiatrists. So, in essence, the two disciplines are much more closely aligned than one would believe at first.
 The bottom line is that chiropractic is still a young science, one that is progressing and growing more a part of the traditional health care umbrella every year. If you, or someone you know, is experiencing pain, discomfort or just wants to make sure that their kinesiology isn't going to ultimately cause them to schedule an appointment because of pain, have them call the office at 815-398-9858. If you or they mention this message, the fees for the initial visit are waived.