So, you’ve got some family and friends who love their chiropractor? Or, maybe you’ve got the opposite; maybe someone close to you has had a bad experience with a chiropractor and now you’re terrified.
The thing is, you’re not quite sure what chiropractors DO exactly. Don’t worry I hear that ALL THE TIME…
Well folks, this short article is for you.
For starters, becoming a Chiropractor involves a significant amount of schooling and training. On average, most chiropractors spend 8 years obtaining all necessary degrees and licenses to practice in their prospective state.
Yes, you read that correct: 8 years. For some reason, this always seems to surprise people.
The scope of this short article is not to discuss the hours and time spent in a given curriculum or the differences in schools, etc. But I bring up the schooling only to highlight the overall level of education that is required. If you are interested, you can find many different websites that break down the educational differences between, for example, an MD and DC.
No, my goal here is to highlight how that education can actually serve YOU as a patient, best.
Below are the top 5 reasons you should see a chiropractor
- Thorough medical history and symptom intake
- There is a saying that 90% of the diagnosis comes from the history of your current condition. When a new patient come to see me, they are often surprised when I say the first visit is about 45-60 minutes. We go over all related symptoms to their condition and come to a list of possible diagnoses before proceeding to the physical exam.
- Perform a thorough and comprehensive physical exam
- Much like the aforementioned medical history, chiropractors tend to perform very thorough physical exams, too. Since we are able to spend more time with our patients and actually put our hands on them, we can detect when something isn’t working properly. With a new patient, I test the entire neuromuskuloskeletal system.
- Provide optimal ergonomic advice
- Since we study and work so closely with the bones and muscles, we have a very good idea of what an optimal position should look like for you in your daily life. Believe it or not, how you sit, stand, walk, run, sleep, etc really effects your body… duh! Chiro's can help you answer questions about all of these positions.
- Exercise evaluation
- Again, this goes hand in hand with our background in human anatomy and biomechanics. Just remember that some of us are better than others.
- Pain management
- Would you like to know what is as effective as pain medication and safer for your body? Your chiropractor knows. Combining different treatments (adjustments, soft tissue therapy, active rehab) is the most effective way to manage pain and improve your long term outcomes. Also we can help you answer the age old question of: ice vs heat?
