Like conventional medicine, chiropractic is based upon scientific principles of diagnosis through testing and empirical observations. Treatment is based upon the practitioner's rigorous training and clinical experience. Unlike conventional medicine, which focuses on attempting to treat disease once it occurs, chiropractic attempts to improve the health of the individual in an effort to avoid illness in the first place. Most people would rather be healthy and avoid illness, if they could. This is one of the main reasons for the big upsurge in the popularity of chiropractic. People are recognizing the benefit of seeking an alternative to traditional medicine; one that will help them achieve and maintain optimal health.
What truly differentiates doctors of chiropractic from any other healthcare professionals is the fact that chiropractors are the only professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat what are called spinal subluxations. The word 'subluxation' comes from the Latin words meaning 'to dislocate' (luxare) and 'somewhat or slightly' (sub). So the term 'vertebral subluxation' literally means a slight dislocation (misalignment) of the bones in the spine. Although this term was adequate in the 1800s when much was still misunderstood about the human body, today the word 'subluxation' has changed in meaning to capture the complex of neurological, structural, and functional changes that occur when a bone is 'out of place.' For this reason chiropractors usually refer to subluxations of the spine as the "Vertebral Subluxation Complex", or "VSC" for short.
The chiropractic approach to healthcare is holistic, meaning that it addresses your overall health. It recognizes that many lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, rest, and environment impact your health. For this reason, chiropractors recommend changes in lifestyle' eating, exercise, and sleeping habits in addition to chiropractic care.
Chiropractic is so much more than simply a means of relieving pain. Ultimately, the goal of the chiropractic treatment is to restore the body to its natural state of optimal health. Since the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself and to maintain its own health, the primary focus is simply to remove those things which interfere with the body's normal healing ability.
This section explains more about the background of chiropractic care, how it works, who it can benefit, and more!
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Healthy Hips and Healthy Knees
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
The numbers of individuals undergoing total hip replacement and total knee replacement are increasing significantly.1 Annual rates in the United States for total hip replacement have increased more than 50%. In Denmark, rates have been increasing by 30%. Annual rates in the United States for total knee
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Is My Pain Serious?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
How do you know whether your pain needs to be evaluated by your chiropractor? This is the age-old question. The answer needs to be specific to your particular problem, rather than a one-size-fits all solution. But there are good guidelines that everyone can follow.
First, is your pain deep and boring
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Lines of Force
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Most chronic joint-related problems involving the hip, knee, and ankle1,2 can be successfully managed with conservative treatment. Surgery for such conditions is typically a last resort and frequently does not work out well. Revision (repeat) procedures are common and represent a failure of appropriate
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Replacement Parts: What You Need to Know
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
If you've ever been involved in a motor vehicle collision, you're probably familiar with the term "replacement parts" or "crash parts". Your auto insurance company will usually offer to repair your car using after-market bumpers, door panels, wheel assemblies, and other parts. Or, you may prefer to have
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Suffer from Neck Pain?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Do you suffer from neck pain? If you do, you're not alone. Nearly 75 percent of American adults will suffer from neck pain at some point in their lives. And, looking at our anatomy, it's no wonder so many of us do. Though having your head perched on top of your spine gives you a great view of your environment,
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The Best Treatment for Trigger Points
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Trigger points are painful nodules in muscular tissue, commonly found in the upper back, low back, and gluteal muscles. Trigger points are frequently chronic, persisting from day to day without much relief. When someone says, “My muscles are all in knots”, those knots are most likely trigger points.
The
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The Problem of Radiating Pain
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Many people experience radiating pain as a component of neck pain or low back pain. A person with neck pain might have pain that radiates down her arm, possibly into the hand.1 A person with low back pain might have accompanying leg pain, possibly traveling into the foot. Such arm/hand pain or leg/foot
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What Should I Do About My Pain?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
No one really wants to be a worrier. We certainly don't want to visit our chiropractor or family doctor for every ache and pain. But eventually we all experience physical problems and it may be difficult to know what to do about them. Some problems are immediate and serious. If you suddenly experience
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What Should I Do for a Herniated Disc?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Herniated discs in the lumbar spine are fairly common and having one doesn’t sentence you to a lifetime of back problems. In fact, at least one-third of people over age 30 are found to have one or more herniated discs in the lower back when a magnetic resonance imaging study (MRI) is done for reasons
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What's Wrong with My Back?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Not all back problems are created equal. One person may have been working on a home improvement project and injured her back while simultaneously bending and twisting. Another person may have developed back pain as a result of a vehicular collision. Another person may be experiencing back pain as a result
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When Is Back Pain More Than Back Pain?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
Out of the blue, your back starts to hurt. At first, it's just an annoyance. You can live with it. You've had lower back pain before and it went away on its own. Now it's a few weeks later. You've got a low-grade pain that's not getting any better. You're actually worse, in fact, because your back
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Why Do My Knees Hurt?
Category:
Newsletter Library, Back, Body & Joint Pain
It seems that as they get older, many people expect their knees to give out. Osteoarthritis of the knee is, in fact, common in those over age 50 and knee arthroscopy is one of the most frequently done orthopedic surgeries.1 Also, increasing numbers of people are undergoing total knee replacements. The
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Self-Guided Imagery
Category:
Newsletter Library, Mind-Body Connection
Mindfulness techniques can assist a person substantially in achieving improved levels of health and well-being. These methods, including meditation and guided imagery, are gaining prominence as more traditional medicine group practices, hospitals, and teaching institutions 1,2 are embracing an integrated
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Scoliosis
Category:
Common Conditions Treated, Chronic Condition Relief
Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine that causes stiffness and pain. People with scoliosis have a sideways curve in their spine that makes an "S" or "C" shape.
Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine that causes stiffness and pain. It is called an idiopathic disease because the cause of it
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PMS
Category:
Common Conditions Treated, Chronic Condition Relief, Conditions Affecting Women
Several studies have shown that chiropractic care can help decrease many of the symptoms of PMS without the potential side effects of prescription drugs.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by mood swings, swollen abdomen, headaches, back pain, food cravings, fatigue, irritability or depression
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Pinched Nerve
Category:
Common Conditions Treated, Body Pain
When nerves become 'pinched', injury, spasm, and inflammation of the surrounding muscles causes the nerve to become compressed, resulting in pain.
The term "pinched nerve" is somewhat of a catch-all phrase that is commonly used to describe the pain associated with a variety of conditions from subluxations,
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