If you’re curious about what a Doctor of Chiropractic does, today’s article is for you. In today’s post, we hope to shed some light on what being a chiropractor or Doctor of Chiropractic is all about. Hopefully, the information you find here will be useful for you to consider chiropractic as an alternative healthcare option.
When chiropractic was first introduced as an alternative healthcare treatment option, many were mystified. They didn’t really know or understand what a chiropractor does and what the requirements are to be one.
A Complement to Traditional Medical Care
Essentially, think of chiropractors as healthcare providers who focus on treating bone, muscle, or joint pains.
If you’re experiencing any level of pain – whether chronic, lasting, or recent – in any part of your body, but particularly in the muscles, joints, or bones, it’s vital to let your primary care physician know.
Your primary care physician, upon diagnosis, will be able to exclude any potentially severe threats to your health that need attention.
Chiropractors can provide a complementary treatment option to the traditional care you’re receiving. Here’s more of what chiropractors are capable of and not capable of doing when it comes to providing care and treatment.
A Doctor of Chiropractic Is Not Limited to Treating Neck Pain and Back Pain
Most people believe that chiropractors can only mostly treat neck and back pain. They can address more than those issues. Chiropractors are highly trained to understand how the body works at the most microscopic level.
Apart from treating the spine, they also have a deep understanding of physiology, organic sciences, and chemistry. Understanding these disciplines help them treat patients holistically.
A chiropractor can help alleviate and eliminate pain and discomfort anywhere in the body – whether it’s in the shoulders, wrists, elbows, jaws, head, pelvis, hips, knees, or ankles. They don’t look at just one spot of the body – they carefully examine it as a whole.
Chiropractors are trained to examine the musculoskeletal system of the body and get to the root of the problem. Aside from checking the joints, they also carefully inspect the surrounding bones and muscles to ensure that they are functioning correctly – or if there’s any other underlying issue that needs to be treated.
After your primary care doctor has made a diagnosis about your condition and assessed your pain, you can turn to a chiropractic professional to offer supplementary care for the following conditions:
Chronic headaches and migraines – many people are not aware that most headaches and migraines are a result of tension in the jaw. Chiropractors can ease any muscle tension in the jaw to promote healthy blood flow. This ultimately helps remedy headaches and migraines.
Fibrous tissue inflammation – chiropractic techniques are effective in alleviating this type of inflammation. During treatment, a chiropractic professional can also check the knees and lower back to see if those areas are contributing to the inflammation.
Shoulder pains – if you had an MRI with no accurate findings of why you’ve been having shoulder pain, then it’s time to turn to a chiropractor.
He or she can carefully and manually look at the muscles around your shoulders to check for any other problems that the MRI may have missed.
Chiropractors can treat patients of all ages. Their techniques and treatments will vary depending on the age, overall health condition, and ailment of the patient. All patients must first be meticulously screened by a Doctor of Chiropractic to make sure that they are a good fit for this type of treatment.
A Doctor of Chiropractic Focuses on Treating the Root of the Problem
The overall mission of chiropractic care is to restore the body’s health and function over the long term. When you receive chiropractic treatment, your chiropractor will not only treat your symptoms; he or she will also evaluate your lifestyle and make recommendations on how to restore your health.
From advising you on how to gain proper posture to what the best sleeping positions are for your back to incorporating daily stretches – these practices are invaluable when it comes to preventing future health issues.
To sum up, a doctor of chiropractic can offer care and treatment if you’ve got musculoskeletal system issues. They undergo rigorous and extensive clinical training and education to obtain comprehensive knowledge in treating patients.