Chiropractic Care: Can It Help with Pain?
3 minute readI often get asked from my clients about chiropractors.
Now, if you asked me this question 20 years ago it was a hard “NO”.
Today…..my answer is “it depends” and it depends on a lot!
What I have learned just like in everything else, there are good ones and there are bad ones.
So if you are asking for a recommendation for one, there are only a handful that I would confidently suggest.
If you are asking if I think they would help for your condition….again it depends.
Why I used to say NO
Initially what truly turned me off to chiros in general was their business model….
See me 3x/week forever…..That just didn’t sit well with me. If you are getting better you shouldn’t have to see someone 3x/week to feel good!
My reservations continued to grow during my time at the University. Athletes would try to use a chiro to clear them for sports participation. But there was no way we were going to let a chiro take the responsibility to clear an athlete for a clear cardiac work. (I currently don’t know any chiros who do this or would want to take this responsibility as well)
What Changed My Mind
Then I met some PHENOMENAL chiros!
Their treatment model was different. At most they would see you weekly and even to them that was too often….they wanted to see you a minimal amount of time while still getting you results
They relied on more than just spinal adjustment. Some don’t actually adjust at all! They had other skill sets they used, mostly soft tissue and other manual techniques
They prescribed exercises to work on to keep your body aligned as it should be and working optimally. This was a majority of the treatment, not the add on after the adjustment. (This one in particular was the thing that made me feel they set themselves apart)
The Science Behind It!
If we take a neurological look at what is actually happening during a treatment, the chiro is directly affecting all of the nerves and the organs and systems that are directly related to the nerves that are coming from that spinal level. It could also be argued this is true for the levels directly above and below the level being treated as well!
You can also see particularly in the bottom right image how many of the nerves from different levels merge to innervate various organs. So it is likely that the general principle of chiropractic care is that the organs can change the alignment of the spine and vice versa!
So why wouldn’t you basically want to treat as close to the source as possible?!
And again the Central Nervous System is priority #1…if it isn’t working we aren’t working…and if it doesn’t “feel” safe, we don’t feel safe —meaning pain and dysfunction persist.
I talk all about our Hierarchy of Protection in a previous blog. Go take a look!
As I learn more about the body and how it works, and talk more to my chiro colleagues it is amazing how we all are doing similar things to get to the same end result….get YOU out of pain!
I am doing a workshop with one of my chiro colleague Dr Erika Witter-Davis on Saturday March 8th at 2pm 811 N Catalina Ave. We will be discussing how we work together to give you a cohesive a comprehensive experience to get you out of pain and back to the activities you love! If you would like to join please call:
310-978-7807 to register!