Frequently Asked Questions in Spokane Valley

A chiropractor is a primary healthcare professional that specializes in spinal health and wellness. A chiropractor’s focus is on the prevention, diagnosis, and conservative care for spinal or other joint related issues. In addition to adjustments to the spine or extremities, many chiropractors also assist with therapeutic exercises, nutrition, and lifestyle recommendations for optimal health.

Chiropractic is a health-care profession that focuses on the spine and other joints of the body, and their connection to the nervous system. The word “chiropractic” means “to be done by hand.” Chiropractors use adjustments to restore joint function and alignment removing interference to the nervous system so the body can heal and function normally.

Chiropractors do not attend medical school, therefore they are not medical doctors, but instead they attend chiropractic school and when they graduate and pass all their national board exams they receive a doctor of chiropractic degree.

People sometimes think chiropractors receive less schooling than medical doctors, but in general both require at least 3-4 years of undergraduate studies and about 4 years of study in chiropractic or medical school. The total curriculum hours for chiropractic education is around 4826 contact hours vs 4667 contact hours for medical school, so chiropractic education in terms of hours of training is actually slightly more.

A chiropractor evaluates the spine and extremities for small misalignments of the bones called subluxations. These subluxations can damage or interfere with the nervous systems ability to control and coordinate the necessary functions of the body and also imped normal motion of the body. Chiropractors find and correct these subluxations using gentle, specific adjustments to restore proper brain-body communication and motion to the body.

Chiropractic is the second largest primary healthcare profession and has been around for over 100 years. Many studies have shown chiropractic care to be very effective at helping people eliminate pain naturally, reduce medications, avoid surgery or hospital visits, improve performance, and improve overall health. More and more people are utilizing chiropractic care to regain their health over treating their symptoms with medications.

Chiropractic care has been shown to be extremely safe when done properly. In fact, chiropractors on average have malpractice insurance rates that are just a fraction of what medical doctors pay for their malpractice insurance because chiropractors performing safe, natural adjustments pose a much smaller risk than prescribing drugs or doing surgery.

Occasionally people can be a bit sore or have some pain in the beginning as the body and spine is starting to get moving again and adapting to the changes, but generally the soreness should not last too long and the adjustments get easier as you do it more similar to starting a new workout routine if you have not exercised in a while.

Each patient is different and may require a different number of adjustments along with therapies depending on the condition of their spine along with their lifestyle. In general, the earlier the better you address the issues with your spine because you will respond faster and ultimately it will cost you less to correct your spine.

Our office is not your typical chiropractic office that pops your back and then sends you on your way. We specialize in spinal corrective care and have an extensive evaluation process that consists of a thorough history, exam, orthopedic and neurological testing, and digital x-rays. Based on your spine we put together a custom treatment plan to correct your spine which may include adjustments, in office exercises, spinal decompression, and a spinal homecare program with equipment to maximize your results. We typically do follow up x-rays so you not only feel the difference, but you can see your spine and posture are improving. We also focus heavily on patient education not only about spinal health, but other aspects of health too including weight-loss, nutrition, digestive health, toxicity and others.

Chiropractors don’t actually treat any specific symptoms or conditions. Chiropractors locate and correct subluxations or misalignments in the spine or extremities that interfere with the nervous systems ability to heal and control functions of the body. When these subluxations are reduced or corrected then people report many different improvements in their health such as less pain, improved digestion, better menstrual cycles, reduced blood pressure, less anxiety, better hearing to name a few.

Chiropractic is super important during pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses more stress is placed on the spine and hips which can commonly cause back pain or sciatica. However, misaligned hips also can change the diameter of the birth canal and make if more challenging for the baby to slide through thus prolonging the delivery process and increasing stress to the mom and baby. Chiropractic care has been shown to significantly reduce labor and delivery times because when the hips are in good alignment the baby can pass through the birth canal easier.

The popping noise is made by gases built up in the joints of the spine get released a lot like when you pop your knuckles. Some people don’t like that sound or it makes them nervous and there are other ways and techniques to adjust someone without hearing any popping noises.

All patients are definitely not adjusted the same way because different people respond differently to certain adjustments. However, because many people tend to have very similar lifestyle habits as far as how they sleep, sit, work, etc they can develop similar posture and subluxation patterns which requires a similar approach to correcting with exercises, but where and how we adjust them will vary from person to person.

Just like you would not wait until your kids have cavities or a toothache to have them brush their teeth or see a dentist, you should not wait until they are in pain or have symptoms to get their spine checked out by a chiropractor. Kids are outside less often and spending much more time playing video or computer games which is greatly impacting their spinal health. Chiropractic is very safe for children and kids heal much faster than adults do because the problems have not been there as long.