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Chiropractic FAQ

For FAQ about Lasers, click here.

What do chiropractors do?

Chiropractors treat "subluxations" which is a joint (and their supportive soft tissues) that are stuck, glued, stiff, scarred, worn and in improper global and segmental positions. These dysfunctional joints are a result of a lifetime of injuries that can start at birth, and are also caused by the slow but steady accumulation of daily wear and tear, poor posture and poor ergonomic and exercise habits. Unhealthy joints shut down the motion dependent nerve endings that make the brain work and help quiet pain and increase pain transmission to the brain. Irritated disc and joint degradation continues, disc herniations and bone spurs may deteriorate to a point that nerve roots become compressed, carpal tunnel, sciatica and other conditions can then begin.

I have been diagnosed with a slipped disc, can chiropractic treatments help?

"Slipped Disc" is perhaps one of the most used misnomers in all of healthcare. Disc's rarely slip. In fact, the disc connection to the vertebrae above and below is as strong as the bone itself. So, what really happens?

The disc is a circle of cartilage between each vertebra in the spine that acts as both a shock absorber and a shock distributor. Imagine what would happen to the stack of bony vertebra that make up the spine without the cushioning of the discs. Discs depend on water to keep their height and perform efficiently. When we're young, discs have their own circulation that helps keep them hydrated. As we age, this circulation ends and the spine must move so that water can be drawn into the discs. As dehydration occurs, the discs are more at risk for cracks, fissures and loss of height.

Chiropractic treatments have a long history of successfully providing conservative care for disc conditions, which means it is non-surgical and drugless. In the treatment of low back disc problems, most experts agree that conservative care should be tried before surgery is considered, except in severe cases. I had heard that Chiropractic care has helped children diagnosed with learning disabilities, is that true?

Learning disorders and dyslexia affect between three and ten percent of school-aged children in the United Sates. Daily stessors in life can cause misalignments in the spine, called vertebral subluxations. The subluxations can result in inadequate brain stimulation, which can cause problems throughout the body including developmental problems. The only source of constant stimulation to the brain comes from the spine and from the postural muscles. They constantly barrage the brain and try to adjust to the force of gravity. Therefore, chiropractic adjustments to the spine can open up channels to the brain and improve the nerve flow to all parts of the body, even parts of the brain that are not functioning properly and are delayed in their development causing the learning disabilities.

Pain pills help my headache but it keeps coming back. My doctor keeps prescribing different medications but nothing seems to work. I'm at wits end!

About one in six Americans suffer from chronic headaches of one type or another. In severity, chronic headaches may range from a tension headache to excruciating pain of a migraine. They all have one thing in common; they always return; sometimes worse than before. Unfortunately, pain pills do nothing to treat the underlying cause of headaches. Often headaches are associated with misaligned vertebra, postural problems in the neck or tight muscles that attach to the back of the head.

A chiropractor is trained to find the underlying cause of the headaches. At Tri-States Chiropractic, we use our training in structural biomechanics and neurology to detect the cause of the headache. Our treatments vary with each individual case.

I have recently been diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Are there other options besides surgery?

Different causes have been blamed for Carpel Tunnel Syndrome including computer usage and poor ergonomics. Although irritation of the nerve of the carpel tunnel can cause this condition; nerves at the spine, shoulder muscle, or forearm muscle can also be the cause.

Surgical procedures, which 'release' the pressure on the nerves at the carpel tunnel by permanently severing the ligaments that hold the tunnel together are rarely successful over the long term and almost never address the cause of nerve irritation.

At Tri-States Chiropractic, treatment for repetitive motion injuries includes a combination of corrective chiropractic adjustments to relieve the nerve pressure of the spine and low level laser therapies to reduce the inflammation of the nerve and muscle.

Can Chiropractic help my fibromyalgia?

It appears that cases of fibromyalgia are on the increase. Fibromyalgia is characterized by significant muscle pain, which at times is debilitating. "Flair ups" often occur with only a slight increase in activity or even barometric weather changes.

Due to their increased sensitivity, people with fibromyalgia usually require low force procedures which still get to the root of their mechanical imbalances. Often there are chemical imbalances that still need to be cleaned up as well. This can usually be helped by a detoxification process. At Tri-States Chiropractic we utilize the Energy Balancer foot bath that has been proven to remove heavy metals, toxins from joints as well as other organs within the body. If you know of someone suffering with fibromyalgia, let them know there may be a drug free way to help.