|
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why get chiropractic treatment?
Q: How do I know if I need chiropractic treatment?
Q: Why do some people need more treatment than others?
Q: How does chiropractic work?
Q: When I get chiropractic treatment, will I get “cracked” and will
it hurt?
Q: What can I expect at my first visit?
Q: Do children need chiropractic too?
Q: Why do people keep going back to a chiropractor?
Q: Which types of treatments do you used most?
Q: What conditions do chiropractors treat?
Q: Does insurance cover chiropractic?
Q: Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor?
Q: How many visits will I need if I go to a chiropractor?
Q: Do you offer preventative/maintenance treatments too?
Q: Why get chiropractic
treatment?
A: Think of your
body as the vehicle that gets you around. You would never drive
a car that was out of its normal alignment as it would gradually
become more and more obvious that its function is being loss and
if ignored it, eventually it would get to the point that you
feel like you could loose control. That’s true with the dynamic
functioning of your body too. You can trade your car in for a
new one, but the vehicle that moves you through life is the only
one you get, for your entire life. Keeping it working properly
just makes good sense.
Q: How do I know if I need
chiropractic treatment?
A: Generally, if
you have had a serious injury or if you feel a recurring muscle
tightness, a recurring pain or loss of normal range of movement,
or loss of normal sensation, you should be evaluated for
abnormal joint function.
Ideally, the sooner you
seek correction of a disruption to your body’s normal function,
the faster the restoration and the less consequences of further
complications in the future.
Q: Why do some people need
more treatment than others?
A: When a problem
has been ignored for a long period of time the body accommodates
the best it can. When a joint segment is out of its normal
functioning mode, the proprioceptive nerves responsible for
coordinating movement get disrupted and irritated by the
abnormal pressures applied by that joint. The nerves fire out a
protective response to the surrounding muscles to tightened up
and splint the area from continuing to move.
This tightening of muscles causes a loss of normal range of
motion around that region, thus calling upon the surrounding
joints and muscles to make up the difference. This creates more
movement than those joints were designed to produce, creating
strain and eventually the same irritation to the nerves with the
same reflexive tightening of the surrounding muscles. A domino
effect is created.
When this happens,
patients often come in with multiple areas of complaints and
feeling like their body is out of control. Chiropractic
treatment now becomes a process of having to address much more
than just one complaint region. Rehabilitation may take months
and also involve specific home exercises, life style changes,
therapeutic massage, physical therapy, acupuncture, and even
medical intervention. These are the most appreciative patients
we see because they have their lives returned to a normal they
may have believed would not be possible again.
Q: How does chiropractic
work?
A: Chiropractic
restores the nerves, muscles and joints to their maximum normal
functioning mode. The “nerve system” is intricately connected
and controlling of the joints and their related muscles which
are responsible for moving those joints. The chiropractor
utilizes their quick responses to testing. The doctor’s
observation and evaluation of the nerve reactions, the joint
symmetry and muscle tension areas all help to direct a focus of
treatment. The “Adjustment”, the force applied by the Activator
instrument, is applied to the problem area and creates what can
be similarly thought of as a “reset” to the nerve regions involved.
Q: When I get chiropractic
treatment, will I get “cracked” and will it hurt?
A: No. The
typically learned chiropractic and osteopathic techniques use a
fairly forceful thrust into the joints which makes a cracking
sound. But, Dr. Staples uses a very gentle tool, called the Activator
instrument to deliver the needed force to make adjustments. It
is usually experienced as very relaxing.
In fact, attesting to the
comfort, most people’s first comments after the first
application are something like “Are you sure that does
anything”. The instrument’s rubber contact point is a mere ½” in
diameter, making it very specific. Being very small in area of
impact, the physics of the process allows a very high speed but
low force. Up to 300 times faster than the human hand can
deliver, and too fast to hear an audible “crack”!
Q: What can I expect at my
first visit?
A: At your first
visit, you’ll be given time to fill out the paperwork. You’ll
also be given another 75 minutes for the examination and
treatment. Unlike a lot of chiropractors we almost never take
x-rays at your first visit. The only time we require them is if
we suspect a fracture from an injury or if your treatment
indicates that more information would be helpful in deciding a
plan of care for you.
Q: Do children need
chiropractic too?
A: Yes. Children
are very active and are involved in falls and injuries on a
regular basis. The good news is that because they’re so active,
they’ll likely induce a movement which will naturally correct
any abnormal joint function on their own. But if a child
complains of pain on a regular basis, there’s a good chance
they’ve not been able to self-correct any alignment problems. If
their neuromusculoskeletal problems are not given proper
attention, this could create a chronic problem for the rest of
their life. In the most extreme cases disabilities can start as
soon as early adulthood.
Q: Why do people keep going
back to a chiropractor?
A: Because of how
much better they feel and function. From someone who hasn’t had
chiropractic treatment it might be quiet hard to understand. But
when a patient who has had a long term, major pain problem and
has tried all other forms of treatment, and only chiropractic
has helped them, they don’t hesitate to call again as needed.
When your family or your
livelihood depends on you, the pain and disability that come
from alignment problems are seriously disruptive. Chiropractic
care offers them the chance to live in freedom from that
restrictive and aggravating pain. Patients quickly learn that
visiting their chiropractor keeps them free from suffering and
from the need of dangerous pain medicines and surgeries.
Q: Which types of
treatments do you used most?
A: Our primary
source of treatment is with the use an adjusting technique known
as “Activator Methods”. Activator Methods utilizes an instrument
to give a gentle, quick, and precisely measured thrust into the
misaligned, dysfunctional joints.
When following the
established protocols of this distinctive chiropractic
technique, the patient’s body can be evaluated for specific
regions of abnormal joint function. Following the adjustment
from the instrument, the technique allows evaluation to show if
the joint dysfunction has been corrected with improved segmental
relationships restored.
We also use cryotherapy,
hydrocollators, electric stimulation and ultrasound as
adjunctive therapies to the spinal adjustments as they’re
needed.
Q: What conditions do
chiropractor treat?
A: Chiropractors
treat conditions related to nerve, muscle and joint (neuromusculoskeletal)
problems. This includes, but is not limited to neck, back, upper
and lower extremity pain, headaches and temporal mandibular
joint (TMJ) problems.
Q: Does insurance cover
chiropractic?
A: Almost all
insurances cover chiropractic and we are providers for many
insurances including Medicare.
Q: Do I need a referral to
see a chiropractor?
A: In most cases
you do not. There is a state law that allows patients who have
an HMO type of insurance to visit a chiropractor for any acute
episode of neuromusculoskeletal pain without needing a referral.
Medicare likewise does not require a referral. But there are a
few policies which do and if you have any question you should
call the number on the back of your insurance card to inquire if
yours does.
Q: How many visits will I
need if I go to a chiropractor?
A: It’s impossible
to determine the amount of visits needed without first having an
initial exam to find the extent of the problem, and then a
follow up visit or two to see how your body is going to respond
to the correction. The follow up re-evaluation quickly shows the
doctor if your body is having difficulty in returning to its
natural mode of functioning.
Everyone is unique and
thus their response time varies. But certainly we can say that
the longer you’ve had the condition, the longer it’ll take to
retrain the dysfunctional regions back to normal. Dr. Staples
will tell you each time you come in how she finds you to be
progressing and will give you instructions to help accelerate
the process as it is appropriate. Our goal is the same as yours:
to get you back to feeling your best.
Q: Do you offer
preventative/maintenance treatments too?
A: Yes, but only to
established patients. Preventative or “Maintenance Care” is
available once a patient has gone through an active treatment
plan to establish where their major areas of dysfunction lie.
When they have come to a maximum level of progress, they have
the option of returning for Maintenance care. We also refer to
them as periodic “check ups”. They can range from every one to
six months as is indicated by the progress of their evaluation.
Unfortunately, when your maximum progress has been reached,
insurances no longer cover follow-up treatments.
Return To Top
|
