Like other health-care professionals, we follow a standard method to gain information about the you. However, unlike other health-care professionals, chiropractors also conduct a careful analysis of the your structure and pay particular attention to the spine. We also ask you questions about your life- Do you eat well? Exercise? What do you do for work? Do you have children? How do you deal with stress? Etc. After gathering this information, a diagnosis is made. It is important to understand that chiropractors seek the origin of the illness in order to eliminate it-we do not simply treat your symptoms. For instance... If the migraine headache you’ve had all week is being caused by misaligned vertebra and an irritated nerve, do you continue to take pain killers indefinitely, or do you realign the vertebra to prevent the pain? Chiropractors have a word for misalignments: subluxations. A subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that protect the spinal cord. It’s a a kink in the wiring of your nervous system. The severity of the subluxation can vary, and there are a number of potential contributing factors that can be physical, emotional, mental, or chemical. The subluxation can be caused by a number of reasons, from birth trauma to an auto accident to simple repetition or over-use. When a subluxation occurs, a chiropractor can correct the misaligned bone and allow it to return to its proper position. This procedure is appropriately called an adjustment, and the adjustment enables the body to heal. To maintain your wiring, several adjustments over a course of time may be necessary, in addition to stretching exercises or strengthening exercises. Keeping the problem fixed and preventing its re-occurrence is just as important as the initial remedy. An important component of chiropractic care is this: Your improvement is the responsibility of both the doctor and the patient. You will be active in your own care.

Relief Care – The majority of patients consult a chiropractor because they have an ache or pain. In the first phase of care, the main objective is to eliminate or reduce your discomfort and stabilize your condition in the shortest amount of time. During this phase, progress is usually rapid.

Rehabilitative Care – Here the objective is to correct any underlying injury or cause of discomfort, strengthen the muscles, and improve neuromusculoskeletal function. The frequency of office visits is reduced over a period of two to six weeks. Care may be supplemented by rehabilitation exercises, nutrition, and modification of daily habits. It is important to remember that many of the conditions for which people seek care have developed over many years; therefore, correcting these problems is a true rehabilitative process. It helps to understand that it takes time to correct these conditions.

Wellness Care – You then “graduate” to the wellness phase, which is designed to maintain your improved health, encourage normal spinal function, prevent the return of the original condition, and catch small problems before they become serious. Few things as complicated as your body can be “fixed” and then ignored. Think of your car, your teeth, or your relationships. They take time and effort to maintain, but you know it’s worth it in the long run.