Many Orange County residents enjoy chiropractic treatment as part of their regular health routine.
Chiropractor Care | Chiropractic Treatment Near Me
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a healthcare field that has been around since the late 1800’s. It began in Davenport Iowa after Daniel D Palmer studied the spine and nerve system and how they are affected by the joint movements of the spine. He proposed that alterations in spinal joint motion or position would interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses and cause disease. He called this misalignments of the vertebrae “subluxations.” He then surmised that if the joints could be unlocked or re-aligned, the nerve interference would go away.
The first documented chiropractic adjustment was performed in Palmer’s office in Davenport on a janitor named Harvey Liliard who mentioned he had gone deaf as a result of an injury that had caused his upper back to pop. Palmer took Liliard in and examined his spine and found a subluxation in the man’s upper thoracic spine. A thrust was delivered and the spine cracked and Mr. Liliards hearing returned.
Palmer began doing more research and eventually began teaching his methods to others. The first chiropractic college was born. Palmer Chiropractic College has continued to teach chiropractors ever since. Other chiropractors in the early days, including Palmer’s son, B.J. Palmer, developed chiropractic. X-ray analysis was added and various forms of chiropractic adjustments were created.
Modern Chiropractic is based on the founding principles that the brain and nerves control the entire body. An interference with the transmission of nerve impulses affects health. Removal of this interference through corrections of the spinal joints by hand relieves interference and the body can return to normal health.
Chiropractor Education and Licensing
Chiropractic education is a 4 year program after 4 years of undergraduate education. National board exams must be passed during chiropractic training; the same boards taken by other healthcare profession students. The amount of hours of study to become a chiropractor is slightly more than becoming a Medical Doctor. The residency requirements however are shorter. Upon graduating with a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) degree, your chiropractor must then pass a rigorous state board examination in order to be licensed. Each state has their own licensing requirements.
Different Type of Chiropractors and Treatments
Over the years the chiropractic profession has grown in size and sophistication from those early days in Iowa. Numerous chiropractic colleges are based around the world and chiropractic is the second largest primary health care profession. Each college teaches various types or techniques of spinal analysis and adjustments. Most chiropractors still use manual adjusting by hand while others have moved towards equipment based adjusting using different types of hand held tools.
Doctors of Chiropractic like their medical colleagues, also offer specializations. Your medical physician may be a family practice or internal medicine specialist. Chiropractors can put in extra years of study to become specialized in a certain field. Nutrition, Neurology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Sports Medicine and Radiology are just some the specialized chiropractic fields.
The types of treatments offered by chiropractors will vary on their training and any specialization they may have. The basic chiropractic treatment will be spinal adjustments. Whether traditionally by hand or with an instrument, the correction of spinal malfunction is the primary form of chiropractic care you will encounter.
In addition to spinal manipulations, many chiropractors will also include instruction in diet and exercise for overall health. They will often provide other forms of care such as massage, physio-therapy modalities like heat and cold, electrical muscle stimulation, lasers and other methods to relieve pain, spasm and inflammation.
Conditions that Respond to Chiropractic Care
The well-known conditions that respond to chiropractor treatments are headaches, neck and back pain whiplash injuries and sciatica.
Other conditions benefit from chiropractic methods such as shoulder, arm, hip, knee and ankle pains, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, dizziness, chronic digestive problems like GERD, insomnia, stress, childhood ailments such as earaches, growing pains and scoliosis and other conditions.
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References
Chapman-Smith, D. The Chiropractic Profession. NCMIC Group Inc. 2000