About Chiropractic
What is chiropractic?
- Chiropractic is a clinical science based on:
- The law of biology that every body wants to be and stay healthy;
- The theory of physiology that the nervous system controls and coordinates all the other organs of the body;
- The hypothesis that there is a relationship between health and the control of the nervous system;
- The premise that there is a relationship between the muscles and skeleton and nerves of the body, i.e. that a faulty musculoskeletal system will cause a faulty nervous system and produce a loss of health.
In other words, chiropractic is a clinical science based on the fact that the body wants to, and strives to, be healthy. An example of this is readily seen when you cut your finger or catch a cold. Without you doing anything consciously, your cut and cold eventually heal.
Chiropractic is also based on the fact that the nervous system controls and regulates all the functions of the body, from healing your cold to digesting your food to regulating pain. These nerves are protected by the bones of the spine; the skull protects the brain, and the 24 movable vertebrae protect the spinal cord and the 25 delicate nerve roots that come out of the spine. When these bones are out of position or don't move properly, they rub, scrape, irritate, or stretch the nerves. The nerves then lose their ability to conduct electrical impulses, or life force. The organs that these nerves connect to cannot function at 100% if they don't receive 100% of their nerve supply. The result is a loss of health.
Notice that I didn't say that the result is pain. Most of the time there is no spinal pain, but there is a loss of health. This could be manifested as an upset stomach, bronchitis, asthma, constipation, menstrual cramps, or headaches, just to name a few of the conditions that have responded to chiropractic care.
To summarize, a vertebra that is out of place or doesn't move properly can irritate a nerve, which causes an end organ to malfunction. This is a subluxation, and this is what chiropractors treat.
I've heard that once I start care, I'll have to go forever. Is that true?
That depends on you.
Chiropractors generally give their patients choices in the type of care the patient can receive. Typically these choices are:
- relief care, i.e. just enough care to get rid of the pain;
- corrective care, i.e. care to correct the cause of the problem;
- maintenance care, i.e. care to maintain the gain that has been made.
People who complain of having to go over and over are generally those who chose relief care. When the pain keeps coming back, the patient keeps coming back. Because the cause of the problem was not addressed in relief care, it's no wonder that the patient must keep coming back.
The purpose of corrective care is just that: to correct the cause of the problem. Once the cause is corrected, then it's a matter of periodic visits to maintain the gain that was made.
How long you decide to benefit from chiropractic care is always your decision.
I've heard that chiropractic hurts. Is that true?
If an adjustment does hurt, it would feel like a momentary pin prick. The benefits to chiropractic care far out weigh this minor inconvenience.
Additionally, if chiropractic care hurt, then why would movie stars such as Demi Moore, Paul Newman, and Mel Gibson have their own chiropractors? And why would your major sports teams and Olympic teams have their own chiropractors? The truth is that chiropractic care feels great.
I've heard that chiropractic is expensive. Is that true?
It's cheaper to keep your health than it is to get it back once you lose it. Just like your car, it's cheaper to fix problems when they're small and not large.
Chiropractic care is known for its quick and near-miraculous results. But the strength of chiropractic lies in its ability to keep people healthy. This is more than just prevention; it is true wellness care. By removing subluxations, the nervous system can get all the organs of the body to function the way they should. And when that happens, you'll have health.
My friend went to a chiropractor and didn't get any results.
That's too bad, and sometimes that happens. This also happens when people see medical doctors, dentists, acupuncturists, etc. However, most people get a second opinion from another doctor. The same is true in chiropractic. Chiropractic care is known for its quick results, and sometimes a change in technique, i.e. adjusting method, from another chiropractor will accomplish the job. Your friend might have been a few visits away from relief had he/she sought a second opinion.
Chiropractors
How many years of school does it take to be a Doctor of Chiropractic?
Most chiropractic colleges require 4 years of undergraduate college with a strong emphasis on the sciences. Most chiropractic colleges take just over 4 academic years. All chiropractic colleges teach year round; therefore many students complete their studies in just over three calendar years.
The courses of study in a chiropractic college include the same basic courses as in medical and dental colleges: anatomy, neurology, physiology, pathology, etc. In chiropractic colleges there is a heavy emphasis on biomechanics, X-ray taking and X-ray interpreting, and adjusting. This rigorous program of study prepares the chiropractor-to-be to find and remove subluxations to correct nervous system dysfunction.
Each student must also pass the demanding National Board Examination. The road to licensure does not end here. Each student must then take a separate state board exam for each state in which the student may want to practice. Most doctors of chiropractic continue with post graduate courses to stay abreast of current research and for license renewal.
Are Doctors of Chiropractic real doctors?
Yes, chiropractors are real doctors. Chiropractors are licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Do Doctors of Chiropractic believe in drugs (pharmaceutical)?
There are many conditions which require drugs, diabetes for example. For these conditions people should and must take their medication. For many others the answer to health could be lying within their own body.
Chiropractors believe that the body can heal itself. Many conditions respond to chiropractic care after the nervous system has been restored to normal function. Then the body can make the exact chemicals it needs, when it needs them, in the right amount, at any time of the day or night, no matter where you are! Pretty awesome, eh?
The chiropractic approach to health is this: chiropractic first, drugs second, surgery third.
Subluxations
What is a subluxation?
A subluxation is an unwanted condition of the spine. This condition occurs when two or more adjacent vertebrae (bones of the spine) become stuck or out of alignment. The nerves that exit from the spine at that point then become irritated and inflamed.
Is this bad? Try rubbing your arm for 5 hours and see if your arm is its normal color and size. When a nerve becomes irritated and inflamed, they short circuit just like electrical wires. What happens when there is a short circuit in your TV or lamp? It doesn't work right. The same thing happens with a short circuit in your nerves. The organ(s) that are supplied by that nerve don't work up to their full potential, and thus you suffer a loss of health.
What causes a subluxation?
The most common cause of a subluxation is some sort of fall or jarring to the spine. Examples of this are: falling out of bed, getting tackled in football, falling off a bicycle, missing the curb as you walk down the street, automobile whiplash accidents.
Other physical causes include: poor posture while sitting or standing, sleeping on your stomach, the birth process (yes, this does affect babies), prolonged activity (e.g. cleaning overhead too long), sudden, abrupt motions.
Emotional traumas and chemical toxins can also cause subluxations.
What is the most common symptom of a subluxation?
The most common symptom is no pain, nothing, nada. Just like a dental cavity, most of us don't know we have it until a dentist tells us. The same is true with a subluxation. If the dental cavity isn't fixed, the cavity will eventually rot its way through the tooth until it reaches the nerve, and then you'll have symptoms. The same is true of a subluxation. By the time it causes symptoms, you have most likely had the subluxation for some time.
What can a subluxation cause?
The most noted effects of a subluxation are: back pain, headaches, neck pain, leg pain, arm and hand pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, not to mention shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle pain. Subluxations have also been connected with asthma, menstrual problems, ear infections, ulcers, high blood pressure, hemorrhoids, and feelings of poor health.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care?
There are many benefits:
Usually quick pain relief/reduction.
Usually long-lasting results.
Correction of spinal misalignments, which leads to
Slowing down of spinal degeneration (at the least), or
Complete arrest of spinal degeneration (at best), and
Elimination of subluxations.
The biggest benefit of chiropractic care, however, is an overall sense of health and well-being. Just knowing that your spine is unsubluxated and that your nerves are in better control of your health goes a long way to staying healthy.
Do chiropractors treat pinched nerves?
Pinched nerves are usually characterized by numbness, burning, or a "pins and needles" feeling. They are caused by direct pressure from the vertebrae on the nerves. These sensations usually respond very well to chiropractic care.
Only 10-15% of spine-related problems are caused by vertebrae putting direct pressure on the nerves. Most of the time, problems are due to the nerves becoming irritated by being stretched, rubbed, or scraped, not pinched.
Adjustments
What is an adjustment?
An adjustment is the term used to describe what chiropractors do to the joints of the body, especially those of the spine. To give an adjustment the chiropractor will place his/her hands along the spine and give a short and quick "push" or thrust. This helps to loosen the joint and/or restore the vertebra to its proper position. This reduces or eliminates the irritation to the nerves that exit the spine at that location. It can be compared to how you would loosen a door that has tight hinges; you would pull-push-pull-push with short tugs to get the door loose on its hinges.
Does an adjustment hurt?
No, and if it does it's only for a brief moment, about as long as a snap of your finger, and much like a pinprick. If you have ever "cracked" your knuckles, then you've experienced the same feeling as an adjustment.
What if I don't like that "popping" noise. Are there different types of adjustments?
Absolutely! There are many different chiropractic methods, or techniques, of analyzing and adjusting the spine. Depending on your particular condition, Dr. Erthal will use the technique that will help you out of pain and back to health most quickly and gently.
What causing the "popping" noise when I get an adjustment?
That particular noise is caused by a gas bubble being formed in the joint as the adjustment is given. It's of no consequence, since the gas is dissolved back into the lubricating fluid in the joint in about 20 minutes.
How long will it be before I feel better?
Obviously, no doctor can accurately answer this question. However, chiropractic is known for its fast results. Many of our patients feel results right away. The majority feel better within a few days. Very few notice a change after a few weeks.
Sometimes improvement is slowed down by not following the doctor's advice, e.g. not stopping the "reading in bed for 2 hours with 3 pillows behind my neck"will certainly prolong one's neck pain.
Should I get my spine checked even if I don't have any back pain?
Of course you should! Do you go to the dentist every 6 months to check for cavities? Do you get yours eyes checked periodically? Blood pressure? Do you take your car in for its 10,000 mile check up? So getting your spine checked is not only an idea whose time has come, it also can go a long way to keeping you healthy.
Special Care
Can children get subluxations?
Most certainly! Stop and think. Babies fall out of bed and/or get picked up without proper head support. Toddlers fall onto their bottoms as they're learning to walk. Pre-schoolers fall off their bicycles as they're learning to ride. Skateboarders, footballers, basketballers all have their falls too. This can jar the spine and cause subluxations to develop by either locking up the joints or misaligning the vertebrae.
If you want to learn more about children and chiropractic, visit the web site of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
Should children get adjusted?
Absolutely! How else will they have their subluxations removed? And the adjustments used on children are much different and more gentle than those used on adults. Dr. Erthal adjusted both of his children within 24 hours of their birth.
Should my pregnant wife get adjusted?
Yes. Adjustments during pregnancy to remove subluxations can help ease the discomforts of pregnancy and labor, not to mention ensuring a more healthy mother. Naturally, the procedures used to adjust a pregnant woman will vary depending on her condition.
Miscellaneous
How important is posture?
Posture is very important! Consider this: if one sits/stands with his/her shoulders slouched and upper back bent forward (slouching), this will compress the lungs and heart. If this slouched posture is maintained for too long, e.g. through childhood and adolescence, the body could possibly adopt this posture permanently. If this person ever engages in sports or any other physically demanding activity like going up a flight of stairs, wrestling with the kids, or carrying the groceries from the garage, his/her body won’t be able to respond with enough air and blood. And a seemingly simple activity leaves this person breathless.
How does massage and physical therapy fit in with chiropractic care?
Massage and physical therapy deal directly with only the soft tissues of the body, i.e. the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Chiropractic deals with the hard and soft tissues of the body, i.e. the bones as well as the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Some chiropractors can treat the soft tissues of the body with their hands with such techniques as MRT (myofascial release technique). Others will do it with different physical therapy methods such as electronic muscle stimulation and/or ultrasound. Chiropractors will treat the hard tissues (bones and joints) by means of the chiropractic adjustment.
In many cases a subluxation has a tight muscle(s) as a component that keeps the vertebrae from moving properly. Adjustments many times will loosen a tight muscle; in other cases special soft tissue techniques are required.
What happens on the first visit?
On the first visit you are given a case history form to fill in. This gives us some information regarding the nature of your complaint such as when and how it started. After Dr. Erthal reviews this with you, he will perform a chiropractic examination. Depending on the results of the exam and your history, he may or may not take X-rays. Also, depending on the severity of the findings, he may or may not treat on the first visit; but he will always make some recommendation for home care to start the healing process.
Care generally begins on the next visit after Dr. Erthal has had time to review your history, exam and X-ray findings. This second visit will start with an 8 minute video which briefly explains the subluxation complex. Then Dr. Erthal will explain the nature of your problem, show you your X-rays, and outline your choices of care.
What happens on a regular office visit?
Upon entering the office, you would first sign in. Appointments are scheduled so that waiting is kept to a minimum, and in most cases this is less than five minutes. When asked, you would go to the adjusting table, and shortly thereafter, Dr. Erthal will join you. Dr. Erthal will do a brief exam to determine how your spine has improved since the last visit; then he will give whatever adjustments are necessary to remove your subluxations. Depending on your condition, he may or may not do some specific muscle work to relax tight muscles. After checking on whether or not you are doing your exercises correctly or taking your supplements, etc., Dr. Erthal will record the areas adjusted. The time that all this takes could vary from 5 to 20 minutes.
On all visits all patients are given the exact treatment they need.