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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Your Chiropractic Appointment Doesn't Have to Take a Long Time

By Dr Steve Schram

Newcomers to chiropractic are full of questions about the idea of chiropractors and their practice. Simple questions, such as the chiropractic appointment length, are mixed with some more important questions, such as "will my first adjustment hurt?"

The number one question on your mind might be whether chiropractic visits will help with the serious discomfort or pain you are feeling. There is no need to worry, chiropractic care has been proven time and time again, to help many back and neck pain sufferers. If you suffer from back pain, lower back pain, neck pain, muscle strains or problems with joint pain, the answer to the last question is a resounding yes, a chiropractor can help.

After understanding how a chiropractor can help many patients then ask about chiropractic appointment length, and of course there is not one single answer. You can expect, however, that a first visit may run about 30 minutes or so, depending on the severity of your problem.

The first visit with any chiropractor is very important. First, they need a basic understanding of the problem that brought you in to begin with. Is your discomfort a result of injury or accident? How long ago did it happen? Perhaps there was incident that took place that you did not recognize at the time could cause injury. It is quite possible to suffer minor injury or strain without recognizing it right away. Experiences chiropractors can can follow a trial of pain and discover a root injury you might not know you had.

The most professional practitioners will make it clear from the first visit that you have nothing to fear and a lot to gain. X-rays can be an important part of a diagnosis, especially in more serious cases. A professional practitioner will alleviate any worry you might have about X-rays, and give you an accurate idea of your chiropractic appointment length. Any professional, experienced doctor will make this clear up front and be open to any questions you may have.

If pain or discomfort has kept you from living a full life, a doctor of chiropractic is trained to help. More important than knowing your chiropractic appointment length or what the treatment will be like is knowing that your practitioner is experienced and professional. While a medical doctor will examine a painful area and prescribe muscle relaxants or pain relievers, quite often, a specific area of discomfort is not the root source of the pain.

Chiropractors work with the assumption that the area of pain may only be the starting point. Discomfort is often an indicator that there is a root problem elsewhere in the body. It can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to trace conditions to their root source.

Another issue many wonder about is the amount of pain they may experience during a chiropractic adjustment which is hard to predict. While they are all effective, adjustment techniques do vary and a good practitioner will find the method that is within your comfort zone. Ask for an explanation of their examination method and adjustment techniques, which will help prepare you for your first few visits. The most commonly used chiropractic technique is known as Deep Force, which uses high velocity, low amplitude thrusts at vertebra and joints to realign them. The thrusts may cause a "pop" sound, similar to cracking the knuckles, but it is usually not at all painful. The sound is called "osseous" which is the sound caused by tiny gas bubbles in the joint cavity fluids as they break.

The human body is very complex system, with many sub-systems. Realigning joints in the lower body and neck or vertebra in the spine helps to increase the circulation of healing fluids to surrounding muscles and nervous system. By restoring each joint to its proper place, the neurological activity, which has quilt likely been disrupted, will go back to normal. This is what truly promotes healing.

In addition, the muscles, which have tightened around those misplaced joints, need to be stretched and encouraged to relax and re-form around the newly adjusted joint. While slightly uncomfortable as it is being treated, working with these muscles is the key to achieving long term freedom from pain.

What truly heals the body is finding these root causes of pain and treating them. Chiropractic appointment length is good to know, but knowing first hand how much better you will feel is even more important. With your well being and overall health at stake, isn't chiropractic care worth a try?

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