Frequently Asked Questions
Is it bad to "crack" your neck or back a
lot?
This question is often asked because people associate the cracking or popping of one's
neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing. If a person has a
desire to pop his neck or back, it's usually because a part of his spine is fixated or
jammed causing another part to move too much and pop a lot, sometimes by itself. It's the
jammed or fixated part that must be properly adjusted by a chiropractor so that the rest
of the spinal column will stop being so movable and noisy.
When you crack or pop your neck, you're relieving tension for a little while,
but not giving yourself an adjustment. After a while, the urge to pop or crack reappears
because the cause of the spinal tension, the fixation or jammed vertebrae hasn't been
corrected.
Old wives' tales say popping or cracking your joints causes arthritis or makes
your knuckles get bigger. There isn't any research supporting that, but, if tension keeps
building up in the joints because of spinal imbalance it may not be the popping or
cracking that's so bad for you, but the spinal stress and imbalance causing it.
How long does a spinal adjustment take?
Usually just a few minutes to a quarter hour (more or less) after the chiropractor is
familiar with the patient's spine. It all depends on the adjusting technique the
chiropractor is using. Sometimes it takes a few hours or even a few days of evaluation and
spinal analysis for a new patient to get an initial adjustment. Other times it may only
take a relatively brief initial visit, case history and evaluation which can be done the
same day.
Do chiropractors have medical degrees?
No, chiropractors have chiropractic degrees from chiropractic colleges. The education is
similar to that of a medical doctor in some respects and different in others. The letters
D.C. after a chiropractor's name stand for doctor of chiropractic.
Is a spinal adjustment dangerous?
Chiropractic is among the safest of the healing arts. Nearly a century of medical attacks
accusing chiropractic of all kinds of horrible things have proved baseless. As proof, one
merely has to compare malpractice rates between chiropractors and other health care
professionals. Chiropractors' malpractice premiums are a small fraction of those for
medical doctors.
Can a person who had back surgery see a chiropractor?
Yes. Many people who have had various kinds of spinal surgery often discover a return to
their same back problems months or years later. There are so many of these people around
that the condition has a special name: "Failed Back Surgery Syndrome." These
people can usually receive chiropractic care without undue worry. Usually the chiropractic
care will save them from future operations. It's best to check with your chiropractor on a
case-by-case basis.
Can chiropractic prevent back surgery?
In a majority of cases the answer is a resounding "yes"!
What is the youngest age for chiropractic care?
There is no age limit. Newborns may need to be adjusted, especially if they had a
difficult or traumatic birth. There are many stories of chiropractors adjusting dying
infants in hospitals with miraculous recoveries reported.
On the upper end, people can be adjusted well into their advanced years, with
no ill effects. People suffering from bone disease or osteoporosis may need special spinal
care if they are exceedingly "brittle."
Can I go only once?
Of course. Once is better than never. And sometimes a spinal problem may be due to
nothing more than a slight spinal misalignment rather than long standing spinal nerve
stress (vertebral subluxations). In that case, one visit may be all that's needed. But
chiropractic is really more than a glorified aspirin. It's best to ask your chiropractor
what your spinal care needs are.
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