Chiropractor Seek

Chiropractors specialize in the treatment of back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders. A chiropractor will manipulate or stretch your muscles and joints and may also use heat, ice, ultrasound, massage and other related therapies.

Chiropractic is sometimes called a pseudoscience. This traces back to the early history of chiropractics. The originator, Daniel David Palmer, believed that adjusting the spine could correct all health problems. He called misaligned vertebrae “subluxations” and said they acted like pinching a garden hose; correcting the “kinks” would return the flow of energy and health. Medical doctors bristled at these claims, and in the process overlooked any possible benefits that were less far-reaching.

Today, there are more than 70,000 licensed chiropractors in the United States, treating primarily patients who have low back pain and neck pain, or sports injuries. Many chiropractors also practice holistic medicine, but chiropractors are not medical doctors. Chiropractors are, in theory, professionals who practice manipulative therapy. But unlike physical therapists, osteopaths, and some medical doctors who practice manipulation, chiropractors practice specific precise adjustment techniques for specific vertebrae.

Because chiropractors do not prescribe medicine or perform surgery, they appeal to many people who seek a minimally noninvasive approach to their skeletal health problems. Some chiropractors will physically twist and snap you, while others make more minute and gentle adjustments. Some use special tables to move and adjust your back. Some use small devices called actuators to release pressure in troubled areas. There are different chiropractic schools of thought, with different ideas about how adjustments affect health; you may find you are more comfortable with one than another.

Some chiropractic doctors may work in tandem with massage therapists or physical therapists to offer a full range of varied services. Chiropractic services are often covered by medical insurance, although sometimes the number of treatments per year is limited; check your policy before assuming you have insurance coverage for chiropractic treatment.

About the Author:

Luke Perry is a writer and administrator for Chiropractor and Yoga , a site that specializes in chiropractors in Alabama.

Technorati Tags: neck pain, back pain, spine pain