Dr. Ryan D Thornton Dr. Kelly R Thornton Frequently Asked Questions What is Chiropractic? Does chiropractic hurt? Is chiropractic care safe? How can chiropractic help me? What conditions can benefit from chiropractic care? Do children need chiropractic care? What is an adjustment? How does an adjustment work? What services are offered besides chiropractic? Do I have a pinched nerve? Do I have a slipped disc? Does insurance cover chiropractic? What is Chiropractic? Chiropractic is a holistic approach to health care, focusing on the patient's overall well being. Chiropractic looks at the body as a whole to achieve maximum health potential, rather than treating the symptoms of disease. Many factors contribute to health and wellness, including diet, exercise, rest, heredity and environment. Chiropractic is a natural, drugless, non-surgical health care that relies's on the body's innate intelligence to heal. Does chiropractic hurt? Under normal circumstances, chiropractic adjustments don't hurt. In fact, most patients look forward to their treatments as many experience instantaneous relief immediately afterwords. Some patients may experience a minor amount of discomfort during the adjustments which lasts only seconds. Is chiropractic care safe? Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. While it's not unusual to hear about injury due to drug interaction, overdose, or misuse in the medical profession, it is extremely rare to hear of a problem resulting from chiropractic care. According to a recent government study in New Zealand, chiropractic care is "remarkably safe". Chiropractic Doctors are trained to practice and perform hundreds to thousands of manipulations before delivering them to a patient. To become a Doctor of Chiropractic, the candidate must first pass the demanding National Board Examination. Then, to apply for a professional license, the doctor must pass an even more rigorous test before being given the privilege to practice as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Guided by a thorough case history and examination, your doctor will evaluate your individual needs and determine a course of treatment. This conservative, natural approach to better health avoids the dangers associated with invasive procedures and addictive drugs. How can chiropractic help me? People often seek chiropractic care for relief from injury, stress, or chronic pain. Chiropractic treats the underlying causes of these problems, rather than just relieving the symptoms. The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and help correct problems that interfere with your body's natural state of good health Your body's self-regulating and self-healing functions are controlled by your nervous system. The spinal cord is the central message carrier for your nervous system. Problems with the bones that protect the spinal cord can impair nerve flow. When the nervous system is impaired, tissues and organs throughout the body man not work correctly. Doctors call this degenerative chain reaction the vertebral subluxation complex. It is an underlying cause of many health problems. Today's Doctor of Chiropractic is highly trained in identifying and evaluating functional problems associated with the spinal column. He or she is also skilled in restoring proper spinal biomechanics and nerve function. With a program of regular spinal maintenance, many patients recover their health nd vigor, and often feel better than they did before their problem occurred. What conditions can benefit from chiropractic care? Chiropractic is most commonly thought to relieve low back pain, but studies have found it to be effective for many other conditions, such as migraine headaches, neck and shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, ear infections, infantile colic and fibromyalgia. Do children need chiropractic care? Many children receive chiropractic care for a variety of conditions, including ear infections, colic, sinus congestion, constipation, asthma and scoliosis. A much lighter adjustment is used when treating a child. It is gentle and involves less pressure than required during the delivery process of a baby. What is an adjustment? When performing an adjustment, your doctor applies precisely directed force to a spinal joint that is out of alignment or not moving properly. Restoring normal motion to spinal joints can allow spinal bones to return to a more proper position, allowing your body to again function as it should. This safe, natural approach to restoring proper spinal and nervous system function can improve your overall health. Not all adjustments are the same. Often the doctor's hands or a specially designed instrument are used to deliver a quick therapeutic thrust to the affected joint. Other techniques require slow, constant pressure. Base on years of training and experience and careful evaluation of your unique spinal problem, your doctor will recommend a program of care designed for you and your specific needs. How does an adjustment work? Imagine a garden hose as a nerve and the water flowing through the hose as nerve impulses. When the hose is lying straight without any kinks, water flows through it freely. If the hose gets compressed or kinked, water flow is reduced or even stopped. If the compression or kinking isn't fixed, the hose can eventually be damaged. Like removing the kink from the hose, a spinal adjustment can ease pressure on a nerve, allowing nerve impulses to flow and protect the nerve from further damage. A pop or click sound is often heard during an adjustment. Doctors call this cavitation. Much like opening a can of carbonated soda, the sound is caused by a rapid change in pressure acting on the fluids within the joint. Cavitation often occurs during an adjustment, but id does not have to occur for the adjustment to be effective. What services are offered besides chiropractic? Our office offers massage therapy, intersegmental traction, and nutritional consulting. Do I have a pinched nerve? Many people have heard the term "pinched nerve" and know that it causes pain and numbness. But a pinched nerve (also called a compression lesion) is rare, causing only 10-15% of spine-related problems. More often, pain results from nerve tissues being irritated by the rubbing, stretching, or scraping of malfunctioning spinal joints. Such malfunctions can be caused by many everyday events including injury, poor posture, overuse, or emotional stress. Chemical toxins can also affect the delicate tissues of the spinal cord and nerve roots. It's important to have a doctor determine the cause of your pain and the extent of your problem. Do I have a slipped disc? Discs are pads of fibrous tissue that cushion the spaces between vertebrae (spinal bones). Serving as shock absorbers for the spine, they allow the back to turn and bend normally. Because the top and bottom of each disc is attached to the vertebrae above and below it, discs cannot actually "slip" out of place. However, trauma or injury to the spine can cause discs to bulge (herniate) or even rupture (tear). The resulting pressure on surrounding nerve tissues can be intensely painful. Because every case is different, results cannot be guaranteed. However, many patients have found relief from disc problems with chiropractic care and are able to avoid surgery or the need for pain medication. Does insurance cover chiropractic? Many insurance companies do have chiropractic coverage. We participate with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Priority Healt, Medicare, PPOM, United Healthcare and Aetna. Our office will bill your insurance for you. Tel 616-583-7810 New Patient Form © Copyright 2010 Byron Center Chiropractic. All Rights Reserved.