Frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)
Is Chiropractic truly safe?
Chiropractic is one of the safest forms of health care. The American Chiropractic Association stated:
"The rare type of stroke - the vertebral artery dissection - has been associated with many common place activities such as talking on the phone, swimming, star-gazeing, overhead work, hair shampooing and even sleeping. Based upon various studies, many experts believe that it is impossible to cause a tear in the vertebral artery unless the artery has a significant pre-existing weakness. The odds of suffering a serious complication from chiropractic neck treatment are about one in 2 million - the same as dying in a commercial airline crash. Even the most conservative conventional medical treatment for neck and back pain, prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is hundreds of times more likely to cause a serious reaction."
Are Chiropractors opposed to medical treatment?
Certainly NOT, Chiropractors recognize that there are many things that can go wrong with the body and frequently either medication or surgery are the only appropriate option. Each Chiropractor is trained to know when they can help and when it is time to refer the patient to another health care provider.
What cause the sound of an adjustment?
When some adjusting techniques are applied, a popping/cracking sound may be heard. This sound is merely due to gas and fluid inside the joint shifting around. It's much like opening a can of coke. However the sound has nothing to do with the quality of the adjustment.
Why must we use ICE for back pain instead of heat?
Most back pain is caused by a restriction of the spinal facets (Small spine joints) or sprains of the small inter-vertebral ligaments that cause swelling and inflammation to set in. Swelling puts pressure on the nerves and thus will cause pain
Heat will cause the blood vessels to open up and cause more fluid to leak into the tissues surrounding the area. Heat causes more swelling; this will cause more tissue damage which then will cause more pain.
Ice will cause the opening and closing of blood vessels, it will work like a pump. If you test it at home you will see your skin will change colours from white to red and will keep on alternating. The pumping effect will get rid of toxins and allows new nutrients into the area to allow the surrounding injured tissue to heal.
Use ice instead of heat because ice CAN’T do any harm but heat can cause extra tissue damage, thus heat will cause prolonged pain.
Why do other people tell me to use heat?
Muscles love heat, it allows them to relax and it makes it easier for therapists to work on. Unfortunately back pain is almost exclusively caused by the damaged joints and muscles act as body guards to protect the injured joints by pulling tight around those joints. Treating the muscles may be temporarily relief but they will tighten up again to protect those injured joints.
