Chiropractic Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a healthcare profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems and their effects on general health.
How does Chiropractic work?
The chiropractic adjustment is a hands-on technique that is applied to the spinal joints and other misaligned or subluxated joints to restore normal motion. In addition to restoring normal motion, the adjustment has several important additional components that improve health locally to the adjustment as well as distally at other locations in the body.
An adjustment releases endorphins, which relax trigger points and muscles. It improves the nutrient and blood supply to ligaments that have been deprived due to muscle and cartilage tightness from injury and assists with waste removal. Additionally, Chiropractic adjustment improves the movement of the spine at the facet level (where the spine vertebra sits atop its neighbor) by relaxing surrounding muscles and ligaments.
Importantly, and as a partial explanation of how the Chiropractic adjustment assists distal organs and tissues, the Chiropractic adjustment reduces pressure on nerves. Nerves exit the spinal column through tiny holes called IVF (intervertebral foramen), and these exit pathways are readily impeded by swelling due to inflammation. A misaligned vertebra can cause overstretching of a nerve, or chronically bony overgrowth can irritate the nerves. The Chiropractic adjustment improves nerve function at distant organs and sites such as the heart and lungs by restoring normal impulse delivery.
What else does Chiropractic involve?
As part of a larger school of holistic healing, the practice of Chiropractic frequently includes the application of therapeutic modalities and techniques, none of which notably involve surgery or drug prescription. In addition to the Chiropractic adjustment, modalities at Acupractic include: Acupuncture, soft tissue massage, hot and cold packs, electro-stimulation, and therapeutic ultrasound. Many of these therapies are covered by your insurance and greatly aid your healing. To provide long-lasting results and to help cleanse the body, Chiropractic treatment includes nutrition, lifestyle change, and exercise prescription.
Is Chiropractic safe?
Doctors of Chiropractic are well-trained professionals who provide patients with safe, effective care for a variety of common conditions. Their extensive education has prepared them to identify patients with special risk factors and to get those patients the most appropriate care, including referral to a medical specialist.
Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest, drug-free, non-invasive therapies available. The risks associated with Chiropractic are very small, especially when compared to the use of NSAIDS or prescription painkillers. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may experience mild soreness, stiffness, or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise, usually subsiding in 24 hours.
How is Chiropractic regulated in North Carolina?
After obtaining a four-year undergraduate degree, a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in North Carolina has graduated from an accredited Chiropractic School’s four-year program, including internship, and passed the National Board Exams and North Carolina Board Exams. As a DC, she completes additional training on an ongoing basis to maintain licensure through the North Carolina Chiropractic Association Board (NCCA).