Frequently Asked Questions

Life can beat you down, literally. Over time certain stresses and strains take their toll on your body. You don’t have to be an athlete either. Most chiropractic patients suffer pain that results from ordinary, everyday activities like sitting, driving, standing or a lack of exercise. This type of repetition results in microtrauma. It didn’t “just happen”; it’s been a process over time that got you to this point. Spinal maintenance will help to address these types of issues.

If, and only if the doctor determines they are necessary, x-rays will be taken using our state-of-the-art digital x-ray machine. You will be able to view your x-rays on a large screen at your report of findings.

Chiropractic care seeks to address the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms. As a result, it’s a process rather than a one-time event. To correct the spinal problem completely, it takes repetition and commitment on your part and ours.

In the first two to three days after an injury, use ice. If your pain is chronic (it’s a long term problem) or if you’re stiff and achy, use heat. When in doubt, use ice. If you find that heat isn’t helping, you guessed it, use ice.

The goal of an adjustment is to restore normal alignment and normal movement in your spine. When your spinal bones are not properly aligned, the discs between your vertebrae wear down and become thin. This is what causes spinal arthritis. By realigning the bones in your spine, we prevent this process of spinal degeneration.

The pop or crack that you sometimes hear during an adjustment is simply a release of gas from the capsules that surround the spinal joints. The noise is neither good nor bad. Some people hear a great deal of sound during an adjustment. Others do not. The quality of the adjustment is in no way determined by the amount of noise you hear.

To put it simply, no. Our team has a variety of techniques we can use. If you would prefer a “no cracking” technique, simply let the doctor know. He will be happy to discuss other options for your care with you to determine what’s best for your situation.

It’s a process. Because we are addressing the cause of the problem and not just the symptoms, it takes time. However, we believe you’ll be happy with the results because the time it takes leads to correction rather than a cover-up. Change takes time. When you go to the gym you don’t notice immediate change. Correction requires repetition to be long-lasting.

That’s up to you. Our goal is to treat the cause of the pain rather than the symptom (which is the pain itself). If you want to take anything for your problem, we can discuss the options of medications vs. natural anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxants.

Under certain circumstances, our team will recommend an MRI. We might also request one if we believe your condition could be better identified with an MRI. Rest assured that we do not recommend anything we do not believe you need.

Your muscles and connective tissues are being stretched. Just like a good workout makes you sore because you are asking something different of your body. The soreness is nothing to be concerned about. If it bothers you, 15 to 20 minutes of ice on the area should take care of it.

Chiropractic care is a process, not an event. Symptoms may go away before the spinal rehabilitation is complete. Restoring proper alignment, movement and function to the spine takes time. If you quit too soon, it is quite possible it will slip back into a degenerative state. It’s not unlike people who had braces when they were kids. The orthodontist didn’t remove the braces as soon as the teeth looked straight. He waited until he knew they would stay that way, often making a retainer to ensure the change was lasting. Chiropractic care is similar. Lasting change takes time.