Chiropractic

What is Chiropractic

Chiropractic is an alternative branch of the healthcare system that treats problems within the body without the use of harmful prescription drugs and surgeries. Chiropractic philosophy is based on the premise that in order for the human body to properly work it must have a normal functioning nervous system which is the powerhouse that runs every movement and function in our body. The spinal cord has 31 pairs of spinal nerves that exit at different levels from the backbone and supply energy and control to every cell in our body. When the nervous system is functioning properly without any compromises, our bodies have an innate ability to operate, adapt, and heal. Do you ever have to tell your heart to beat or your stomach to digest food? Do you have to direct your immune system to fight off a cold or tell your body to heal a cut on your finger? When your spine is aligned, allowing maximum nerve flow out into the body, things work as they should. Misalignments, or subluxations, in-ser the spine can compromise nerve function to the body and thus change the biomechanics of the human skeleton and alter nervous system function flowing out to organs and cells. These biomechanical changes can manifest as tight, weak, or sore muscles and stiff or achy joints.

Chiropractors take a holistic, or natural, approach to treat each patient in a whole-body approach. For example, many cases of knee and hip pain can be alleviated by correcting flat feet using custom-made foot orthotics or by correcting subluxations in the low back and by stretching and strengthening the muscles of the low back, thigh, and calf. Chiropractic utilizes natural treatment such as adjustments to the spine and joints to correct subluxations, physical therapy, stretching to relax tight muscles, exercises to strengthen weak areas, and muscle therapies such as trigger point therapy and myofascial release to treat knots and sore spots.

What do chiropractors treat?

Drs Collin and Alorna Dolan have provided lasting relief for thousands of patients in the Aurora and Naperville area. They have treated a wide variety of injuries over the years. In the public eye, chiropractors mainly treat injuries of the musculoskeletal system including low back and neck pain, headaches, shoulder injuries, muscle aches, hip and knee pain, and sciatica. Chiropractic has successfully treated these common injuries since the beginning, providing fast relief without the use of prescription drugs or costly surgeries. These injuries make up a large percentage of chiropractic patients but new research has shown that chiropractic is extremely effective in the treatment of more advanced injuries including migraines, carpal tunnel, rotator cuff tears, tennis elbow, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis. Using a combination of physical therapy and chiropractic adjustments, along with exercise therapy and rehabilitation, chiropractors can quickly alleviate related pains and stabilize and strengthen this area to prevent further injuries in the future without injections or surgery.

Just as the nervous system runs the show when it comes to muscles, bones, and joints, the same can be said about organ systems and visceral areas. This is why chiropractic care has also been proven to be very effective in treating ailments such as ear aches, sinus problems, allergies, digestive issues, colicky babies, hormonal issues, infertility, and even issues with blood pressure. By adjusting the spine, a chiropractor can affect the nervous system and its supply to organs and tissues related to the above-listed conditions as a recent study published on pubmed.com about how chiropractic adjustments can drastically lower high blood pressure demonstrated. You can click the link below to see the study.

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure

Different Chiropractor techniques

Chiropractors utilize a broad variety of different adjusting techniques to treat certain injuries. You can actually go to 100 different chiropractic offices and receive 100 different combinations of treatment for the same problem. Your particular combination is chosen by the chiropractor based on their personal experience, education, individual philosophy, and specialization. For the most part, Diversified Technique is the base adjusting technique that is taught to all chiropractors and therefore is one of the most common techniques used in most offices. This is the core technique used by both Dr. Collin and Alorna in their office with most patients even though each doctor’s style is a little different. Diversified adjusting consists of gentle adjustments delivered by hand in either the prone, supine, or seated position. Depending on the particular case they may choose to use alternative techniques as needed. Most chiropractors learn 1 or 2 techniques in school that they use in practice but Drs Collin and Alorna expanded their studies to learn more than 10 techniques that they regularly use with patients. Some are specialized for infants and children while others are more effective on athletes. We have found that certain injuries respond better to certain techniques based on past experiences with the same injury. Some require specific equipment and specialized tables, all of which are on-site in the office.

Here is a brief list of commonly used adjustment techniques that Drs Collin and Alorna use:

  • Diversified Technique
  • Gonstead Technique
  • Thompson Drop Technique
  • Cox Flexion/Distraction
  • Logan Basic Technique
  • Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT)
  • Activator Methods
  • Webster Technique
  • Applied Kinesiology
  • Upper Cervical Specific

Chiropractic Facts:

  • Chiropractic was established in 1896.
  • There are more than 65,000 chiropractors practicing in the United States
  • Most insurance companies have chiropractic benefits for their patients. Dolan Family Chiropractic accepts most insurances including Medicare. For a full list go to New Patients
  • Chiropractic is the second largest of the 3 health care professions in the US.
  • Chiropractic is now offered in the US Military and in VA hospitals around the country.
  • The typical chiropractor’s training includes an eight-year program of undergraduate and professional college study and clinic internship prior to entering private practice.