Will I Have To Keep Going Once I Start?

Many people wonder, once you start going to a chiropractor, you have to keep going for the rest of your life.
This statement comes up frequently when the topic of chiropractic is discussed. It is only partially true. You only have to continue going to the chiropractor as long as you wish to maintain the health of your neuromusculoskeletal system.
Going to a chiropractor is much like going to the dentist, exercising at a gym, or eating a healthy diet: As long as you keep it up, you continue to enjoy the benefits.
Many years ago, dentists convinced everyone that the best time to go to the dentist is before your teeth hurt, that routine dental care will help your teeth remain healthy for a long time. The same is true of chiropractic care for your spine. It is important to remember that, just like your teeth, your spine experiences normal wear and tear as you walk, drive, sit, lift, sleep, and bend. Routine chiropractic care can help you feel better, move with more freedom, and stay healthier throughout your lifetime.
Although you can enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care even if you receive care for a short time, the real benefits come into play when you make chiropractic care a part of your wellness lifestyle

For More Info Visit ChiroSC.com 

Dr. R. Tyler Johnson, D.C., CCSP

Chiropractic Center

1502 N. El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

(949) 436-6440

Are Adjustments Safe?

Chiropractic treatments are extremely safe for people of all ages. Unfortunately, some critics of chiropractic care have attempted to manipulate the public into thinking chiropractic treatments are dangerous. Nothing could be further from the truth. Chiropractic treatments are among some of the safest treatments used in the health care field.Read what Canadian researchers stated after performing the largest analysis of scientific literature on the most effective and cost effective treatments for low back pain:
"Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain. Chiropractic management is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction."

THE MANGA REPORT
The Ontario Ministry of Health commissioned Manga Report represents the largest analysis of scientific literature on the most effective and cost effective treatments for low back pain. After reviewing all of the international evidence on the management of low back pain, lead investigator Pran Manga, Ph.D., found the treatments provided by Doctors of Chiropractic were exceptionally safe - much safer than for standard medical treatments of similar conditions.
"There is no clinical or case-control study that demonstrates or even implies that chiropractic spinal manipulation is unsafe in the treatment of low back pain. Some medical treatments are equally safe, but others are unsafe and generate iatrogenic (doctor-induced) complications for low back pain patients. Our reading of the literature suggests that chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain."
"Indeed, several existing medical therapies of low back pain are generally contraindicated on the basis of the existing clinical trials. There is also some evidence in the literature to suggest that spinal manipulations are less safe and less effective when performed by nonchiropractic professionals"
"Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain. Chiropractic management is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction."
The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) - University of Ottawa, Canada.

THE AGENCY ON HEALTH CARE POLICY AND RESEARCH STUDY
On December 8, 1994, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) of the US Department of Health and Human Services released Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of acute low back pain. Their guidelines were developed after extensive study of diagnostic and treatment methods for acute low back pain.The guidelines were created by the AHCPR panel to provide primary care clinicians with information and recommended strategies for the assessment and treatment of acute low back problems. The AHCPR panel was made up of 23 members consisting of medical doctors, chiropractic doctors, nurses, experts in spinal research, physical therapists, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, and a consumer representative.
Their findings included:
The risk of serious complications from lumbar spinal manipulation is rare;
Conservative treatment such as spinal manipulation should be pursued in most cases before considering surgical intervention;
Prescription drugs such as oral steroids, antidepressant medications and colchicine are not recommended for acute low back problems.
Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. Clinical Practice Guidelines. Bigos S, et al. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Publication No. 950642 (1994) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

THE NEW ZEALAND COMMISSION REPORT
The government of New Zealand published a 377 page report which assessed the efficacy and safety of chiropractic care. The report was a result of almost 2 years of conducted hearings from recognized health care experts.
Their principal findings included:
"Chiropractors are the only health practitioners who are necessarily equipped by their education and training to carry out spinal manual therapy (spinal adjustments)."
"Chiropractors carry out spinal diagnosis and therapy at a sophisticated and refined level."
"Spinal manual therapy in the hands of a registered chiropractor is safe."
"The duration and training of a registered chiropractor are sufficient to enable him/her to determine whether there are contraindications to spinal manual therapy in a particular case, and whether that patient should have medical care instead of, or as well as, chiropractic care."
New Zealand Report. Hasselberg PD. Government Printer, Wellington - 19

For More Info Visit ChiroSC.com 

Dr. R. Tyler Johnson, D.C., CCSP

Chiropractic Center

1502 N. El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

(949) 436-6440

Are Chiropractors Really Doctors?

A chiropractic college grants a D.C. or Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. Chiropractors are licensed as health care providers in every U.S. state and dozens of countries around the world. The chiropractic and medical school curricula are extremely rigorous and virtually identical. In fact, chiropractors have more hours of classroom education than their medical counterparts. As part of their education, chiropractic students also complete a residency working with real patients in a clinical setting, supervised by licensed doctors of chiropractic. Once chiropractic students graduate, they have to pass four sets of national board exams as well as state board exams in the states where they want to practice.
Just like medical doctors, chiropractors are professionals that are subject to the same type of testing procedures, licensing and monitoring by state and national peer-reviewed boards. Federal and state programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers' Compensations programs cover chiropractic care, and all federal agencies accept sick-leave certificates signed by doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractors are also commissioned as officers in the military.
The biggest difference between chiropractors and medical doctors lies not in their level of education, but in their preferred method of caring for people. Medical doctors are trained in the use of medicines (chemicals that affect your internal biochemistry) and surgery. Consequently, if you have a chemical problem, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or an infection, medical doctors can be very helpful. However, if your problem is that your spine is mis-aligned or you have soft tissue damage causing pain, there is no chemical in existence that can fix it. You need a physical solution to correct a physical problem. That is where chiropractic really shines. Chiropractors provide physical solutions -- adjustments, exercises, stretches, muscle therapy -- to help the body heal from conditions that are physical in origin, such as back pain, muscle spasms, headaches, and poor posture. Another distinction is the fact that it is completely appropriate to receive chiropractic care even if you do not have symptoms. Unlike standard medical doctors, whom you visit when you have a symptom to be treated, chiropractors offer adjustments to improve spinal alignment and overall well-being before symptoms develop.

For More Info Visit ChiroSC.com 

Dr. R. Tyler Johnson, D.C., CCSP

Chiropractic Center

1502 N. El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

(949) 436-6440

What is Chiropractic?

For the many people out there who still aren't sure what a chiropractor is, or what it is they really do. Here is a simple concise statement by a chiropractor who I respect a great deal, and who frankly just said it better than I could.

Chiropractic is the nation's third largest primary health care profession, surpassed in numbers only by practitioners of medicine and dentistry. It is the largest natural healing art in the world.

Chiropractic recognizes that the human body has a natural capacity to be healthy. Chiropractic is a natural, preventive and non-invasive form of health care that attempts to return the body to its optimal state of function which allows the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery.

The body is a self healing organism with the nervous system as the master control. All body functions depend on the electrical transmission of the nerves to coordinate all organs and systems in our bodies. Since an individual's health is either directly or indirectly controlled by the nervous system, interference within this system impairs normal function and lowers resistance to disease.

Spinal mobility is vital to protect nerve function and restricted mobility can alter nerve function by placing pressure on the electrical transmission of the nerves. Chiropractic treatment is based upon restoring the proper electrical function of the nervous system.
Through chiropractic adjustments, nervous system interference due to abnormalities in the musculoskeletal relationships of the vertebrae (called subluxations) can be corrected. This allows the nervous system to function properly, enabling the body to self-regulate and self-heal through its own natural recuperative powers.

Chiropractors are highly skilled in the art of adjusting all the articulations of the body, thereby reducing or minimizing the effects of chronic or acute trauma and biomechanical instability. The adjustment is a gentle and specific maneuver which can be applied effectively and safely to people no matter their age. (Dr. Richard Gohl)

For More Info Visit ChiroSC.com 

Dr. R. Tyler Johnson, D.C., CCSP

Chiropractic Center

1502 N. El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

(949) 436-6440

What's with the cracking sound?

Believe it or not this is one of the most common questions Chiropractors get asked. It seems everyone, patient or bi-stander, wants to know why adjustments are accompanied with an audible pop.
For most the question is simple curiosity, a desire to learn and understand their body. However for some there is a real fear associated with this phenomenon. Undoubtedly these are the people who have seen the classic action movie move where the muscle bound hero or villain wrenches their adversary's neck to one side instantly killing them. Add a little Hollywood magic and their death is met with a nice audible pop.
Or maybe you are in the Chiropractors office after an injury that also included feeling and or hearing a pop.
With these fears in tow it is understandable why there is some hesitation when sitting as the doctor prepares to administer the adjustment. Fortunately these fears are unfounded and you can relax knowing that a skilled application of force is nothing to worry about.

So what is making it pop/crack? Is something breaking? The phenomenon known as "cavitation" is, to put it simply, a release of gas. You see, the many of the joints throughout your body are enclosed by a structure called a synovial capsule. This capsule is filled with a fluid called synovial fluid....(not rocket science here, right.) This fluid is the substance that brings nutrition to the joint surfaces as they do not have a direct blood supply. The fluid and capsule for all intents and purposes make a closed system. (Hold on it gets scientific here....I will explain after) In a closed system fluids and gases act according to a law called the ideal gas law. This law states that the pressure will respond proportionately to changes in temperature or volume. When an adjustment is administered the doctor is imparting motion to a joint that is out of alignment. This motion puts a stretch on the closed capsule system, thus altering the volume of the system. When this occurs the result is a drop in pressure. This drop in pressure means the forces that were "pushing" the gases dissolved in the synovial fluid decrease and a gas bubble (mainly CO2 or Carbon Dioxide-the substance we breath out) is formed. Because this all happens in a rapid manner (a necessity for a good adjustment as the thrust should be faster than the muscles have time to reflexively contract to ensure a proper set) the resulting gas bubble as is comes together releases the audible pop we hear.
Simply put, the sound is not a bone breaking or crunching. It is not the sound of your spinal cord tearing like in the movies. It is plain and simple gas escaping, and it is nothing to fear. And while it is not the goal of an adjustment (the re-alignment of the misaligned joint is) it is an indicator that the proper degree of movement has taken place in the specific area the doctor had targeted. And chances are you have experienced the same phenomenon with your own knuckles.

Still a little fearful about getting your neck adjusted? Pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger twisting his enemies necks and spelling their doom. Take comfort in the fact that a Doctor of Chiropractic is a highly trained and skilled professional who knows that a good neck adjustment means keeping the spine in a neutral or near neutral position, and this is the biggest difference between an adjustment meant to replace that which is out of place or injured, and a friend or associate who offers to "crack your neck."

For More Info Visit ChiroSC.com 

Dr. R. Tyler Johnson, D.C., CCSP

Chiropractic Center

1502 N. El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

(949) 436-6440