Chiropractic care is unique in its breadth- anyone from a newborn to a centenarian can visit a chiropractor, and they can help with not only back pain, but also a wide range of chronic and acute ailments. Despite this, many people associate chiropractic care with only injuries or back pain, not knowing that it can be useful for overall health and healing. If you are going to visit a Snellville chiropractor, you may want to know more about what to expect and where the practice comes from. Below are some fun facts to help you understand your care and get you ready for treatment.
- Chiropractic care as we know it has been around since 1895, but versions of therapeutic spinal manipulation have existed for at least 2500 years.
- The term “chiropractic” comes from a combination of two Greek words. Praktos means “to do” and cheir means “hand” making the term mean treatment that is done by hand.
- The profession of chiropractic care is a health care practice that is dedicated to non-surgical treatment of disorders of the nervous system and/or the musculoskeletal system.
- The father of chiropractic care is a Canadian man named Daniel David Palmer. Though he had no formal medical training, Palmer began the practice in 1895 after restoring a partially deaf janitor’s hearing through spinal manipulation.
- Daniel David Palmer also founded the first college dedicated to teaching chiropractic care in 1897. The Palmer Chiropractic School & Cure is still operating today to provide education to future chiropractors.
- There are more than 60,000 chiropractors actively licensed in the United States. This spans all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, all of which recognize licensure.
- While many chiropractors practice independently, they can also practice in hospitals or as part of a multidisciplinary health team, or even as a school health specialist. You will find chiropractors working everywhere from NFL teams to the National Naval Medical Center, working with veterans and active-duty military.
- While manual adjustment is the main tool used by Snellville chiropractors, they may also use electrical muscular stimulation, ultrasound, or massage as a part of their treatment. However, they will never use pharmaceutical drugs or invasive surgeries.
- The goal of chiropractic care is to use a natural method of healing by stimulating the body’s communication system to work effectively. This allows the nervous system to initiate, control, and coordinate the various functions that cells, organs, and other systems are meant to perform to keep the body healthy.
- Chiropractic care can be used in conjunction with more conventional medical treatment and is primarily used as a pain relief alternative. Pain in the muscles, joints, bones, or connective tissues (cartilage, ligaments, or tendons) can be treated with chiropractic care.
- Spinal manipulation and other forms of chiropractic care are considered both safe and effective for treating acute low back pain. Unlike chronic pain, acute back pain lasts no more than 6 weeks and is usually brought on by a sudden injury that results from activities like moving furniture or getting tackled playing a sport. There are other causes of low back pain that many are not aware of, as well.
- While it focuses on the spine, chiropractic care is considered a holistic practice and patients can look to a Snellville chiropractor for overall wellness. One of the fastest-growing areas of chiropractic care is preventative medicine, rather than addressing an injury or pain after the fact.
- Chiropractic care focuses on maintaining your health, allowing your body to resist disease naturally, as opposed to treating the symptoms after a disease develops. This means chiropractors pay attention to other factors as well, like exercise, nutrition, sleep, environment, and genetics.
- In addition to manual therapy, some chiropractors will help with other areas of health. They may provide advice on exercise, diet, or nutrition. This is intended to improve and manage your health, as well as avoid recurrence of any known health conditions.
- The most common reason people seek chiropractic care is lower back pain, followed by neck pain, then headaches, and problems with the extremities like arms and legs.
Whether you have been seeing a chiropractor for years or are seeking care for the first time, it is important to understand the philosophy of chiropractic care and the variety of benefits it offers. When you visit AICA Snellville, you will work with not only an expert Snellville chiropractor, but also a team of specialists dedicated to your recovery and health. Contact us today to begin working with our team!