What is Chiropractic and How Does It Help?

Those that practice Chiropractic do so because it gives relief to many from pain. It is a form of health care that has a focus towards the body’s structure (mostly the spine area) and the function of the structure. Those who practice the art of chiropractic are called “doctors of chiropractic, chiropractors, or chiropractic physicians”. They basically use hands on therapy referred to as “manipulation” or “adjustments”.

Those who seek chiropractors often suffer from musculoskeletal ailments that involve bones, connective tissue (cartilages), joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons. There is a risk of injury from having your neck adjusted and a lower risk from having your back adjusted. You should investigate these risks before agreeing to participate in this therapy. It is also important to let your entire healthcare team know about all treatments you are thinking about engaging in.

Chiropractics believe that the structure of the body and the corresponding function are connected. They also believe that the body has an amazing ability to heal itself. The primary goal of chiropractic therapy is to help the body to heal by assisting the relationship between structure and function.

The most common complaint of those using chiropractic services is chronic low back pain. Other reasons for seeing a chiropractic doctor are: headaches, neck pain, repetitive action pain, and sports injuries. Patients being treated may also receive the following treatments: acupuncture, counseling is available for diet issues including weight loss, electrical stimulation, heat or ice, homeopathy, and also supplements. This is a type of healthcare where the patients overall health and well-being is concentrated on and the emphasis is placed on providing natural, drug-free, non-surgical treatments that focus on the natural ability of the human body to heal itself. Therapy can include use of water, light, massage, ultrasound as well as different types of support materials like braces and tapes. The patient may be counseled on total life wellness regarding diet, lifestyle, and how to manage stress.

Patients should know that chiropractic is state regulated. Chiropractics are licensed and most states do require them to continue to maintain their licenses by attending continuing education classes. Each state determines what services a chiropractor operating in their state can provide. Not all states license chiropractics to perform all services, so patients should check with any chiropractic organizations in their state to find out what applies to their state. There are no states in the U.S.A. in which chiropractors can be licensed to perform major surgery or to prescribe drugs to their clients.

More than 50% of all HMO’s and 75% of all private health care plans cover chiropractic services. Patients need to check with their individual health plans to see if they are covered before they receive treatments. All states in the U.S.A. have worker’s compensation benefits for chiropractic services and chiropractic services can be billed to Medicare and most states allow chiropractic services to be billed to Medicaid. Depending on your plan of coverage your treatments may be required to be approved in advance may be limited as to the number of visits covered or there may be rules about using in network chiropractic practitioners. It is always wise to call your health care plan administrator or customer service number and ask questions before receiving treatment.