Chiropractors can see patients with symptoms or no symptoms whatsoever, with a medical condition or illness-free. That is because, in its purest form, the rationale for chiropractic care is spinal nerve interference.
There are two ways concerning chiropractic practice. In a patient-centred environment, the patient determines the level of care they want to undertake. Most people come to a chiropractic office with symptoms or medical conditions. That’s the box they put chiropractic care into. The chiropractor doesn’t diagnose or actually treat the medical conditions. The chiropractor aims to analyse and correct vertebral subluxations because they harm normal function and wellbeing.
Chiropractic is not a substitute for medical care, though it can work alongside medical care. It’s similar to an individual under regular dental care or treatment. No one would consider chiropractic a substitute for dentistry. It is not a substitute for medicine.
Sometimes, this concept is difficult to grasp since people grow up with the medical paradigm. Most people don’t think of chiropractic care the same way as they do going to the gym or swimming regularly for exercise. You don’t do these activities because you have a problem, though sometimes they may be recommended for a problem. You do these activities to maintain an active lifestyle and general wellbeing. So, chiropractic regularly maintains a person’s spine as free of nerve interference as possible because it enhances health potential.
The typical scenario is that people wait months or years until they have a problem, which means they go from doctor to doctor. Finally, they resort to a chiropractor. In that case, they are using the chiropractor much in the same way they use their medical doctor.
Although we don’t “treat” symptoms, the response to varied ailments can be dramatic when the spine is adjusted, as evidenced below. It’s incredible how the body can heal itself.
This person, whose neck MRI is below, had been suffering vertigo for a couple of years. The MRI image showed a backward displacement of the fifth vertebra in the neck––C5. The backward displacement of C5 had been there for years, as evidenced by the worn disc between C5 and C6. The displacement was clearly causing impingement on the spinal cord.
One C5 adjustment significantly reduced the vertigo. Now the question is, when should this spine have been checked?
The subluxation could have been detected years earlier, even before any symptoms were present. Our chiropractic analysis is designed to detect spinal subluxations before symptoms are present. It’s obviously better to service your car before it starts to break down.
Effects of chiropractic care on dizziness, neck pain, and balance: a single-group, preexperimental, feasibility study
“In this study involving 19 patients. most demonstrated improved balance, and some showed reduced dizziness (vertigo) and neck pain after 8 weeks of chiropractic care.”
Does every patient with vertigo have it disappear with chiropractic care? Obviously not, because sometimes specific causes permanently damage the inner ear.
Differential compliance instrument in the treatment of infantile colic: A report of two cases
“The PulStar computer-assisted mechanical adjusting device set to the lowest force setting appears to have been well tolerated by both a 6-week-old female infant and a 9-week-old male infant with colic. Significant improvement in colicky behavior was observed, including apparent remissions within 10 days and 5 to 8 treatment sessions. These gains continued for a 30-day follow-up period in both cases.”
Every chiropractor who has taken care of babies has seen the reduction of infant colic, usually after the parents have done the medical route. A computerized adjusting instrument was used to correct vertebral subluxations in the two cases described.
We’ve mentioned depression before. Chiropractic can significantly impact people’s mental wellbeing by affecting the nervous system. In my 51 years of practice, I’ve seen it many times.
“A 49 year old female presented with a history of depression, asthma and a host of other symptoms. Over a period of 7 months a specific, conservative regime of adjustments using Torque Release Technique was administered to the patient. The patient reported a significant decrease in her symptoms along with a significant increase in a self rated quality of life wellness survey.”
This is not really surprising as removing nerve interference impacts not only the physical, but the mental state of an individual.
Improvement in quality of life in a patient with depression undergoing chiropractic care using torque release technique: a case study
Source: Improvement in Quality of Life in a Patient with Depression Undergoing Chiropractic Care Using Torque Release Technique: A Case Study; Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research Theo Mahanidis BA (Sports Ed), B(Chiro) Bio David Russell BSc (Psych), B(Chiro)Bio[January 31, 2010]
What is interesting in all these conditions is that the techniques used by chiropractors are variable. It’s not necessarily the technique but the analysis of where the interference is occurring in the spine and managing the best way to correct the problem.