There are 3 common conditions that St. Charles chiropractors treat. Chiropractors are most notably known for their work with the spine. As more and more people seek to find a natural healthcare provider that is genuinely concerned about the long term effects of the treatment they prescribe, chiropractors are becoming widely accepted and utilized over traditional allopathic models for musculoskeletal conditions.
1. Back Pain
Back pain, usually low back pain, is likely the most common condition that people see chiropractors for. Certain conditions such as stiffness, arthritis, scoliosis, disc degeneration, and more have been treated by chiropractors in St. Charles.
2. Neck Pain
Neck pain is becoming more and more of a problem with the desk working and adolescent populations. The more technology that we are dependent on, the more mechanical stress we are placing on the neck and upper back as a result of poor posture and poor ergonomics. These types of problems usually lead to tightness, stiffness, arthritis, nerve irritation, muscle spasms and more.
3. Headaches
Headaches are also among the 3 common conditions that St. Charles chiropractors treat. Headaches can come in a variety of different forms and fashions. There are migraines, tension, cluster and many others. Headaches can be felt in common areas such as below the skull, temporal, frontal, and top of the head. The most frequent are below the skull area. These headaches have a high tendency to be created from a neck problem that needs to be addressed.
If you have been experiencing any of these three conditions, chances are, you may be best treated by a chiropractor. If you have questions about your case, let us know! Check out this write up about neck and back adjustments
Your chiropractor needs to be someone who you can trust. Someone who has your best intentions in mind and will give his or her best recommendations to you, at all times. Here are 8 important questions you should ask before choosing a chiropractor as a new patient.
1. Can the chiropractor help me with my goals?
What health goals are you searching for? Are you looking for help with a sports injury, pain relief, or wellness care? Does the chiropractor treat babies, adults, or people with medicare? Are you seeking treatment following a motor vehicle accident or a work injury (these will often require different forms of paperwork than normal new patients to the office)? Are you seeking nutritional advice, acupuncture or rehabilitation? Do you prefer a certain type of chiropractic adjustment? Be sure to find a chiropractor that can meet your specific health goals.
2. Does the doctor have positive and satisfied patient testimonials?
One of the best ways to check on the chiropractor’s credibility is to read reviews and testimonials from people who have been seen by the doctor before. A great source of reviews are found online. Google Places, Facebook, Yelp and others are among great places to check for.
3. What types of examinations does the doctor take?
Granted that all chiropractors are required to examine a patient before initiating any type of treatment, some are better than others. Depending on what type of problem that you have also dictates where the direction of the examination should go. So where I am going with this? You want your doctor be very specific in deciphering your complaint and determining the cause of the problem. Some questions include: Does the doctor take x-rays? Does the doctor have enough time to discuss and examine all of your complaints? Does he utilize any other instruments to make his recommendations?
4. Does the doctor network with other doctors of specialty?
While chiropractic treatment is beneficial to most people, some require treatment from other providers. This is usually done collaboratively to reach a common goal. Your chiropractor should not be afraid to send you to someone who can more appropriately handle your problem, if need be.
5. How does the chiropractor track my progress?
Both you and the doctor need to be on the same page regarding how treatments are coming along and what lies ahead. Your chiropractor should be notating how you are feeling each visit by asking you directly and using clinical skills to determine the future care schedule. Some chiropractors do re-exams at a certain point to check for improvements, some will utilize objective findings on x-rays, and some will use tools and instruments. Your chiropractor should be able to gather enough information to add to clinical experience for progress analysis. In the case that you are regressing, your doctor should have a plan to figure out if he needs to change his treatments with you or refer back to question 4 and refer you to someone else who can help.
6. Is the doctor in good standing with the state boards?
A quick search online to any chiropractic state board should be able to tell you if the chiropractor has any complaints filed against him.
7. Does the office have a no (or minimal) wait policy?
Who likes to go into a doctor’s office, on time, and still have to wait an hour to finally get in to see the doctor? People these days are busy. You have things to do and places to go. Your chiropractor should be on time and respectful of yours.
8. Does the chiropractor offer preventative solutions/exercises for at home?
Speeding the healing process is often achieved with home care recommendations. Preventative recommendations present a way to minimize the chances of these problems reoccurring in the future.
These questions are some of the best questions to ask before choosing a chiropractor. There are also many others. Here in our office we love questions as they are part of the education process!
Learn more about the types of chiropractic care we provide here→ Types of Care
You’ve seen people do it, maybe you even do it yourself. Cracking your own spine. Grandmothers everywhere will tell you that it gives you arthritis. Some of you are what we would call, “addicted to crack”. Bending yourself over the back of a chair or twisting your own neck. All of these may help you feel better, but ask the majority of people who do this and they will tell you that it feels like it needs to “pop” again within a short period of time. So what actually happens when you crack your own spine?
This is likely the case because the joints that are actually making the popping noise are the ones above and below the main restriction, which are what we call “hyper” mobile joints. They are actually moving too much in order to compensate for the restricted joint in between. It may feel good temporarily but will usually not last long.
You see, there are 24 moving vertebrae in your spine (7 neck, 12 mid back, 5 low back). You can consider a group of 2 or more of these vertebrae to be a “motion segment”. Cracking your own spine helps the “motion segment” move a bit more, but the original restriction likely will remain, causing relapse of symptoms and allowing future problems to occur.
The other reason for this short term relief is that we are not able to impart the right forces at the right angles on ourselves to fully clear the joints of the restriction, you might get a pop releasing some of the gas in the joint but it did not fully move.
Are there any potential risks involved with cracking your own spine?
Yes there are. Let’s start with the obvious being that chiropractors have studied and practiced for years the art, science, and philosophy of the spinal adjustment and is at the heart of what most of us do, making us the experts in this field. Knowing when, how, where, and why to adjust is extremely important.
Given years and years of cracking your own spine, there is a potential to create ligamentous instability which would allow for your spine to be susceptible to a multitude of more serious injuries and permanent damage.
I don’t have enough money (Budgeting is key-after all, if your lose your health, how will you make money?)
I don’t believe in it (It’s a science, not a religion)
I’m not in pain (You don’t have to be in pain for there to be a problem- PREVENTION)
I don’t want to go forever (Ultimately it is YOU that makes your healthcare decisions- right?)
You can break my neck (It’s VERY hard to break a neck- this isn’t your typical Hollywood neck twist)
It will hurt (95% of the time my patients feel BETTER even after their first adjustment)
I’m afraid of the “crack” (It’s normal for this to happen when the joints are freed of restriction- chiropractors can also treat without having the traditional “crack”)
Chiropractors aren’t real doctors (Dentists focus on the mouth, optometrists focus on the eyes, MDs focus on pathology-disease, pharmacists focus on medication, chiropractors focus on the spine and the nervous system. Every doctor has a specialty. I’m alive and real)
Adjustments cause arthritis (Adjustments actually prevent arthritis from developing or getting worse)
Too young/old (I’ll explain the ends of the spectrum. Think about the birthing process, can you imagine being pulled out by your head? It will most definitely cause stress to the neck. The geriatric population generally have a variety of different problems that would benefit from chiropractic care. It is also much safer than surgery and has less side effects than medicine)
