What is a Chiropractor?
What is a Chiropractor?
The Common Misconception:
Doctors of Chiropractic are often perceived as low back and neck pain specialists. Although we are highly trained and knowledgeable in neuro-musculoskeletal conditions of those areas, we are not limited by them! In fact, chiropractors spend 5 years at master’s level education; learning the entire body in function and dysfunction to best understand the varying conditions that may present to us. Being primary healthcare practitioners, chiropractors develop varying in-depth concepts of traditional and alternative medicine to provide the most up to date evidence-based diagnosis and treatment options.
A Doctor of Chiropractic will have sufficient knowledge in general medicine, orthopedics, anatomy & physiology, pathology, nutrition, clinical psychology and various clinical imaging modalities (X-Ray, MRI and Ultrasound).
The nervous system is the master regulating and healing system of the body!
The nervous system and why it is important to us!
Chiropractors are driven by functionality of the body as a whole with interest in the ability of our body to heal and adapt. A chiropractor will primarily base clinical examination and treatment around the functioning of the nervous system. The nervous system conveys information around the body. Our nervous system is comprised of 3 elements, the central nervous system (CNS), the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is the power unit of our body, and the spinal cord is the “motorway” allowing messages from the brain to be sent to the body and back again through several different specialized pathways.
The peripheral nervous system forms the first division of the nervous system that allows nerve bundles to lie outside of the central nervous system (CNS). In fact, the PNS conveys information from every living cell in the body and brings that information back to the spinal cord where it can be transmitted to the brain. This includes and is not limited to information from organs, limbs, skin, tendons and muscles.
The Autonomic nervous system (ANS) can be broadly described as the maintenance system of our internal environment. In other words, the autonomic nervous system is something we do not have direct control over and is typically used to control organs, smooth muscle and secretory glands. The autonomic nervous system falls into two distinctive categories known as the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. Most but not all fibres in the body are supplied by both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve branches. An example of the ANS is the sympathetic nervous system which dilates our pupils and the parasympathetic nervous system that will constrict our pupils!
Chiropractic Care, Subluxation and Correction:
We have 24 bones that make up our spine which are called vertebrae, sitting between each vertebra is a disc. Parallel to the disc is a spinal cord and a pair a nerve roots which exit at each vertebral level. These spinal nerves branch off the spinal cord and connect every living cell in our bodies back towards our spinal cord. Messages are sent from the brain at the top of this cord all the way to the body and back again.
Subluxation:
If a vertebra comes out of alignment or stops moving properly it can put pressure on the nerve which will inhibit our brain’s ability to effectively communicate signals to the body. This results in a lack of healing and function. An analogy for this would be trying to talk to somebody with one bar of phone signal in comparison to five strong bars of signal.
After a chiropractor has conducted a clinical history and neuro-orthopaedic examination, they will carefully assess through the spine using palpation skills (manual feeling), ROM (range of motion) and EMG Scans (Electromyography) to measure the health of spinal nerve roots. Since we have established how important the nervous system is, any movements or changes to any of the 24 vertebrae can alter the optimal functioning of our spinal nerve roots and affect our health. This is what we like to call a subluxation! It is our goal to highlight the areas of subluxation and determine how this is correlating with the current symptoms and changes to your health which you may be experiencing.
Correction:
Once a working diagnosis and areas of subluxation have been discovered, the chiropractor will comprise a treatment care plan consisting of specific chiropractic adjustments, massage, rehab exercises, nutritional advice and lifestyle adaptations. These plans are created to target the cause of the problem and not the symptom. Every treatment plan is tailored to the individual and is aimed towards achieving their desired health goals. After a period of care, the chiropractor will re-assess your case and determine what progress has been made. The proof is in the pudding! We must see what progress has been made, how your health is changing and what areas we need to spend more time on!
Rhys Newman, D.C.