Are you interested in trying a more natural, non-invasive approach to treating the pain that you feel? Visiting a chiropractor in Lithia Springs might be a great alternative to more traditional approaches to medical care as they might be able to help you with your neck pain or car accident injuries. But you might be nervous about whether or not a chiropractor is considered a doctor. While chiropractors are not medical doctors, they do provide medical care for a wide variety of conditions and injuries like other doctors. In the past few decades, chiropractors and medical doctors have started working together more and both types are considered legitimate medical providers.
Here are a few facts about chiropractors:
Chiropractors go through extensive training and certification.
Similar to medical doctors, those who want to practice chiropractic must first complete an undergraduate degree, commonly in the sciences, before attending chiropractic school. Chiropractic school is generally a four-year process and includes thorough education and training on the musculoskeletal system. A chiropractic education focuses on the entire body, with special emphasis on your brain, nervous system, and spine.
Your brain communicates to the rest of your body through your nervous system, sending signals to your stomach when it’s time to digest your food or to your feet when it’s time to take a step. Your spine houses and protects the nervous system. The science behind chiropractic is that your body is able to function at its best when your brain, nervous system, and spine are properly aligned.
Students in chiropractic school will round off their education with a series of clinicals where they get hands-on experience working with patients. Graduates of chiropractic school earn a Doctorate of Chiropractic and go on to receive certification from a state board before they are able to practice.
Chiropractors use natural techniques to help your body heal.
While medical doctors prescribe medications to treat a number of conditions and injuries, chiropractors do not. Instead, chiropractic care involves a more natural, non-invasive type of treatment approach that is just as effective. Chiropractors focus on helping your body to heal itself through techniques specific to chiropractors.
One common technique with chiropractic is called an adjustment, which is a gentle manipulation of your spine that helps restore proper posture. Poor posture over time can cause some vertebrae in your spine to carry more weight than others or put more pressure on certain areas of your spine. This can lead to spinal misalignments. When your spine is out of alignment it can disrupt the brain’s ability to effectively communicate to the rest of your body. A chiropractor will use this gentle adjustment technique to restore the vertebrae to their proper positioning.
Contrary to what some might think, chiropractors don’t just work with your spine; they also work with joints, muscles, and other soft tissues. Your muscles play a large role in supporting your spine and other bones, so when muscles are injured or damaged it can also affect the rest of your body. Similarly, when you have poor posture or a misalignment in your spine, it can cause the muscles nearby to work overtime to provide strength and support. Chiropractors will use natural techniques to encourage blood flow to your muscles so they can heal and have proper functioning restored.
Chiropractors use a holistic approach.
Each person is unique and experiences pain, illness, or injury differently, so the treatment should reflect that. Chiropractors use a holistic approach to assess how your body is affected and how adjustments and other techniques can restore functioning and help your body to heal effectively. Your illness or pain is viewed as a symptom of a misalignment in your spine that is preventing your brain from effectively communicating to the rest of your body.
A holistic approach to your care means that chiropractors will not only address your physical symptoms. Chiropractors also look at your overall wellness, which includes your mental health, nutrition, diet, and lifestyle. Making sure your body is getting all the healthy nutrients it needs helps your body to function properly. Sometimes, Chiropractors will also recommend food that will help relieve your pain.
The body has the ability to heal and restore itself when it is functioning at its best and has all the right nutrients, a properly aligned skeletal structure, and a positive mindset. By treating the person as a whole, chiropractic care focuses on you and your health as opposed to focusing on the disease. Simply using treatments and medications to address your specific symptoms isn’t enough to get to the root cause of the issue.
When looking for a chiropractor in Lithia Springs, schedule a consultation at AICA Orthopedics to find out how chiropractic care can benefit you.