Do I still need to see a chiropractor if there is no pain?
Many people consult chiropractors seeking relief from all sorts of symptoms, the most common being back and neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, low back, buttock and leg pain and headaches.
The objective of chiropractic care is to enhance the natural healing abilities of the body by correcting a malfunction of the spine called a vertebral subluxation through adjustment.
A vertebral subluxation is a complex of abnormal vertebral movement, irritation and interference to the nervous system. This can cause alterations to muscle, balance, inflammation of the tissues, and changes to the chemistry of the tissues. The body is much better off without vertebral subluxations!
You would expect vertebral subluxations to cause pain, and some do, but many do not, going completely undetected until identified in a chiropractic examination. Corrections of vertebral subluxations through adjustment usually results in relief from pain, but more importantly, enhances the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
This might take time and a number of visits to achieve. It is wise to maintain your spine free from vertebral subluxations. Many vertebral subluxations do not cause obvious pain or other symptoms; so don’t wait until you are in pain before you have a chiropractic examination.
Like regular dental checkups, once patients experience the value of chiropractic many choose to continue. How long you decide to benefit from chiropractic treatment is always up to you.
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor?
No GP or specialist referral is required to see a chiropractor. As primary health care providers chiropractors are able to lodge ACC claims directly.
Who should see a Chiropractor?
Chiropractors treat people of all ages, across all economic and social spectrums and ethnicities.
Patients seek treatment for a wide range of conditions, such as back and neck pain, headaches and sciatica. The need for treatment can arise from injury, as a result of ageing, repetitive use of limbs or misalignment of the spine.
Making sure the spine and nervous system are working in harmony for good health is just as important for a newborn baby as it is for a senior citizen.
Indeed the benefits of Chiropractic care start during pregnancy. Mother needs all systems working at 100 percent to help ensure baby’s development is not hindered.
The birth process can place great stress on the newborn’s delicate spine. Toddlers and children frequently fall and play rough games. All this may result in a malfunction of the spine called a vertebral subluxation, which hinders the body’s effort to maintain organs and systems working in harmony (homeostasis).
Correcting vertebral subluxations in the young has been shown to help recovery from a wide range of diseases and disorders. It is rare for adjustment in babies and children to cause back and neck pain. If in doubt have your child checked out!
Adults frequently have stressful occupations and recreational activities and repetitively strain the spine and its supporting ligaments and muscles. Vertebral subluxations may result.
Chiropractic care enhances the ability of the body to deal with its injuries, resist disease and maintain optimum health.
What qualifications do chiropractors have?
Chiropractors graduate from a five-year university degree course. Study includes chiropractic philosophy, biological sciences, neurology, orthopaedics, radiology, clinical sciences and practical clinical experience.
In New Zealand a registration examination is conducted by the Ministry of Health’s Chiropractic Registration Board. Each year chiropractors who are members of the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association must complete a minimum number of post-graduate education hours.