Why see a chiropractor?
As you may have read I have just recently moved to McAllen to start a new practice in chiropractic. In my short time here it is becoming more obvious that most people aren’t sure of what to think about my profession. Most know that I do something with neck and back pain; still others haven’t a clue as to what I do. Well it’s true that I work with spinal care and treat people for neck and back pain, but in my scope of practice I am able to do much more.
First lets talk about what people already know about, spinal health care. Spinal health care includes neck and back pain resulting in local or radiating pain from the spine due to conditions such as sciatica, facet syndrome, disc protrusions or bulging disc, spinal arthritis, whiplash, muscle spasm, and scoliosis (to name a few). This type of health care also includes maintenance and preventative care. It is important, as in dentistry, to get regular adjustments to ensure proper biomechanics within the spine to prevent long term degeneration that will lead to more complicated / chronic conditions in our later years of life.
In addition to spinal health care, I am also able to help with other aches and pains in the body like shoulders, knees, writs, and elbows. My chiropractic office also incorporates massage therapists to help with muscle conditions, sprain / strains, and stress. Chiropractic offices normally include such modalities like ultrasound, e-stim, traction, and exercise equipment to aid in treatment as well. Typically we think of these therapies to be used when in an auto accident of other injury.
The last component to think about when thinking about a chiropractic office is wellness. This is the HARDEST type of practice to run, especially here in the Rio Grande Valley where most of us where taught to “walk it off”. This type of teaching had got mostly all of us thinking that if we can function okay then we must be okay. This is far from the truth. We need to think about the things we put in our bodies and what they are doing to us. As part of the wellness aspect of a practice, this would include supplements and detoxification programs or machines. We all here the stories of people getting cancer and getting sick from “natural” diseases but are we doing our part to prevent these diseases from happening. Most of us eat like ___, well you know and don’t think a thing of it. The biggest and quickest way to tell your aren’t eating the right things for most of us is a weight gain. And yes most of us have had that happen to us. We need to grasp the concept of wellness and start asking ourselves “what am I doing for myself these days”?
