Fitness Chiropractic Centre

Could Chiropractic Help You?

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Chiropractic care is an effective, drug free method of treating and preventing disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health.

Alternative Medicine Health Care

Chiropractors focus on manual therapy, including joint adjustment and manipulation, with particular focus on joint dysfunction/subluxations. Chiropractors practice in over 100 countries in all regions of the world; most prevalent in North America, Australia and parts of Europe.

Most people who seek chiropractic care do so for low back pain. Spinal manipulation, which chiropractors call "spinal adjustment" or "chiropractic adjustment", is the most common treatment used in chiropractic care.

Spinal manipulation is a passive manual manoeuvre during which a three-joint complex is taken past the normal range of movement, but not so far as to dislocate or damage the joint. Its defining factor is a dynamic thrust, which is a sudden force that causes an audible release and attempts to increase a joint's range of motion.

There are several schools of chiropractic adjuster techniques, although most chiropractors mix techniques from several schools. The following are some examples of adjuster procedures received by patients:

Diversified technique (full-spine manipulation, employing various techniques), extremity adjusting,
Activator technique (which uses a spring-loaded tool to deliver precise adjustments to the spine),
Thompson Technique (which relies on a drop table and detailed procedural protocols),
Gonstead (which emphasizes evaluating the spine along with specific adjustment that avoids rotational vectors),
Cox/flexion-distraction (a gentle, low-force adjusting procedure which mixes chiropractic with osteopathic principles and utilizes specialized adjusting tables with movable parts), adjustive instrument,
Sacro-Occipital Technique (which models the spine as a torsion bar),
Nimmo Receptor-Tonus Technique, Applied Kinesiology (which emphasises "muscle testing" as a diagnostic tool),

Many other procedures are used by chiropractors for treating the spine, other joints and tissues, and general health issues. The following are examples of procedures used on patients:

Diversified technique (full-spine manipulation; mentioned previously),
physical fitness/exercise promotion, corrective or therapeutic exercise,
ergonomic/postural advice,
self-care strategies,
activities of daily living, changing risky/unhealthy behaviors,
nutritional/dietary recommendations,
relaxation/stress reduction recommendations,
ice pack/cryotherapy, extremity adjusting (also mentioned in previous paragraph),
trigger point therapy,
disease prevention/early screening advice.

How Chiropractic Treatments Work

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A Chiropractor will evaluate your health by asking about your condition and by completing a physical examination. This may involve watching how you stand and move and, if neccessary, requesting x-rays

You may be adjusted while standing, sitting, lying down or in combination – it depends on your symptoms and the judgement of your chiropractor. You can sometimes hear a clicking or clunking sound as the spinal joints are adjusted, but this is usually painless.

There are a number of different methods of adjustments that use various degrees of hand pressure and specialised equipment, including:

Using the hands to press or push
Positioning the body to use gravity and the body’s own weight
Using mechanical instruments
Placing wedges under the body and using the body’s own weight
Using specialised adjusting tables to assist the adjustments
Using slow and sustained hand pressure or swifter movements.

Chiropractic treatment for disorders

Research supports the use of chiropractic for a range of disorders, including:

Back injuries
Headaches
Lower back pain
Migraines
Period pain
Problems with posture
Sciatica (shooting pains in the leg)
Problems with other joints such as the knees, shoulders, feet and hands.

The experience of some chiropractors and some studies also show that chiropractic management may help other conditions. However, more research is needed in this area.

Special considerations in chiropractic

If you have specific health conditions or other issues, the chiropractor will take them into account when deciding on your treatment. These assessments help the chiropractor to evaluate any special needs you may have and to ensure your safety and comfort during treatment.

These issues may include:

Whether you have signs of or diagnosed arthritis
Any suspected or recent fractures, bone breaks or trauma
Disorders of the circulation
Whether you are, or have recently been, pregnant
Your body size
Your age – whether you are young, elderly or frail
The medication that you are taking
Previous treatment, including operations.

Chiropractors are primary contact practitioners, which means they are trained to recognise when their treatment is appropriate and when a person needed to be referred to another healthcare practitioner.

What is True Health?

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True Health is a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being; not merely the absence of disease. It is not limited to how you feel, but rather to your level of function and performance as a whole.

Chiropractic care is anchored on the body’s innate ability to heal, grow and adapt to the world around us. See, our body’s nerve system is our primary source for healing and maintaining health. Our bodies are designed to be self maintaining, self-healing and self-developing in nature.

Chiropractic care views all areas of life as equal contributors to promoting or detracting from optimal health. With that in mind, the following is a guide to achieving TRUE HEALTH naturally. Six essential facets of health care necessary to maintain an optimal state of health and well being are: proper nutrition, rest, positive mental attitude, proper posture, exercise and a healthy functioning nervous system. All of these facets of health depend ultimately on the last, a healthy functioning nervous system, to truly reap their full benefits.

True health does not come from a quick fix or masking of symptoms. Lasting health begins with sensitivity, grows with knowledge and contemplation, and is practiced as a way of life. It truly is wholeness of body, mind and spirit. When this wholeness functions in its best capacity, we can live longer, feeling good.

True health requires flexibility within the biological system so it can adapt and restore itself from stress. When your biological environment is full of rich nutrients, you will have this natural flexibility. With proper care, your system creates the energy to easily eliminate toxic substances. This care includes balancing your blood sugar with a proper ratio of protein, fats and carbohydrates. Blood sugar balance is important for your emotional stabilization and good quality sleep patterns as well as hormonal wellness. True health care provides tools for self-awareness and tracking improvement. As you see improvement, this can encourage long lasting changes in destructive habit patterns you may not have seen before.