CHIROPRACTIC Q&A WITH DR. AND MRS. NICOLAI

Q. What conditions do chiropractors treat?
A. Chiropractors often treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.

Q. Can a person who had back surgery see a chiropractor?
A. Definitely. Chiropractors can help treat and may often prevent repeated back injuries and surgeries. In fact, chiropractic care when you are feeling perfectly fine will often help maintain and prevent certain conditions that might eventually happen.

Q. Is chiropractic treatment safe?
A. Chiropractic is one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Risks associated with chiropractic are very small, and the overall benefits are immense.

Q. Is it ok to see a chiropractor if I'm pregnant?
A. Anytime is a good time for a proper nerve system. Pregnant mothers find that chiropractic adjustments improve their pregnancy and make delivery easier for themselves and their baby.

Q. Is chiropractic treatment appropriate for babies or children?
A. Yes, both can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient, particularly in the case of babies, which require any form of doctor to be very gentle.

Q. How is a chiropractic adjustment performed?
A. A chiropractic adjustment is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during the intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractor typically adjusts the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to reduce pain, restore, or enhance joint function. A chiropractic adjustment rarely causes discomfort, as the chiropractor naturally develops a proper procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Patients often receive immediate relief for their symptoms soon after treatment.

Q. What type of education and training do chiropractors have?
A. Chiropractors are educated as primary contact health care practitioners, with an emphasis on musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. Educational requirements for doctors of chiropractic are among the most stringent of health care professions. Before even entering a chiropractic college, an applicant has already acquired nearly four years of pre-medical undergraduate college education, including courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and related lab work. Once accepted into chiropractic college, the medical requirements become even more demanding. In total, the chiropractic curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. The study of chiropractic is approved and fully recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Q. Do chiropractors treat conditions other than back pain?
A. Doctors of chiropractic are highly appropriate in matters of work-place safety, stress management, postural correction and nutritional counseling, in addition to being an effective source of injury prevention and overall wellness. Chiropractors provide effective treatment for all types of soft tissue disorders and not just back and neck ailments. Chiropractors have helped thousands of individuals overcome a wide variety of conditions, as they totally regain happy and healthy control of their lives.

Q. Is chiropractic treatment ongoing?
A. Because chiropractors provide acute, chronic, and preventive care, a certain number of visits are sometimes necessary. The hands-on nature of chiropractic treatment usually requires patients to visit a chiropractor the number of times suggested by the chiropractor. You do not have to visit a chiropractor for life, but should you choose to do so, you will surely benefit by being more fit for your life as well as your loved ones.