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Faqs
1.
What is this information for?
2. How large is
the chiropractic profession?
3. How many
people see chiropractors?
4. Are
chiropractors educated as well as medical
doctors (MD's) and osteopaths (DO's)?
5. Do I have to
see my medical doctor before I see a
chiropractor?
6. Does a
chiropractor have to have a license to
practice?
7. Is
chiropractic recognized by government
agencies?
8. I've heard
that chiropractic really doesn't have a
scientific basis. What are the facts?
9. Is
chiropractic care expensive?
10. Does chiropractic
treat any other problems besides back
problems?
11. Could I be hurt by
chiropractic care? Is it really safe?
12. Can a person who
had back surgery see a chiropractor?
13. Is it OK to see a
chiropractor if I'm pregnant?
14. Can a chiropractor
help with painful bone spurs?
15. When a license is
granted to a chiropractor, what does this
mean to the public?
16. What can the
public expect from a doctor of
chiropractic?
17. I'm looking for a
state licensing board so I know the
requirements to practice in that state.
Where do I find this information?
18. Why won't my
medical doctor refer me to a chiropractor? I
think it would help.
19. Do chiropractors
treat conditions other than back pain?
20. I have heard that
once I start chiropractic care, I'll have to
continue with it for the rest of my life. Is
this true?
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What is this information
for?
Based on questions received from the public,
we have compiled this list of frequently
asked questions (FAQs) in order to address
the most common questions that we get
regarding chiropractic and contact reflex
analysis. We do this to help you find quick
answers to the most frequently asked
questions and also to lessen our workload.
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How large is the
chiropractic profession?
Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and
second-largest primary health care
profession. According to the Federation of
Chiropractic Licensing Boards there are
approximately 81,000 doctors of chiropractic
(DC's) in active practice in the United
States spread from rural areas to inner
cities. More than 10,000 students are
currently enrolled in chiropractic
educational programs accredited by a
federally-recognized body (CCE). The ratio
of DC's to the general population, based on
the Bureau of the Census figures is
estimated to be one doctor of chiropractic
for every 5,100 citizens. This compared
dramatically to the ratio of medical
providers to the general population as there
are well over ten times more MD's than DC's.
Thus the MD to general population ratio is
approximately one to every 430 citizens. |
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How many people see
chiropractors?
Chiropractic services are in high demand.
Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt
for chiropractic services and this number is
rapidly growing. In 1993, more than 30
million consumers made chiropractic a
regular part of their health care program. |
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Are chiropractors educated
as well as medical doctors (MD's) and
osteopaths (DO's)?
To receive the doctor of chiropractic
degree, candidates must complete extensive
undergraduate prerequisites and four years
of graduate-level instruction and internship
at an accredited chiropractic institution.
Comprehensive knowledge of all systems of
the body and diagnostic procedures enable
the DC to thoroughly evaluate a patient,
address disorders relating to the spine and
determine the need for referral to another
healthcare provider. For a thorough
discussion of the requirements of a
chiropractic physician check out this page. |
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Do I have to see my medical
doctor before I see a chiropractor?
No. Doctors of chiropractic are primary
health care providers. According to the
Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The DC
can provide all three levels of primary care
interventions and therefore is a primary
care provider, as are MD's and DO's. The
doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to
the healthcare system and an independent
practitioner who provides primary care
services. The DC's office is a direct access
portal of entry to the full scope of
service." |
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Does a chiropractor have to
have a license to practice?
Doctors of chiropractic are licensed in all
50 states. DC's have been licensed and
recognized for many decades in all states,
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. |
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Is chiropractic recognized
by government agencies?
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental
health care programs. Chiropractic is
included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal
Employees Health Care Benefits Programs,
Federal Worker's Compensation, and all state
worker's compensation programs. Chiropractic
students are qualified to receive federal
student loan assistance and DC's are
authorized to be commissioned as healthcare
officers in the U.S. Armed Forces. |
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I've heard that
chiropractic really doesn't have a
scientific basis. What are the facts?
The practice of chiropractic is based on
sound scientific principles. The existence
of the nervous system as the primary control
mechanism of the body is an undisputed
scientific fact. Its relationship with the
spine is the focus of the practice of
chiropractic. The spine develops in utero
to provide two primary functions: (1) to
allow for freedom of movement and (2) house
and protect the spinal cord. When the
vertebrae of the spine become misaligned
through trauma or repetitive injury, two
major consequences will result: (1) the
range of motion becomes limited and (2)
spinal nerves emerging from the spinal cord
are compromised. DC's use the term "subluxation"
to describe such disruptions.
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Subluxation: |
One of the primary sources of
back pain is subluxation. A
subluxation is the malposition
of and/or abnormal function of a
motion segment (a joint and
surrounding bone and tissue)
that can affect the nervous
system, muscles, organs, and
other systems of the body.
The following is what the
Association of Chiropractic
Colleges has to say in it's
Position Paper #1 concerning
chiropractic and the treatment
of subluxations. "Chiropractic
is concerned with the
preservation and restoration of
health, and focuses particular
attention on the subluxation. A
subluxation is a complex of
functional and/or structural
and/or pathological changes that
compromise neural integrity and
may influence organ system
function and general health. A
subluxation is evaluated,
diagnosed, and managed through
the use of chiropractic
procedures based on the best
available rational and empirical
evidence. Chiropractic is a
health care discipline which
emphasizes the inherent
recuperative power of the body
to heal itself without the use
of drugs or surgery.
The practice of
chiropractic focuses on the
relationship between structure
(primarily the spine) and
function (as coordinated by the
nervous system and how that
relationship affects the
preservation and restoration of
health. In addition, Doctors of
Chiropractic recognize the value
and responsibility of working in
cooperation with other health
care practitioners when in the
best interest of the patient."
A subluxation can happen in
any joint, so chiropractic care
also involves the extremities
(arms and legs). Chiropractic
can help with a variety of
health problems that include
back pain, but are not limited
to back pain. Throughout the
rest of this web site you can
learn about some of the other
problems that chiropractic care
can help.
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Interruption of nerve flow can eventually
lead to pain, disability, and an overall
decrease in the quality of life. Conversely,
the removal of that interference has been
shown to have significant, lasting health
benefits. Through the adjustment of the subluxation, the doctor of
chiropractic
endeavors to restore normal nerve
expression. The body is then able to respond
appropriately to any imbalance in the
system, thus relieving symptoms and
restoring health. |
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Is chiropractic care
expensive?
Doctors of chiropractic provide effective,
low-cost healthcare for a wide range of
conditions.
Studies conducted according to the highest
scientific standards and published by
organizations not affiliated in any way with
chiropractic institutions or associations
continue to show the clinical
appropriateness and effectiveness of
chiropractic care. One of the most recent,
funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health,
stated emphatically that:
"On the
evidence, particularly the most
scientifically valid clinical studies,
spinal manipulation applied by
chiropractors is shown to be more
effective than alternative treatments
for low back pain...There would be
highly significant cost savings if more
management of low back pain was
transferred from physician to
chiropractors.
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Does chiropractic treat
any other problems besides back problems?
The doctor of chiropractic is an effective
source of preventative and wellness care.
The anatomical focus of the DC on the human
spine has created the perception of the DC
as just a "back doctor." Although this
perception is not entirely incorrect, it is
very much incomplete. Doctors of
chiropractic are a highly appropriate
resource in matters of work-place safety,
stress management, injury prevention,
postural correction, and nutritional
counseling. |
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Could I be hurt by
chiropractic care? Is it really safe?
The process of chiropractic adjustment is a
safe, efficient procedure which is performed
nearly one million times every working day
in the United States.
There is a singular lack of actuarial data
that would justify concluding that
chiropractic care is in any way harmful or
dangerous. Chiropractic care is
non-invasive, therefore the body's response
to chiropractic care is far more predictable
than its reactions to drug treatments or
surgical procedures. Of the nearly one
million adjustments given every day in this
country, complications are exceedingly rare.
Perhaps the best summary statement on the
subject of safety was published in 1979 by
the government of New Zealand which
established a special commission to study
chiropractic. They found:
"The conspicuous
lack of evidence that chiropractors
cause harm or allow harm to occur
through neglect of medical referral can
be taken to mean only one thing: that
chiropractors have on the whole an
impressive safety record."
Hands-on experience -
Chiropractic is both safe and effective,
says Peter Dixon
A man suffering with chronic back pain was
persuaded by his partner earlier this year
to consult a chiropractor about his
condition. His visit to a local chiropractic
clinic coincided with an article in a
national newspaper about the risks of
chiropractic treatment (The Independent, 2
June). He arrived at the clinic brandishing
the article and refusing treatment. The
article echoed much that Edzard Ernst,
professor of complementary medicine at the
University of Exeter, had written two months
earlier in this magazine (Forum, 18 April, p
49).
Chiropractors diagnose and treat conditions
caused by the mechanical dysfunction of
joints and the effects these have on the
nervous system. The tendency of the media to
warn that danger surrounds the specialized
manipulative techniques chiropractors use
does not instill confidence. Nor does the
confusing variation in chiropractic' legal
status. In Britain, for example,
chiropractors can practice legally because
no law stops them doing so. In Spain,
Belgium, and France a license is needed to
practice any form of medicine. To get such a
license, a conventional medical
qualification is needed.
To confuse things further, people in Britain
can call themselves chiropractors whether
they are qualified or not. But following the
Chiropractors Act of 1994, the General
Chiropractic Council will soon open its
"statutory register." Thereafter only
registered practitioners will legally be
able to call themselves chiropractors in
Britain. Similar regulations already exist
in Australia, Denmark, Sweden, and the U.S.
Like other forms of healthcare that do not
involve drugs, chiropractic does not
attract the sort of funding that
pharmaceuticals companies allocate to
research. But scientific evidence for the
effectiveness and safety of chiropractic is
growing, and practitioners are demonstrating
this through peer-reviewed research.
In 1990, a detailed study on low back pain
was published in the British Medical Journal
(vol. 300, p. 1431). It compared
chiropractic with hospital outpatient
treatment for managing low back pain. It
demonstrated that chiropractic was the more
effective of the two. A follow-up study in
1995 confirmed this conclusion, reporting a
29% improvement level for
chiropractic over hospital treatment (BMJ,
vol. 311, p. 349).
In 1997, at the World Chiropractic Congress
in Tokyo, Danish researchers presented
results showing that chiropractic reduced
the duration of headaches by 69%
(compared with 37% for massage) and
their intensity by 36% (compared with
17% for massage). It also reduced the
number of painkillers needed by 36%.
And a Dutch study shows that for shoulder
pain arising from disorders of the spine or
upper ribs, chiropractic manipulation has
very positive effects (BMJ, vol. 314, p
1320). But despite such evidence, the case
for the profession is confounded by
inaccurate use of the term chiropractic. In
1995, Alan Terrett, an Australian professor
of health science, reviewed the published
research on the complications of
chiropractic neck manipulation. On
contacting the original authors and
patients, he found that many reported
incidents were not severe at all and that
many of the "chiropractic manipulations"
were not performed by chiropractors.
The risks of chiropractic should be put in
perspective. The Independent's article said
that "chiropractic treatment can result in
vascular damage in an unknown number of
cases" - so it's not surprising it caused
some alarm. Based on published cases and
insurance reports, complications from
genuine chiropractic manipulation to the
neck are, at worst, a problem for 1 in
500,000 patients so treated. That's just
0.0002%. In contrast, a 1995 risk
assessment study (Journal of Manipulative
and Physiological Therapeutics, vol. 18, p.
530) reported that non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs can carry a 0.4% risk per year of severe stomach
ulceration, possibly leading to perforation
and death. Would the reluctant patient have
chosen painkillers rather than chiropractic
had he known?
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Can a person who had back
surgery see a chiropractor?
Yes. It's an unfortunate fact that up to
half of those who had spinal surgery
discover a return of their original symptoms
months or years later. They then face the
prospect of additional surgery. This too
common occurrence is known as "Failed Back
Surgery Syndrome." Chiropractic may help
prevent repeated back surgeries. In fact, if
chiropractic care is initially utilized back
surgery can often be avoided in the first
place. |
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Is it OK to see a
chiropractor if I'm pregnant?
Anytime is a good time for a better
functioning nerve system. Pregnant mothers
find that chiropractic adjustments improve
their pregnancy and make delivery easier for
themselves and their baby. Adjusting methods
are always adapted to a patient's size,
weight, age, and condition of health.
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Can a chiropractor help
with painful bone spurs?
Look for another cause of your pain! Many
patients are told that they have "bone
spurs" in their back or neck, with the
implication that the bone spurs are the
cause of their back pain. However, while
bone spurs are an indication that there is
degeneration of the spine, these bony
growths are not usually the actual cause of
the pain. The term "bone spurs" is really a
bit of a misnomer, as the term "spurs"
implies that they are "poking" some part of
the spinal anatomy and causing pain.
However, this is not at all true. Bone spurs
are in fact smooth structures that form over
a prolonged period of time. The medical term
for bone spurs is osteophytes, and they
represent an enlargement of the normal bony
structure. Basically, osteophytes are a
radiographic marker of spinal degeneration
(aging) and are by and large a normal
finding as we age. Over the age of 60, bone
spurs are actually quite common.
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Bone
Spur: |
Bone
spurs, or osteophytes, are bony
projections that form along
joints, and are often seen in
conditions such as arthritis.
Bone spurs are largely
responsible for limitations in
joint motion and can cause pain.
The
reason for bone spur formation
is the body is trying to
increase the surface area of the
joint to better distribute
weight across a joint surface
that has been damaged by
arthritis or other conditions.
Unfortunately, this is largely
wasted effort by our body as the
bone spur can become restrictive
and painful.
Bone
spurs themselves are not
problematic, but they are a
signal of an underlying problem
that often needs to be
addressed. Bone spurs are often
documented to help assess the
severity of a condition such as
arthritis.
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Source: About.com |
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When a license is granted
to a chiropractor, what does this mean to
the public?
Through licensure, the board assures the
public that the doctor has met certain
credentialing criteria, and that he/she
continues to abide by the laws and
regulations of that state or province. The
requirements to enter licensed chiropractic
practice are defined by laws and regulations
designed to protect the public's health,
safety, and welfare. |
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What can the public expect
from a doctor of chiropractic?
While the core concept of practice is based
on healing without drugs or surgery, the
specific scope may vary according to the
laws of a specific jurisdiction. However,
patients may commonly expect:
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A thorough physical
examination to determine conditions
which may be appropriate for
chiropractic care
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To be referred to
another health care provider for
conditions which are not appropriate for
chiropractic care
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To understand the
type of care to be administered and
what results may be expected
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Discussion with the
doctor as the care continues, to
evaluate both treatment effectiveness
and projected duration
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A clear
understanding of financial arrangements
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Appropriate,
ethical care delivered in confidence,
with respect for privacy and dignity
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I'm looking for a state
licensing board so I know the requirements
to practice in that state. Where do I find
this information?
Go to Federation of Chiropractic Licensing
Boards site and click on the "official
directory." This is a directory of all state
boards complete with addresses, requirements
for licensure and contact information.
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Why won't my medical doctor
refer me to a chiropractor? I think it would
help.
Find another doctor who will. Your doctor is
still "in the dark" as to the benefits of
chiropractic care. The relationship between
the medical and chiropractic professions has
improved vastly over the past 10 years, but
there remains a few staunch medical doctors
out there who refuse to look at the benefits
of chiropractic care.
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Do chiropractors treat
conditions other than back pain?
Chiropractors provide effective treatment
for all types of soft tissue disorders and
not just back and neck ailments. This
includes conditions of the joints of the
extremities like the ankle, knee, and
shoulder. What you may not be aware of is
chiropractic' success in treating a number
of non-soft tissue conditions like dysmenorrhea (painful menses), ulcers,
migraine headaches, and ear infections in
children. While we cannot claim to cure
these conditions, we believe that many of
these problems can be mimicked, aggravated,
and some times caused by disruptions in the
nervous system as a result of spinal
abnormalities. By correcting these spinal
abnormalities like the vertebral subluxation,
chiropractic has helped thousands of
individuals overcome these conditions and
regain control of their lives. A number of
studies have also supported these findings.
In one such study, spinal manipulative
therapy was compared with standard medical
treatments in the treatment of duodenal
ulcers. The researchers Pikalov, MD, and
Kharin, MD, found those subjects receiving
spinal manipulations took an average of 16
days to heal versus 26 days to heal in the
standard medical treatment group. JMPT
1994;17(5):310-313 |
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I have heard that once I
start chiropractic care, I'll have to
continue with it for the rest of my life. Is
this true?
You may have heard the notion that once you
go to a chiropractor you have to keep going
back. Before we answer that question, ask
yourself how many times you have visited a
dentist? Like most people, you've probably
gone dozens of times. Why? Quite simply, to
prevent your teeth from literally rotting
out of your head. Once chiropractic care
eliminates your pain and rehabilitates the
injured tissues, we do recommend that you
maintain a schedule of periodic spinal
checkups. Like your dentist and like many of
the medical experts are now recognizing,
prevention is the key to reducing
recurrences of existing health conditions
and minimizing new injuries in the future.
So the answer is yes, we want you to keep
coming back, but just periodically. Periodic
chiropractic care minimizes spinal and nerve
stresses, reduces recurrences of old
injuries, prevents new injuries from
developing, minimizes degenerative
processes, which enhances overall health and
wellness. |
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City • PA 18508 • Office (570) 558-1166
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