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In almost all countries a
chiropractor is what is called a ‘primary portal of entry’ practitioner.
That means that you can consult him or her without first having to get a
referral from your medical practitioner.
Why would you want to consult a chiropractor anyway? There are
many reasons. Perhaps you have had unremitting low back pain that
hasn’t responded well to conventional medical treatment. Perhaps you
have had regular headaches for the last two years and you are
tired of taking analgesics. You’ve heard that headache pills actually
cause headaches, and in any case you know that you are treating the
symptoms and not the cause. Or perhaps you sprained your ankle
nine months ago, and you still can’t go for walks without pain in the
lower leg and it’s making you limp. Chiropractors are trained to treat
all the joints in the body so it could be your shoulder, your tennis
elbow or even your jaw joint.
There are other reasons too, perhaps more obscure and controversial.
Your baby has been crying day and night and you have heard that
chiropractors can treat a ‘huil baby’ very successfully to use
the Dutch term. That’s where the first conclusive research was done
confirming that one of the main causes of colic in small babies is a
subluxation in the spine. Most chiropractors will treat your child but
there are advanced post-graduate courses now for this specialization.
Or, perhaps you have heard that chiropractic can sometimes help women
fall pregnant when there is no medical cause for their infertility. Or
your kidney condition.
Perhaps you are an athlete and you have heard from a fellow
competitor how much he was helped with a recurring hamstring injury, or
a rotator cuff syndrome, or shin splints. Since the advancement of the
post-graduate FICS (Federation Internationale de Chiropratique du Sport)
course, training chiropractors in sport injuries, there are now many
chiropractors being invited to every level of sport, including the
Olympics. For example, nearly three quarters of the athletes attending
the World Games in Duisberg, Germany in July 2005 requested access to
chiropractic during the Games, with the result that 23 chiropractors
were invited by organizers to attend the games, in order to treat the
athletes. Because chiropractors endeavor to treat the cause of
conditions which are often caused by subluxations of the spinal joints,
or other joints such as in the ankle, rather than the symptoms (such as
pain in a muscle) they have become the doctors of choice for many
athletes.
Or perhaps you are elderly, and all your joints ache, and your
good friend has told you how her pain has been relieved by regular
chiropractic treatment.
So how do you go about finding a chiropractor? You could try the
yellow pages, or looking on the internet for a local list of
practitioners. Better still would be to do some homework and start
talking to your friends and acquaintances, and even your medical doctor.
Many doctors are now referring patients to chiropractors on a regular
basis.
The next step is simply to pick up the phone and make an appointment.
It would be a good idea to get hold of any old x-rays that you think
might be relevant (new ones may be required, especially if yours are
old, or you have recently had an injury). Then try and prepare the way
by thinking through when your condition started, what injuries you have
had that may have contributed to the pain (you may have to go back to
your childhood), and what aggravates and relieves the condition.
Your chiropractor is usually a friendly person, genuinely interested in
your condition. He or she will listen carefully to your story, and ask
certain pertinent questions. Then he will give you a thorough
examination, not only of your spine, but most likely he will check other
joints in your body such as your hips and shoulders, your feet, and will
take your blood pressure. You will be surprised by the depth of the
orthopedic and neurological examination. New x-rays may be required.
You may be treated at the first visit (especially if you are in acute
pain) but more likely you will be asked to return with your spouse, at
which time you will be given a full report of his findings and the
treatment protocol. Be ready to ask questions.
The treatment protocol may vary considerably, but most usually
chiropractic treatment falls into three phases:
- The pain phase. In this phase which usually last about 4-6 weeks,
your chiropractor will be treating the cause of your condition in an
attempt to reduce your pain. This phase varies enormously depending on
the nature of your condition, how long you have had it and how severe it
is. If could be several months, or it could be a few days.
- The rehabilitation phase. During this phase you will have less
treatment from your chiropractor, and the responsibility will gradually
shift to your shoulders. You will be given certain exercises to do
regularly at home, and you will most likely be asked to start walking,
cycling or swimming. The intention is to strengthen your body, keep it
supple, so the next episode doesn’t start again the next time you go and
do some gardening.
- The maintenance phase. If you have had your condition for a long
time your chiropractor may well suggest you come in for an occasional
but regular treatment. How often depends on many factors, but as a rough
guide you can work on every two months. By then most people have started
to creak and groan a bit, and it is time for a tune up. Usually before
serious injuries, most people admit to a period when their bodies start
to warn them that something is up. Chiropractors put a lot of emphasis
on reducing these silent subluxations before they are the cause of
something more serious.
One last thought: don’t try hiding anything from your chiropractor. If
you have had a setback gardening when you weren’t yet allowed to garden,
or haven’t been doing your exercises, it only hurts you and confuses him
if you try to conceal things. Tell him or her the whole truth, even if
your face is a bit red. Otherwise he may change the treatment, or think
of referring you out for surgery or drugs when it is not necessary at
all.
Good luck. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day and, while chiropractors
do try to do miracles, the impossible may take a little longer.
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