A recent survey by theChiropractors’Association of Australia found that fifty-nine percent of Australians and their immediate families have used a Chiropractor, with eighty-one per cent finding it helpful, 43% saying it helped a lot.
For the rest of the Australian population who have not tried Chiropractic it still remains a mystery, and this includes a percentage of health professionals.
Harvard Medical School has published information to demystify Chiropractic further for those that may benefit from it but are still unsure.
The Harvard article defines Chiropractic as a health care system that holds that the structure of the body, particularly the spine, affects the function of every part of the body. Chiropractors try to correct the body’s alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to help the body heal itself.
While the mainstay of chiropractic is spinal manipulation, chiropractic care now includes a wide variety of other treatments, including manual or manipulative therapies, postural and exercise education, ergonomic training (how to walk, sit, and stand to limit back strain), nutritional consultation, and even ultrasound and laser therapies. In addition, chiropractors today often work in conjunction with primary care doctors, pain experts, and surgeons to treat patients with pain.
Most research on chiropractic has focused on spinal manipulation for back pain. Chiropractic treatment for many other problems—including other musculoskeletal pain, headaches, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, and fibromyalgia—has also been studied. A recent review concluded that chiropractic spinal manipulation may be helpful for back pain, migraine, neck pain, and whiplash.
There have been reports of serious complications, including stroke, following spinal manipulation of the neck, although this is very rare and some studies suggest this may not be directly caused by the treatment…
Chiropractic applies gentle quick focused pressure to help the individual vertebrae or joint go through its natural range of movement. Sometimes this creates a noise similar to cracking your knuckles. This noise happens naturally when joins are moved through their range of motion quickly.
Chiropractors study the nervous system and many chiropractors align with functional neurological research to deliver therapy aligned with this such research. The ultimate goal of chiropractic is to help relieve pain and help patients better manage their condition at home. The goal of functional chiropractic is to help relieve pain and clear out restrictions followed by special self-management at home to prevent a re-occurrence.
“The wisdom of the body is responsible for 90% of the hope of patients to recover. The body has a super wisdom that is in favour of life, rather than death. This is the power that we depend on for life. All doctors are responsible for letting their patients know of this great force working within them.” Dr. Richard Cabot, Harvard Medical Schools
