February 2020

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Myths regarding chiropractic treatment abound. Most are spread by those who have never experienced the benefits of treatment. Others come from doctors who don’t understand the discipline.

Maybe you have heard adjustments are painful? Or that the popping sounds come from your bones cracking?

Some people insist chiropractors aren’t real doctors and that treatments don’t help. Others say that once you start, you have to keep going to receive any benefits. Many believe chiropractic care is only for acute low back pain.

Here, Dr. Cody Doyle, a board-certified chiropractic orthopedist, and Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, who’s been successfully treating patients for over two decades, will debunk some of the most common myths. He will also discuss what happens during chiropractic adjustments and explain the benefits of treatment.

The Philosophy and Goals of Chiropractic Care

To understand the benefits of chiropractic care, it helps to understand the philosophy and goals. The discipline of chiropractic healthcare emphasizes the restoration of movement and function, without the use of surgery or drugs. Chiropractic care focuses on the relationship between function and structure in all parts of the body.

The nervous system coordinates the function of every organ and cell in the body. The main part of the nervous system is the spinal cord and the surrounding nerves.

The most crucial structure concerning chiropractic care involves the spine, which surrounds and protects the spinal cord. Many things can cause the spine to become dysfunctional, including poor posture, damaged disks, inflammation, injury, and/or weak and imbalanced muscles. Spinal dysfunction arises when the bones of the spine, called vertebrae, become limited in their motion or begin to move abnormally.

A dysfunctional spine can cause adverse tension on nerves and can cause the nerves and associated muscles to become overly sensitive (sometimes called neural sensitization). The result can include anything from back or neck pain to headaches, nerve pain, and fatigue.

Chiropractors understand the impact a dysfunctional spine can have on the body. Therefore, they focus on repairing the relationship between the function (the nervous system) and structure (the vertebrae of the spine or joints of the body). These can affect the overall restoration and preservation of health.

In addition, a good chiropractor recognizes the value of working with other health care professions. This is especially true when it is in the patient’s best interest.

What is a chiropractic adjustment?

One of the main jobs of a chiropractor is to restore the function of the spine and/or peripheral joints (knees, shoulder, hips, etc.) to their proper function through spinal and/or extraspinal manipulation.

Chiropractic adjustments involve gentle, controlled force to mobilize the joint space at spinal (or extraspinal) joints. Most often, this is achieved through the use of the chiropractor’s hands. However, sometimes a tool, such as an activator or arthrostim, is utilized to achieve the desired outcome without force.

Usually, treatment involves mobilizing the entire spine, including the lower back, mid-back, upper back, and neck.

The best chiropractors customize your treatment plan based on your unique needs. He will also consider your situation and symptoms. Your plan may involve a combination of complementary and alternative medicine options.

Numerous techniques can be utilized, and chiropractic care involves art and skill. A chiropractor should know when and how to apply adjustments.

Therefore, it is important to receive treatment from a chiropractor like Dr. Doyle. You want someone experienced with all treatment methods and options. The best treatment plan involves the knowledge and experience to know which option is best for you.

Chiropractic adjustments involve a procedure in which a trained specialist (a chiropractor) uses manipulations of the spine. These manipulations improve function and spinal mobility by properly removing restrictions from the spine and associated soft tissues.

Do my bones crack during adjustments?

During chiropractic adjustments, you may hear a popping or cracking noise. A common myth is that this sound is related to your bones cracking.

Actually, these sounds occur due to the release of gasses from between the vertebrae. This happens when fixated or restricted spinal joints are mobilized. The gasses include carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Sometimes the popping sound does not occur. This is normal and simply means that the gasses with the joint capsule had not reached the level necessary to produce an audible sound. The “pop” sound is not necessary or required to achieve a successful treatment.

How do adjustments help?

Once your spine is moving more normally, you will notice more freedom of movement and other symptoms like muscle spasm and muscular aches will also improve.

The restored function allows for improved range of motion, reduced nerve irritation, and muscle relaxation.

In addition, chiropractic adjustments send a signal to the brain to release endorphins. These are the body’s natural painkiller. Endorphins produce a feeling of euphoria similar to opioids, and their release in the body provides patients with relief of pain.

Is everyone a candidate?

Chiropractic care is not for everyone. While many patients with acute and chronic pain do benefit, certain patients may not be the best candidates.

Dr. Doyle will perform a thorough examination and will ensure that you can safely receive chiropractic care before beginning treatment.

Patients with the following issues may not be a candidate for chiropractic management.

Severe osteoporosis
Cancer of the spine
High risk of stroke and/or bleeding disorders

Is a chiropractor a real doctor?

Training to become a Doctor of Chiropractic involves a lot of work. It begins with a four-year undergraduate degree. Most students take many of the same classes and earn the same bachelor’s degrees as medical doctors.

Next, the student attends another four or five years of graduate work at a chiropractic school. Upon completion, they must take and pass state and national board examinations.

The biggest difference between chiropractic schools and medical schools is the focus.

Medical doctors focus on treating unhealthy conditions with things like prescription medications and surgery. Chiropractors, however, focus on healthy living and proper function of the body. The goal is to remove the obstacles that prevent the human body from functioning optimally. And spinal alignment is critical to achieving optimal function.

Dr. Doyle has 23 years of experience as a Chiropractor. In addition to his education to become a chiropractor, Dr. Cody Doyle is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Orthopedist, and a Diplomate and Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, formerly the Academy of Chiropractic Orthopedist. He has been in private practice since opening his first clinic in his hometown of North Richland Hills, Texas in 1998. Dr. Doyle is driven to help patients reach their full potential with knowledgeable and proactive chiropractic support. As a board-certified neuromusculoskeletal specialist, he is proficient in all areas of the body’s neuromusculoskeletal system and methods for improving function, sensorimotor control, and reducing both chronic and acute pain.

Will I need chiropractic care forever?

Patients with acute issues, such as pain from an injury or accident, usually receive relief with just a few visits. Most patients receive optimal improvement in six to ten visits. However, someone with complicating factors, “red flags”, or a chronic condition may require ongoing treatment for continued relief.

Patients who receive relief with improved function may find “as needed” treatments necessary to stay healthy and achieve maximum benefits.

What to Expect with Chiropractic Care

During your consultation, the chiropractor should perform a thorough physical examination, including any necessary diagnostic testing, such as x-rays. They should also gather information about your medical history and medications. Additional testing, such as CT scans or MRI, may also be ordered, depending on your symptoms and mechanism of injury.

Once your chiropractor has determined your diagnosis, he should create a customized treatment plan based on your unique symptoms and needs. This may include chiropractic care, acupuncture, myofascial release therapy, or other complementary treatment options.

For chiropractic treatment, your chiropractor will place you in specific positions so he can treat your affected areas. Most often, this involves a face-down position on a padded table specifically designed for chiropractic treatments.

The chiropractor will then use manual adjustments or a special tool to treat your spinal joints.

After adjustments, many patients report immediate relief. However, some patients require a few treatments to notice results. Some patients may take a few weeks before beginning to progress. Usually, this involves chronic pain patients who exhibit neurologic adaptations due to long-standing pain and spinal dysfunction.

A few patients do report some minor side effects after treatment, which may include fatigue, headache, soreness, or even increased pain. These issues may occur within the first few hours and usually don’t last longer than 24 hours. For most patients, rest, ice, or non-prescription medications are all that is needed to alleviate any side effects.

Have questions about chiropractic care?

If you would like to learn more about chiropractic treatment options, contact Doyle Chiropractic and Acupuncture today at (817) 767-5430.

We would love the opportunity to answer your questions and schedule you for a consultation with Dr. Doyle.

Do you suffer from back or neck pain? Do frequent headaches interfere with your life?

If so, you may wonder what the best treatment option is.

Did you know your local chiropractor offers effective treatment solutions that are noninvasive and drug-free? That could be why approximately 22 million Americans visit a chiropractor each year. With those visits, 35 percent, or around 7.7 million, seek care for relief from back pain caused by sports injuries, accidents, and muscle sprains and strains.

If you are in the Roanoke, TX area, Dr. Cody Doyle offers safe, effective treatment options for your pain. With over two decades of experience, he has successfully brought relief to thousands of suffering patients.

But Dr. Doyle goes above and beyond chiropractic care. He also offers acupuncture and myofascial release therapy, as well as other alternative therapies, such as nutrition counseling, ultrasound therapy, muscle stimulation, and education regarding home exercise.

And he treats a lot more than just neck and back pain. Keep reading to learn the surprising conditions chiropractic care can help.

What is a chiropractor?

A chiropractor is someone licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic, with the initials DC after their name. When you see these initials, you know your provider has received extensive training in disorders of bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments.

Training and education to be a chiropractor include a four-year undergraduate degree (usually a “pre-med” type of degree) and four years of chiropractic school (approximately 4,200 instructional hours). In addition, they have taken and passed a National Board Exam.

A chiropractic program typically looks something like this:

First year: Courses in biochemistry, spinal anatomy, general anatomy, and chiropractic principles.
Second year: Courses in pathology, imaging interpretation, clinical orthopedics, chiropractic procedures, and research methods.
Third year: Courses in integrated chiropractic, dermatology, pediatrics, practice management, clinical internships, and ethics and jurisprudence.
Fourth year: Clinical internship, when the student completes rotations in a clinic or hospital and studies chiropractic care under a licensed chiropractor.

In addition, many chiropractors, such as Dr. Doyle, spend a tremendous amount of time learning about various other specialties, such as sports medicine, nutrition, rehabilitation, and acupuncture.

What is chiropractic care

The main treatments chiropractors perform involve hands-on spinal and joint manipulations to achieve proper alignment of the spine and the body’s musculoskeletal structure. When joints are out of proper alignment, it can cause pain in the neck, back, head, hands, arms, feet, and legs.

Proper alignment allows the body to heal itself naturally without drugs or invasive treatments, such as surgery.

These manipulations restore joint mobility caused by tissue injury from trauma, such as a car accident or fall, and repetitive stress, such as from performing the same stressful movements over and over.

What conditions can a chiropractor treat?

Typically, patients go to a chiropractor for pain relief from injury to joints, muscles, and connective tissue, such as ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. While some patients receive chiropractic care as an adjunct to other treatments, many patients find relief from their pain with chiropractic care alone.

Chiropractic care can relieve pain that is acute, chronic, or from repetitive stress in the back, neck, head, and upper and lower extremities.

Examples of chronic pain include diagnoses like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or degenerative disc disease.

Acute pain can be caused by things like moving heavy furniture, a fall or car accident, or being tackled too hard. Acute pain typically does not last longer than six weeks.

Repetitive stress can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff (shoulder) pain, and plantar fasciitis (foot pain).

However, many patients also seek chiropractic care for issues not involving pain.

Some surprising conditions chiropractors treat successfully include:

Migraine and tension headaches
Seasonal allergies
Neuropathies
Weight loss
Stress and anxiety
Gastrointestinal issues
Insomnia
Pregnancy-related pains
Preparation for labor and delivery to reduce the pain of childbirth
Infertility
Weak immune system

You may wonder how a chiropractor can help with these conditions. The fact is, nerve impulses travel between your entire body and your brain through the spine, which is the root of your nervous system. When your spine is out of alignment, it puts the body under tremendous stress and can cause a multitude of problems.

Many illnesses and issues are worsened or caused by this stress, with activates the “fight or flight” reaction in the body. This increases your heart rate and blood pressure and redirects your blood away from your digestive system, organs, and extremities.

Over time, this wreaks havoc on your body and increases your risk of diabetes, muscle tissue damage, infertility, slowed healing, and damage to your immune system.

When put back into proper alignment, your body can process and manage stress in a much healthier way, allowing your body to heal itself.

Also, spinal adjustments improve blood circulation and reduce spinal nerve irritation. This helps your brain to turn off the fight or flight response, which also assists the body in healing.

In addition, Dr. Doyle can recommend helpful vitamins and supplements, teach you home exercises and relaxation techniques, and help you improve your posture.

What does chiropractic care involve?

At the first visit, Dr. Doyle will perform a comprehensive examination, which includes any necessary x-rays and gathering information about your medical history, current medications, and lifestyle factors. Next, he will discuss your symptoms, concerns, goals, and desires, and answer any questions you have. Once he has an accurate diagnosis, he will work with you to come up with a treatment plan.

The goal of chiropractic care includes restoring the function of joints, muscles, and connective tissue to align your spine and musculoskeletal system. This will also improve your range of motion, which helps prevent additional injuries.

Chiropractic treatment involves manual adjustments, where Dr. Doyle will manipulate your joints into proper alignment using sudden but controlled force. While some patients fear the adjustments will cause pain, you do not need to worry. Occasionally there is a very quick moment of “pain,” as if you were pinched, but it abates instantly. Then, what you will notice is the relief of pain as the adjustment reduces the irritation of your muscles, joints, and nerves.

At the beginning of your chiropractic treatment, you are in an “urgent care” phase, and more frequent visits may be needed. This is important because the benefits of chiropractic care have a cumulative effect, and repeat treatments are needed to train the body, just like repeat exercise is needed for strength training.

After a few weeks, however, most patients can move to the rehabilitation phase, which requires less frequent visits. Once your pain is well controlled, you go into maintenance. At this point, treatment is pretty much “as needed.”

Are you ready to see how good a chiropractor can help you feel?

If you are in the Roanoke, Trophy Club, Keller, or Southlake area, call (817) 767-5430 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Doyle. He would love to help you get on the road to health and wellbeing.

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What happens during a chiropractic adjustment?