Full-Service Chiropractic

Diversity Typifies Today’s Chiropractors

If you think of chiropractors as all doing pretty much the same thing, you need to get out more. The truth is that, much like the medical profession, there are many different approaches in practice, procedure and specialization.  

Cardiologists don’t do the same thing as urologists and their differences in diagnoses and treatments extend to divergent parts of the body. The same may be said for chiropractic medicine.

There is what is known as relief care, which is usually associated with a traditional chiropractor who specializes in spinal manipulation and other basic modalities. Relief care reduces spinal pressure in chronic cases, lessening pain and stiffness while increasing mobility. This is for people who need immediate relief and visits are generally more frequent, reports Dr. Brad Butler, Chief of Staff at Oakland Spine & Physical Therapy in Oakland and Wayne, NJ.

Another kind of chiropractor is one who follows the model of “spinal correction” which includes additional techniques to bring the spine back to a normal structural state. A typical patient might be someone who is afflicted with a chronic back condition over a prolonged span of time without receiving treatment. This may result in serious spinal damage that requires more of a therapeutic approach through multiple sessions.

Multiple Treatments in One Setting

Finally, there are chiropractic rehabilitation offices where multiple techniques, modalities, and even other disciplines such as physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and advanced technologies can be used.

“This is the model we utilize because I feel it’s giving the patient the overall best opportunity to heal and recover from more chronic and advanced spinal conditions,” Dr. Butler noted.

Whatever the state of your health, whether you are seeking immediate relief or preventative or maintenance treatment over the years, chiropractic care is the nonintrusive answer. Maintenance care may come after recovering from injury and subsequent rehabilitation.

Consider all the conditions that may be treated where multiple modalities are available that may not have been available from your father’s chiropractor. They include but are not limited to: chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, headaches and migraines, tennis elbow, herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, follow up to failed back surgery, low back, mid back, neck and shoulder pain, sciatica, scoliosis, spinal stenosis, sprains, strains and sports injuries, whiplash and car accident injuries and even allergies and asthma.

Modern chiropractors rely on a battery of equipment that essentially makes them technicians, including various tables that are effective for treatment of different conditions plus ultrasound, cold laser, acupuncture and activator adjusting tools for expanded patient care.

So all chiropractors are not alike and neither are the conditions they treat and the modalities they use.