Capechiro

Chiropractic is the profession of a chiropractor.  “Chiropractic” comes from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, meaning “effective treatment by hand.”

Chiropractic is a medical specialty with emphasis on the spine, but also works on other joints.  Chiropractors specialize in nonsurgical spinal care and highlight the conservative management of the neuromusculoskeletal system without the use of medicines or surgery.

In simple terms; chiropractors restore proper motion to joints that are not moving properly.  Helping to restore proper spinal biomechanics and improve muscular and nervous system function is what a chiropractor is specialized to do.

The practice of chiropractic medicine involves a range of diagnostic methods including observational and tactile assessments, orthopedic and neurological evaluation and skeletal imaging.

Chiropractors may also refer a patient to an appropriate specialist, or co-manage with another health care provider.

The primary method of patient management involves spinal adjustment and other manual therapies to the joints and soft tissues (e.g. massage and dry needling), rehabilitative exercises, health promotion, electrical modalities, complementary procedures, and lifestyle counseling.

Poor posture, accidents, falls, stress, tension, overexertion and countless other factors can result in a displacements or derangements of the spinal column, causing irritation to spinal nerve roots and muscle dysfunction. These irritations are often what cause malfunctions in the human body that translates as pain, discomfort and immobility.

A chiropractic adjustment is the highly specialised, safe implementation of a short-lever, high-velocity trust of low amplitude directed at specific articulations.  This adjustment is applied to a joint that is fixated, “locked up” or not moving properly.  A chiropractic adjustment is often accompanied by an audible release of gas (joint cavitation). The audible sound (click) is caused by the release of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, which releases joint pressure (cavitation).

The term “adjustment” refers to the specific manipulation chiropractors apply to vertebrae that have abnormal movement patterns or fail to function normally.  These adjustments are done by hand and are painless.  An adjustment adds motion to the joint, helping the bones gradually return to a more normal position and motion.   Chiropractic adjustments are safe and can give instant relief as the normal joint motion is restored and the nerve is freed of any restrictive pressure of irritation.

The spinal adjustment is what makes doctors of chiropractic unique in their approach to treating patients with spinal complaints. The chiropractic adjustment, however, may not be the only procedure a chiropractor may employ in managing a patient’s care.

Because chiropractic care is non-invasive and safe, practically anyone can benefit from chiropractic care.  Some of these include:

• Babies and children:  who suffers from colic and  spinal problems as they grow and their nervous systems adapts.
• Pregnant women:  chiropractors can help to lessen backache and maintain the mothers’ spinal health during the challenges of pregnancy.
• Office workers:  anyone who sits behind a desk daily working for hours at a time.  Computer work often results in back and/or neck pain due to bad posture and minimal physical exercise.
• Factory workers:  the daily repetitive activities often result in back and neck problems.
• The elderly:  due to years of wear and tear on the body often leads to spinal problems and pain.
• Athletes: who often push their bodies to the limit in order to reach new goals; puts allot of strain on the bodies and therefore needs to have their neuromusculoskeletal system checked to function optimally.
• Trauma survivors: Be it a car accident, a fall or emotional stress; in such events the muscular system often reacts by tightening up to protect the related joints and this leads to pain and  joint dysfunction.