FAQs

1. What Is Chiropractic?
2. Chiropractic Practice Defined – Q&A
3. Are Chiropractic Treatments Safe?

What is Chiropractic?

Question:What is Chiropractic?
Answer:Chiropractic is a health care discipline that concerns itself with the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses of the nerves, muscles, and joints of the body.

Question:What Do Chiropractors Do?
Answer:Chiropractors diagnose and treat conditions of the nerves, muscles, and joints of the body by conservative measures. These include: manipulative therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and nutrition.

Question:What Does an Adjustment Do?
Answer:Spinal manipulation restores proper mechanical and neurologic function to the affected segment.

Question:What Does Ultrasound Do?
Answer:Ultrasound therapy pushes low frequency, high energy sound waves into the body at a depth of approximately 1 ½ inches. These sound waves cause the tissue to vibrate, which increases blood flow, reduces inflammation and spasms, reduces pain, and allows the tissue to heal more rapidly.

Question:What Does Interferential Therapy Do?
Answer:Interferential therapy is electrical current that has special pulse patterns and frequencies that help in the healing process. It causes capillary dilation or constriction depending upon the setting; it causes the production of endorphins or enkephlins, and it can cause contraction of muscle fibers. It is used in pain control, treatment of muscle spasms the cessation of swelling or the reduction of swelling. It is also used to increase blood flow or decrease blood flow to a body part.

Question:What Does Heat Do?
Answer:Heat causes vasodilation, which allows more blood flow to the heated area. This is primarily used to increase blood flow to tissues that are congested and to decrease muscle spasms. It is also used to control pain.

Question:What Does Ice Do?
Answer:Ice causes vasoconstriction. It is used to limit swelling and to control pain.

Question:What Kinds of Conditions Do Chiropractors Treat?
Answer:In order of commonality:

• Low Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Headache Pain (Including Migraines)
• Leg Pain
• Arm Pain
• Rib Pains
• Gastric Distress
• Asthmas (Chronic Sinusitis)
• High Blood Pressure
• Ankle Injuries
• Knee Injuries
• Wrist Injuries
• Elbow Injuries
• Shoulder Injuries
• TMJ
• Carpal Tunnel

Question:What are the Qualifications of a Chiropractor?
Answer:Chiropractic students must have a minimum of 60 hours of education prior to entering chiropractic college. Those hours must include general chemistry, organic chemistry, biological sciences, and physics. Upon entering chiropractic college, the student will take four years of academics, which would include: anatomy, physiology, pathology, and diagnosis. The student will also cover courses in geriatrics, pediatrics, gynecology, obstetrics, orthopedic radiology and neurologic diagnosis, emergency procedures, etc.

During his/her chiropractic college, the student will be examined by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and must pass a battery of twelve examinations given in two parts.

Upon completion of chiropractic college, he/she will also be given an opportunity to take six more examinations in clinical sciences. Upon completion of the national boards, the doctor must be examined by the state in which he seeks licensure. Upon completion of the state examination, which usually includes six tests and an oral or practical, the doctor is then granted a license to practice in that state.

Chiropractors must complete annually 24 hours of continuing education to maintain their license.

Chiropractic Practice Defined
by Dr. Richard L. Cole, DC, DACNB

Question: What can a chiropractic physician do for me that another doctor can’t?
Answer: Chiropractic physicians are trained to focus especially on your body’s structural integrity because they understand how it is related to body function and to our overall health. Grounded in the science that proper function of our muscles, nerves, and bones is essential for good health, the therapies that chiropractic physicians employ are a holistic approach that medical doctors or physical therapists traditionally do not use. The clinical effectiveness of the chiropractic approach has been documented by numerous scientific studies.

Question: Does chiropractic therapy really work?
Answer: Yes. Numerous studies have proven that chiropractic treatment is effective for both acute and chronic low-back and neck conditions, as well as such other conditions as headaches, disc herniations and ruptures, and arm, leg, and rib pains.

Question: What types of health problems can chiropractic treatment help?
Answer: There are many, including back pain, neck pain, bursitis, sports injuries, posture problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, whiplash, and work related injuries.

Question: What does a chiropractic physician do to find my problem?
Answer: Chiropractic physicians, trained in standard and special diagnostic methods, will use physical, orthopedic, neurological and laboratory tests to evaluate you as a patient. They use X-rays to evaluate the spine for possible abnormalities and to analyze spinal curvatures for posture balance. They may also use such imaging techniques as MRI and CT scans to rule out disease or to evaluate disc lesions in the spine.

Question: What therapies do your doctors use?
Answer: ConservCare physicians use manual and physical therapies including manipulation of the spine and joints of the arms and legs. Therapies may also include massage; myofascial release; physical therapy modalities such as ultrasound, electric stimulation and diathermy; along with rehabilitative measures such as specific remedial exercises using state-of-the-art techniques.

Question: What is the standard length of treatment?
Answer: It depends on your problem. Treatments are highly individualized to alleviate the patient’s condition. Some require one visit and others could last over a year. A rule of thumb for chronic patients is that you will need a month of care for each year that you have had the problem. One myth is that people must see a chiropractor regularly to maintain good health. That simply is not true. Fully discuss your particular treatment with your chiropractic physician.

Question: Is chiropractic care covered by insurance?
Answer: You should check with your specific plan to be certain that chiropractic care is covered by your insurance, but about 85% of insurance plans cover chiropractic care. While you are looking, find out if you need a referral from your primary care provider to see a chiropractic physician.

Question: How do I ask my doctor to refer me to a chiropractic physician?
Answer: You can simply discuss the idea with your doctor. Many ConservCare doctors have been reaching out to the medical community to bridge the gap between the medical and chiropractic professions for the good of all their patients. Encourage your physician to call your chosen chiropractic physician to discuss your case. ConservCare chiropractic physicians will work hand-in-hand with your physician to solve your problem.

Question: How should I select a good chiropractic physician?
Answer: You should look for the following:

• A university credentialed doctor of chiropractic medicine, indicated by the initials “D.C.” after the doctor’s name. A doctor licensed in the state in which they practice. You can look on the web in Tennessee to research the license of your doctor at http://www.state.tn.us/health under license verifications. All ConservCare physicians are licensed and ConservCare maintains all credentials for our doctors. Please see “Credentialing Standards” under the “About ConservCare” category on this web site to view our requirements.

• A chiropractic physician with an additional post-graduate degree in the specific area of treatment that concerns you (For instance, if you’re having headaches, or nerve problems from a spinal disc, look for a chiropractic physician board certified in neurology. Or, perhaps you have a sports injury. Look for a chiropractic physician board certified as CCSP^® -Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician^®)

• A chiropractic physician who follows “The Mercy Guidelines: The Guidelines for Chiropractic Quality Assurance and Practice Parameters,” a set of practice guidelines established in 1993 to standardize the treatments provided by the chiropractic profession.

• A chiropractor who is a member of a group that demands high quality standards and practices. For instance, ConservCare is a managed care organization designed to attract the highest caliber chiropractors and elevate the practice of chiropractic by setting high standards for members. By establishing stringent ethical guidelines for members’ practice and treatment, our group has helped ensure higher quality care for patients.

Are Chiropractic Treatments Safe?
By Dr. Richard L. Cole, DC, DACNB

There are rumors about chiropractors that have frustrated me for years, but none have been more frustrating than some of the crazy stories surrounding chiropractic spinal manipulation.  Over the years, I have taken it upon myself to try to track down the stories to ascertain if there were any basis of truth in them. I have never found one to be true yet.

The story usually goes something like this… “I have a friend who says he was badly hurt by a chiropractor”.  Once I call the friend he says, “Well… It wasn’t me but it was a friend of mine.” I dutifully track this next lead and find that they relate it was a cousin.  When I call the cousin… well, the pattern just keeps going until the trail dries up.

My father had similar frustrations and pursued leads as a member of the Tennessee Board of Chiropractic Examiners.  He would say, “If there is someone out there hurting people, I want to know about it and stop it.” However, even with his diligence, he was unable to locate the severely injured person.

Chiropractors may employ a variety of treatments to bring a condition under control. Although we are famous for our use of spinal manipulation, we also manipulate peripheral joints, use therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, and electric stimulation, and assist our patients with corrective exercises for rehabilitation.

From a diagnostic standpoint we use a battery of orthopedic and neurological provocative examinations, x-ray investigation, and sometimes EMG and NCV studies.  All of these procedures contain a small risk factor for injury or irritation.

All procedures contain a complication rate, but I am glad to say that complication rates for chiropractic examination and treatment are extremely low.  Research has listed burns from hot packs or cold packs, shocks from electric therapy equipment failure, and irritation to spine joints, in some cases, from spinal manipulation as the more common problems.  There is also a rare complication of stroke that has been reported from manipulation of the neck joints, but that occurrence is between 1 in 2-5 million cases. However, new research shows that manipulation of the neck is of no more of a risk than normal neck movements.

The chiropractic profession has remained diligent in studying treatment complications and has improved its procedures over the past 50 years. The complication rate continues to fall as the pursuit of science refines treatment and diagnostic methods.

The truth is … chiropractic treatments are extremely safe.  The techniques that we use are designed to be carefully and professionally employed, and when provided by trained professionals, rarely result in complications to the patients. 

The most compelling statistic that points to the true safety of our procedures is my malpractice insurance premium. For 1 million dollar coverage, I pay $1200 per year. By comparison some MDs are paying over $60,000 for similar coverage.