There are always going to be things in this world that people don’t understand, so they simply rely on the easiest, most convenient explanation offered. This usually comes from misunderstanding of the truth, urban legends, and just general unenlightened assumptions. Unfortunately for my profession, there are many such myths and misconceptions. Below I have listed some of the more popular ones, and have attempted to explain them as plainly as possible.
“If you crack your knuckles too much, you’ll get arthritis (and so chiropractic adjustments can’t be good for you either)!” ?
Absolutely false. Research has been done on the topic of early onset osteoarthritis and its link to chronic knuckle cracking and has actually found that knuckle cracking can cause a delay in the development of osteoarthritis (1). That’s not to say though that you should crack your knuckles every chance you get. The article below found that there were indeed injuries sustained through knuckle cracking by way of the person applying too much force to their finger causing sprains.
(1)Chan PS, Steinberg DR, and Bozentka DJ. Consequences of knuckle cracking: A report of two acute injuries. The American Journal of Orthopedics. 1999 May. Vol 41(5), 949-50.
“Why should I bother going to a Chiropractor? I can just crack my own body!”?
Maybe you can, but it’s not a good idea! The chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is delivered by a highly trained doctor to the joints that are dysfunctional and in need of manipulation (usually due to a restriction of some sort). Contact points and line of thrust are extremely important in the effectiveness and safety of an adjustment. When you “self crack” what happens most of the time is that you are cracking a joint or joints that are hypermobile (too much motion), and you are simply accentuating the instability of these joints instead of addressing the problem of your stiffness. Sometimes the easiest way is not always the right way.
“Receiving a spinal adjustment hurts.”?
An adjustment, as mentioned above, is delivered by a highly skilled doctor with years of training and a lot of clinical experience. Rarely do patients experience discomfort as a direct result of the manipulation, but on occasion it may happen. As with any manually applied therapy, certain factors can alter the sensations experienced after the adjustment. Some minor complaints that have been mentioned in the literature include local discomfort, fatigue, and headaches(2). As rare as this is, if experienced, the patient should expect the discomfort to subside within 24 to 48 hours.
(2)Meeker WC, Haldeman S. Chiropractic: A profession at the crossroads of mainstream and alternative.
“Chiropractic care is expensive.”?
Many government agencies have evaluated the cost effectiveness of chiropractic care. One of the most thorough analyses conducted was the Manga Report authored by Pran Manga, Director of the Master in Health administration program at the University of Ottawa. This report concluded that spinal manipulation by a chiropractor is more effective than other treatments for low back pain. It was also noted that if the management of back pain was undertaken more by chiropractors versus other physicians, there would be a significant costs savings to Canada’s health care system (3).
(3) Manga P, Angus D, Papadopoulos C, and Swan W. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic management of low-back pain. Ontario Ministry of Health. 1993.
“Once you go to a Chiropractor, you have to go for the rest of your life!”?
False. I would much rather treat one patient a couple of times, get him or her better, and have them refer a couple friends for expansion of my patient base versus treating one person for the rest of their life. That is not to say that no person should ever have to see a chiropractor more then a couple of times in their life. That is no different than saying it is necessary to visit a dentist more than once in your lifetime to maintain your dental health. Some patients have chronic, lifetime conditions that no treatment (medical or otherwise) can completely eradicate, and thus a chiropractor can assume the role of pain controller through multiple visits per year as deemed necessary. The human body undergoes daily stresses through normal physical activities like gardening, playing with your children, shovelling snow, workplace duties, and carrying groceries. Therefore it is likely that our bodies will suffer minor musculoskeletal injuries throughout our life. Your chiropractor is there to help you with these problems, and also to help prevent these daily stresses from accumulating into something more severe.
Nicola Valley Chiropractic?2076A Granite Ave.?Email: [email protected]
Website: www.merrittchiro.com