Chiropractic
Chiropractic Care – Dr. Michelle Coats
Diversified Technique, Cox Flexion Distraction, Spinal Decompression, Pre & Post Natal care
Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is based upon the understanding that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system (especially the spine, and the nerves extending from the spine to all parts of the body). “Chiropractic” comes from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, meaning “effective treatment by hand.” Chiropractic stresses the idea that the cause of many disease processes begins with the body’s inability to adapt to its environment. It looks to address these diseases not by the use of drugs and chemicals, but by locating and adjusting a musculoskeletal area of the body which is functioning improperly.
The conditions which doctors of chiropractic address are as varied and as vast as the nervous system itself. All chiropractors use a standard procedure of examination to diagnose a patient’s condition and arrive at a course of treatment. Doctors of chiropractic use the same time-honored methods of consultation, case history, physical examination, laboratory analysis and x-ray examination as any other doctor. In addition, they provide a careful chiropractic structural examination, paying particular attention to the spine.
The examination of the spine to evaluate structure and function is what makes chiropractic different from other health care procedures. Your spinal column is a series of movable bones which begin at the base of your skull and end in the center of your hips. Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves extend down the spine from the brain and exit through a series of openings. The nerves leave the spine and form a complicated network which influences every living tissue in your body.
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. These irritations are often what cause malfunctions in the human body. Chiropractic teaches that reducing or eliminating this irritation to spinal nerves can cause your body to operate more efficiently and more comfortably.
Chiropractic also places an emphasis on nutritional and exercise programs, wellness and lifestyle modifications for promoting physical and mental health. While chiropractors make no use of drugs or surgery, Doctors of chiropractic do refer patients for medical care when those interventions are indicated. In fact, chiropractors, medical doctors and other health care professionals now work as partners in occupational health, sports medicine, and a wide variety of other rehabilitation practices.
Chiropractic Decompression table
Decompression Therapy is a highly successful treatment for patients suffering from bulging, herniated, degenerative, or ruptured discs as well sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many failed back surgery cases.Therapy treatment helps patients avoid the risk of anesthesia, surgical complications, and the potential of failed back surgery.
Chiropractic Decompression Therapy begins with a series of sessions typically 3-4 times per week. Each session is approximately 8 – 12 minutes. Following each session, electrical muscle stimulation or ultrasound is applied to help relax your muscles and ligaments.
After Decompression Therapy treatment, your doctor may prescribe specific exercises designed to help you regain control and strengthen the co-contractor muscles which are responsible for stabilization.
Decompression Therapy is administered to patients fully clothed either face down or face up on the table.
What can I expect at my first visit with Dr. Michelle Coats?
The first thing Dr. Michelle will do is ask about the health complaints you are most concerned with. She will also ask about your family history, dietary habits, other care you may have had (chiropractic, osteopathic, medical, etc.), your job, and other questions designed to help determine the nature of your illness and the best way to go about treating the problem.
A physical examination will be performed in accordance with Dr. Michelle’s clinical judgment, which may include x-rays, laboratory analysis and other diagnostic procedures. In addition, a careful spinal examination and analysis will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities which may be affecting or causing your condition. All of these elements are important components of your total health profile, and vital to the doctor of chiropractic in evaluating your problem.
An “adjustment,” as doctors of chiropractic use the term, means the specific manipulation of vertebrae which have abnormal movement patterns or those that fail to function normally. Doctors of chiropractic spend years learning motion palpation (the art of examining by movement or touch) and other forms of spinal examining procedures, so that they can administer specific and appropriate spinal adjustments.
Adjustment
Once Dr. Michelle has identified the problem, she will begin care by way of these adjustments or “manipulations.” Particular attention will be paid to that area of your spine where a spinal derangement or “subluxation” has been detected. The adjustment is usually given by hand or by “activator” type instruments, and consists of applying pressure to the areas of the spine that are out of alignment or that do not move properly within their normal range of motion.
Doctors of chiropractic use many sophisticated and varied techniques, and the specific procedure to be used will be determined and explained completely to you following a careful evaluation of your radiographs and physical findings.
Under normal circumstances, adjustments don’t hurt. The patient may experience a minor amount of discomfort during the adjustment which lasts only seconds. Adjustments or manipulations are extremely safe. The risk factor is estimated to
be in excess of 1 million to 1.
What training do Chiropractors receive?
Stringent academic standards must be met to become a licensed chiropractic physician. Currently an individual must complete the following steps in order to become a licensed chiropractor:1. A four-year bachelor’s degree is required for admission to The National College of Chiropractic, in Lombard, Illinois.
2. Obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree and complete a clinical internship through an accredited four-year chiropractic college program.
3. Pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ and/or other state-required examinations.
4. Satisfy any other individual state-specific requirements for licensure.
5. Complete continuing education requirements, including weekend seminars, to keep license current.