Chiropractic Myths Explained

There are several myths or misunderstandings about Chiropractic that are floating around. There is one myth that I feel is actually worth explaining. The others I will let stand; it kind of adds to the air of mystery surrounding Chiropractors, and I think I would miss that if it was totally gone.
The #1 misunderstanding that I hear is: Once you go to a Chiropractor, you have to keep going forever. There are several reasons for this misunderstanding, with not the least being the confusion between "have to keep going", and "want to keep going." For the most part, Chiropractors see patients for one of three main reasons. One, to help someone heal from an injury or acute episode of pain; two, to help someone feel better and manage a chronic or uncorrectable problem; and three, to help someone maintain a healthy spine in order to be healthier, prevent injury, and function better. Most patients are introduced to Chiropractic care for one of the first two reasons, but often maintain a relationship with a Chiropractor for the third reason.
In order to help someone maintain a healthier spine, it takes periodic visits; much like it takes periodic visits to a dentist to maintain healthy teeth. Unfortunately, unlike dental check-ups which can occur every 6 months or so, Chiropractic check-ups need to happen much more frequently. Our bodies, and specifically our spines, undergo an amazing amount of stress on a daily basis, which can result in stiff joints, tight muscles, and improper joint movement patterns. If left alone, this can lead to major episodes of pain and chronic problems. When corrected on a regular basis, these types of problems can be better avoided. A good rule of thumb for most people who have generally healthy spines is a check-up about every 2 weeks. Even though regular visits will keep you feeling better and reduce your risk of developing more complicated spinal problems, don't let anyone tell you that if you don't go often, you are guaranteed to have problems, or end of having surgery, or other such dire consequences. It is simply not true.
For the individuals that have chronic, uncorrectable problems, Chiropractic adjustments will usually help them feel better for a while, but they will start hurting again eventually. The idea behind regular adjustments in this case, is to keep them feeling as good as they possibly can and to keep the spine as healthy as it can be. Once again, this is a choice that individuals are allowed to make; to feel better or not.
It is always a matter of choice. Come in as long as you need to in order to feel better, or keep coming on a regular basis in order to stay feeling better, stay healthier, and try your best to prevent bigger problems from occurring.
If you have other questions that you would like answered or other "things" you have heard and want to know about, contact Dr. Calvin Shanks at 270-450-0848, calvinshanks@gmail.com, www.thefixchiro.com, or come by the office at 4645 Village Square Drive in Paducah (Behind The Home Depot).

Another Testimonial From Sarah

I woke up this morning at 5am to run 5 miles. Now don't get me wrong, I am no stellar runner; it took me 58 minutes to run those 5 miles. I felt good about completing the run, buy my body told me that I was overdue for an adjustment. I felt tight, compact, and stiff in my back and neck and I could tell that it caused me to run less fluid than usual. Something had to be done.
At lunchtime I went to my favorite chiropractor for an adjustment. I know I am bias, since my chiropractor is my husband, but he is the only one I have ever been to and I am partial to his adjustments. Plus, I always know I am going to get the best adjustment. As I hop onto the adjustment table I am still feeling tight and stiff and I know I am not quite 100%. After his adjustment routine I stand up and immediately notice that I am breathing easier. I am standing taller (which is great when you are only 5'3"), I feel looser and more fluid in my movements, and my steps feel lighter. Yep, Just what I needed to get back to 100%
Now I am ready for that 5K run on Saturday.
Sarah Shanks
7/14/10

My wife, Sarah, just gave me this awesome testimonial.

Being a wife of a chiropractor, adjustments are a part of my life. Just like sleeping, breathing, and eating, regular adjustments play a huge role in my overall health, happiness, and activity level. I notice when I slip up and do not get adjusted on a regular basis; it is just like if I don't sleep well for a few nights in a row, or if I don't eat right and over-indulge in sweets. It starts to take a toll.
Since I have a chiropractor right at my fingertips, it seems rather strange for me to say, "I sometimes miss getting my regular adjustment", but it is true; I occasionally miss them. I have to schedule them in my calendar just like I do for exercising, household chores, and my son's activities. Otherwise I tend to fall behind.
When I go too long without an adjustment I start finding myself "pinched" in little places in my back or neck that I don't usually feel. I may also start to notice that while running or exercising, my breathing is a little more shallow than normal. When I notice these things, I know that I have waited too long and I am overdue for an adjustment. Unfortunately, when I wait too long, it sometimes takes 2 or 3 adjustments in a row before I get back to normal. I am quickly reminded again to write it on my planner and get adjusted on a regular basis, because it sure is better to always be feeling 100%.
Sarah Shanks

New Article Discusses How to Avoid Back Pain and Neck Pain

This new article discusses the common contributing factors in people who experience back and neck pain. It does a good job of addressing issues such as nutrition, diet, and exercise, and gives some very helpful tips on what you can do to keep yourself healthy. Go to www.thefixchiro.com and click on the "Articles" tab to read the full text.

Health Related Workshops

I am giving a series of health related workshops covering topics such as sciatica, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain, and neck pain. Each workshop will about 20 minutes long and will discuss common causes and treatments, as well as demonstrations of some things you can do on your own to help. I will also be allowing a question and answer period where people can get questions about their specific problems answered. Check out our website at www.thefixchiro.com for complete details and a schedule of topics. No cost, No Obligation, Refreshments provided.

What is a Chiropractor? What Kinds of Problems do They Treat?

What is a Chiropractor? What Kinds of Problems do They Treat?

A chiropractor, or Doctor of Chiropractic, is a licensed physician with the educational and professional expertise in the area of treating musculoskeletal disorders of the spine; in other words, they are experts at treating symptoms such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Chiropractors commonly work with problems such as sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, disc problems, arthritis, and many others.

The word Chiropractor comes from the Greek words for “hand” and “practice or treat”, so Chiropractic literally means “treating with the hands”. This definition is very appropriate to the practice of Chiropractic, as Chiropractors work with their hands to “adjust” or “mobilize” the joints of the spine in order to provide a drug and surgery free method of relieving a person’s symptoms and restoring their spine back to normal health. Chiropractors rely on different adjusting techniques to correct postural problems, reduce structural misalignments, and improve joint range of motion. A Chiropractic adjustment is a specific movement or maneuver performed by a Chiropractor that includes the proper force, speed, and direction in order to effectively move or mobilize the bones of the spine. Chiropractors rely on their extensive background in spinal anatomy combined with years of hands-on education to provide adjustments in a comfortable, pain free, and safe manner.

Before beginning adjustments on a patient, Chiropractors typically take a thorough history, including information about the patient’s presenting problems, as well as past health history, relevant family health history, and a review of systems. A Chiropractor also performs a complete orthopedic and neurological exam to determine if the patient is a candidate for Chiropractic adjustments or if a referral needs to be made. The exam also helps to determine the projected length of treatment and expected outcomes. In some offices x-rays may be taken or referred out, depending on the needs of the patient.

Besides treating musculoskeletal conditions of the spine, many Chiropractors are heavily involved in preventative health measures as well. They are advocates of proper nutrition, exercise, non-smoking, natural foods, limited use of medications, proper posture, and proper biomechanics while at work. Many Chiropractors also recommend maintaining the health of the spine through the process of regular “maintenance” adjustments.

This has been a brief overview, for more information about the practice of Chiropractic, call or visit a local Chiropractor in your area.

Dr. Calvin Shanks, a practicing Chiropractor of nine (9) years is the owner of The Fix, Chiropractic Solutions in Paducah, KY. For more information please visit the website at www.thefixchiro.com, or telephone at 270-450-0848, or visit the office in The Village Business Center (behind The Home Depot, next to Dallas Medical and David Spicer Jewelers) in Paducah, KY.

I woke up with horrible neck pain. Is it torticollis? What should I do?

First things first…..Don’t Panic! Don’t go running off to the ER or urgent care or any of those kinds of places. There is a perfectly good explanation for what is happening and if you stay calm and be smart, there are some things you can do on your own that will help.
Torticollis, also known as wry neck syndrome, is another way of saying that your neck really hurts bad and is all twisted in the wrong direction and you can’t move it. The reason you can’t move your neck is because of the muscle spasms. If you Google “torticollis” or “wry neck syndrome”, you are going to get a wealth of information, most of it pretty confusing. The reason for the confusion is because there are some very serious versions of these disorders that are very rare and involve permanent shortening of the muscles. The only treatment is surgery and/or injections. If you have what is known as congenital torticollis or chronic acquired torticollis, then this article is probably not for you. What I am talking about is acute torticollis.
Acute torticollis can have a variety of causes, but usually the cause is unknown; you just wake up in the morning with your neck hurting and stuck in a bad position. It is very common to see this type of severe neck pain after an automobile accident, sports injury, or other type of injury. It is also common to see torticollis in the early spring and late fall when people begin sleeping with their windows open all night. The cool air tends to cause the neck muscles to spasm and get stuck.
So, what do you do? For the first few days, I would do nothing. That is right; I am a Chiropractor, telling you not to come to me right away. Look, what am I going to do? I can’t adjust your neck with it all stuck to one side, it is just going to hurt. So, stay home and use ice. For the first 72 hours you should use ice and rest. When you use ice, put the ice in a towel and put it on your neck for 20 minutes (NO LONGER!), then take it off for the remainder of the hour. Put it back on for 20 minutes. Do this every couple of hours.
Sometime toward the end of the 72 hours, it is going to be very important to see someone (EVEN IF YOU ARE FEELING GREAT). I am course going to recommend a Chiropractor, but there are other health care providers you can see. You are going to want to have your neck evaluated to rule out any complicated factors or underlying problems. You do not want this to become a chronic or long term problem. A Chiropractor will evaluate your neck and recommend the necessary treatments (if any) that are necessary to get you back to normal.
If you follow the icing recommendation for the first couple of days, your recovery time should be relatively short. You can simply use a zip lock bag of ice, or you can get one of those nice, flexible, re-usable ice packs. They are available from most pharmacies or visit your Chiropractor.

If I go to a Chiropractor for my neck pain, will I have to keep going forever?

I get asked this question and ones like it a lot; the short answer is YES.
You probably did not expect me to say that did you? Probably if I was smart, I would come up with some compelling reasons why this is not true, but what can I say, the answer is YES.
Let’s look at this a little more closely, and I will explain. First of all, NO, you don’t really have to keep going to a chiropractor forever if you go once for neck pain, low back pain, headaches, or anything else like that. You don’t have to do anything except pay taxes (or something like that). However, there are three basic reasons that people tend to return to a chiropractor after going once. Let’s talk about them.
The first reason is a really bad reason, and I would advise you to make sure that you don’t keep going back to a chiropractor for this reason. Reason number one: you get told that if you don’t keep coming for a long time that you will end up having surgery, or being paralyzed, or something even worse. This is not true, but some chiropractors out there still insist on feeding their patients this line of bull. The real reason here is that it works out well for the Chiropractor’s pocketbook. If you hear something like this, run!
Reason number two: Many patients do not realize how bad they are hurting, or how bad it is affecting their lives until they start feeling better after getting adjusted by a Chiropractor. They may go through the normal period of corrective care (usually a couple of months) and for the most part feel normal again. Here is the kicker though, after you have been adjusted by a good chiropractor and your body really begins to feel great, you want to keep it that way. Also, you are now much more aware of what your body is supposed to feel like, so when it begins to feel just a little bit off, you want to get back to normal, quick! Hence the frequent return to the chiropractor for “maintenance” adjustments.
Ok, the final reason: Can you ever stop eating? Can you ever stop breathing? Sleeping? You get the point, something are necessary for life. Are Chiropractic adjustments as important as eating and breathing? Of course not! Think about this though, let’s say you are 75lbs overweight and you have horrible eating habits and you don’t exercise. Now, go on a diet and start working out at the gym. For the sake of our example we will pretend that in 16 months you have lost the 75lbs, are eating great, and exercise regularly. What is going to happen if you all of a sudden stop? What if you go back to your old habits? Will you keep the weight off, or will you end up right back where you were? The same is true with Chiropractic adjustments. In order to keep the spine as healthy as possible you have to keep up healthy habits, like getting adjusted on a regular basis.
Now we have covered why a person might keep going to a Chiropractor “forever.” Does that mean that if you go to a Chiropractor for a specific problem that you absolutely have to go back forever? No, it is still a free world. A good Chiropractor is going to explain the importance of “maintaining” a healthy spine however, and whether you choose to listen or not, is entirely up to you.