WHAT IS A CHIROPRACTOR?
Doctors of Chiropractic – often referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians – practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.
WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT?
Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.
WHY SHOULD I SEE A CHIROPRACTOR?
Chiropractors are well known for their ability to diagnose and treat patients whose health problems are associated with the body's muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems, especially the spine. However, they also receive an extensive education that allows them to offer more conservative drug-free treatment options for a wide variety of common conditions including weight and digestion problems, high blood pressure, TMJ pain, high cholesterol, extremity problems, sinusitis, ear infections, and many others.
THE SONIE CLINIC takes an approach to health care that is holistic, emphasizing the patient's overall health and wellness. We recognize that there are many factors that can affect one's wellness including but not limited to: exercise, diet, rest, environment, and genetics. Berryessa Hills provides natural, drugless, non-surgical health treatments.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT ON MY FIRST VISIT?
The initial visit is often different and much longer than follow up visits. It is during this time that the doctor is assessing your entire health history and arriving at a diagnosis for your condition. Before your first visit you will be asked to fill out a number of questionnaires. These questionnaires will be used by the doctor to get a better picture of your health status before meeting with you to discuss your health complaint. After reviewing your intake paperwork, the doctor will meet with you to discuss the history of your current problem, as well as any ongoing health issues you may have. During this time you will be asked give specific details about the nature, duration, and effects on life activities of these health complaints. The doctor will also explore your family health history and lifestyle choices that may be relevant to your current, or future health.
The physical examination performed by the doctor varies depending on the nature of the complaint. It is custom tailored to fit the complaint, but often includes general health, neurological, and orthopedic examinations. You may be referred for laboratory tests, X-rays, or other diagnostic imaging, if indicated. Chiropractors also employ specialized postural, spinal, and biomechanical analyses that are unique to chiropractic diagnosis.
In cases where difficulties can be traced to involvement of neuromusculoskeletal structures, and it is deemed appropriate, your chiropractic physician may adjust the affected area. Therapeutic massage techniques, cold and heat therapy, and therapeutic exercise are also commonly employed. A variety of other specialized techniques may be employed for complaints that are not related to the nerves, muscles, and joints of the body. You may also be counseled about wellness concepts such as nutrition, exercise, lifestyle changes, and stress management. When appropriate, chiropractic physicians consult with and refer patients to other healthcare practitioners.
WHY WOULD MY CHILDREN NEED TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR?
During the first years of life, children's bodies are subject to many stresses, starting with the birth process itself. In the process of learning to sit, stand, walk, and run, children experience many falls that can create irregular joint motion (called subluxations), with or without any outward symptoms. These subluxations may interfere with the proper development of their spines and the functioning of their nervous systems, which control everything from digestion to immune function to coordination. Our goal is to correct these imbalances and allow your children to maximize their potential for life.
HOW MUCH TREATMENT WILL MY CHILDREN NEED?
Children respond more quickly to chiropractic care than adults, because they are very resilient, and because they simply have not had the problems as long. Once the original condition has been resolved, no further treatment is required. However, most people can benefit from occasional adjustments—and this is particularly true of children, with their rough-and-tumble play and their growing bodies. Therefore, you may choose to continue with periodic preventative care for your children, just as you send them to a dentist to protect their smiles.
ARE CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENTS PAINFUL?
Most adjustments do not hurt. In fact, beta-endorphins are released with many adjustments which makes the patient feel better immediately. Occasionally with very chronic conditions, or very acute conditions, there may be a little tenderness with the adjustment that passes as soon as it is over. Almost all adjustments can be performed in multiple ways, so if you are uncomfortable with one technique, simply ask your doctor if there is another way it can be done. Sometimes patients will be a little sore the following day because they are exercising new muscles that have not been used for a while.