Questions For Your Chiropractor
Answers To A Chiropractor's Frequently Asked Questions
What Should You Know About Chiropractic Treatment? Here's a Chropractic FAQ.
Should I use heat or ice?
An injury causes swelling. Ice reduces swelling. Use ice within 72 hours of an injury and any time for pain control. Use a bag of frozen peas or other vegetables if you don’t have an ice pack. Always put a towel between the ice and your skin. Heat increase blood flow and aids in healing. Use heat on an injury that is older than 72 hours. Always use moist heat (heat a wet towel in the microwave) for an injury, sore muscle, etc.
WARNING! Never use for more than 20 minutes at a time.
What can I do for pain when I have thrown my back out or am having muscle spasms?
Alternate heat and ice. Use heat for 20 minutes, nothing for 30 minutes, then ice for 20 minutes. It is safe to use the ice/heat alternative several times a day or night.
NEVER sleep on a heating pad or use any kind of heat therapy while you sleep. It may feel good, but will ultimately make the condition worse.
Muscle spasms and throwing your back out are symptoms that something is wrong. Even if they eventually go away, you should still see your chiropractor. Your medical doctor (MD) or the emergency room can only give you muscle relaxers and pain relievers. Those just cover up the pain. Whatever is causing the pain is still there to rear its ugly head down the road, maybe even years down the road.
I have had surgery. Can I still get adjusted?
Generally, yes. Ask your chiropractor. Accommodations can be made for most types of surgery including breast reduction/enlargement and spinal fusions.
Should children receive chiropractic adjustments/Is it safe for children?
Chiropractic care is very safe for children. In fact it is one of the safest forms of care available. Since the many bumps and falls children receive often go untreated unless they see a chiropractor, the risk of future health challenges are greatly reduced in children who do receive chiropractic care.
What kind of mattress do you recommend?
Whatever kind you sleep well on. Most companies offer trials now. Try one in your home for 90 days. Just make sure that the “money back guarantee” is “money back” and not a store credit or exchange.
How often should I see the chiropractor?
Let your body be your guide. Your chiropractor should prescribe an initial treatment plan of no more than three or four weeks unless your condition is very severe or you have been in an accident. After the acute (initial or recent pain)phase of a treatment plan, your visits should be spaced further and further apart until you have reached maximum treatment benefit. This could be anywhere from two weeks between visits to three months between visits.
A good maintenance plan is at least one visit every three months. The goal is to stretch your visits without any pain in between. For example, if you are getting adjusted every three weeks and you try waiting four weeks and starts to hurt or feel uncomfortable then you know you need a three week maintenance plan. A maintenance plan should never be arbitrary.
Your question not answered here? More FAQs are on this Georgia (USA) chiropractor's website.
