For anyone who might not know yet, about 25 days ago, May 26, I had an emergency visit to the ER because my heartbeat was erratic.  About 2 mins. after I walked into the ER, I blacked out. Apparently my heart had stopped effectively beating and they had to re-start it using the two electric shock pads.  I didn't wake up until about 16 hours later....

​Anyone who has been a receiver of Chiropractic care can attest to the many wonderful benefits.  
But to someone who has never been before,  it can seem like a questionable and even fearful prospect.
 "Will it hurt?" Is probably the #1 question.  
"Do I only need to go if I have back pain or neck pain?"
 "What kind of ailments or problems do Chiropractors treat?"
 
Many questions may arise and many unnecesarry but understandable fears can prevent people from taking the step to go see a Chiropractor for the first time.  

Let's address that and help clear the air of any misunderstanding:
1)  Does it hurt when you get a Chiropractic treatment?  
If I am in pain and have spasm and stiffness in my back or neck, and it already hurts to move - won't it hurt worse if a Chiropractor "forces" my back to "crack"?Great question and the answer is:  
A resounding NO, it doesn't hurt when done by a well trained professional who knows where and when and how to do it.  
So don't let just anyone "crack your back"!  
 Chiropractic treatments can be done with very gentle and gradual movements making them  pain free.  On the contrary, most often there is a natural sigh of relief. 
On an initial visit, if a patient is in severe pain, cold pack therapy, massage therapy, trigger point therapy, myofascial release therapy, positional therapy, gravitational therapy, and/or light-force instrument adjustment tools can all be used to reduce pain and spasm before any more direct physical movements are applied to the spinal joints.  

Also, many times adjustments applied to other areas of the spine, away from the pain area but correlating to and causing "domino effect" to the pain area.   The important thing is going to someone who has experience and a good track record.
2) What kind of conditions do Chiropractors treat?   For sure, we treat back and neck pain, and of course, pain in the shoulder-arm-hand or hip-leg-foot or any combination of the above.  But because fixation and resulting nerve irritation can affect the nerve system, literally anything the body is having a hard time healing by itself, can potentially be helped by spinal manipulation therapy, i.e. Chiropractic adjustments.  Freeing the spinal joints to restore normal range of motion can help nerve an blood flow throughout the body and greatly assist the body to heal itself from whatever it may be dealing with.  No matter what you are having problems with, getting more rest, cleaning up your diet, making sure you are drinking at least 100 oz of water a day (for an average size adult) and getting hands-on body work like Chiropractic and massage, can greatly enhance your body's self-healing systems and greatly reduce the time it takes you to heal.  Some Chiroprators like Dr. Summers, also have many hours training in the use of specific nutrional supplements to enhance the body's overall self-healing capability.
3) When should I see a Chiropracator?  
Well, if you are already in pain, its not too late.  But you certainly shouldn't wait until you are in acute pain if you don't have to.   Coming in with no symptoms is fine, because then we can get right to work on clearing out any underlying problems that may be building up in your body, before they come to a head or start giving you low-grade chronic pain, which is the body's signal that "something is not right!"
4) Can you be too old or too young to see a Chiropractor?  
No.  We see and treat babies and grandparents.  New borns can get off to a wrong start if there is any difficulty in the delivery or if they have accidents, like rolling off a bed or table.  Toddlers can get into trouble with any bigger than average falls while learning to walk and climb.  Very gentle painless adjustment are employed with young ones and older people too.   Of course when kids get into sports, that also a big cause of spinal misalignments that might take years to turn into chronic pain, but can easily and quickly be located and corrected during the teen years.  And its no surprise that in our later years, our graying years, our bodies get less and less exercise and more and more sitting.  Keeping the spine free of fixations with gentle soothing chiropractic treatments will greatly improve the quality of life in the 50's, 60's and beyond.


The key take-away is:
its so important to help others get over any fears or resistance they may have that is keeping them from having their spine and nerve system checked and getting any Chiropractic treatments they may need.
It can be a life-changing experieince no matter what your age or background.  
Have a history of surgeries?  No problem.  
​We can work around any post-surgical areas.  Just be sure to tell us all about it during your initial exam and consultation with the doctor.

Dr. Stephen Summers