Who are chiropractors?
Chiropractors diagnose and treat musculoskeletal and nerve disorders that cause chronic pain and discomfort. They use non-invasive therapies such as spinal manipulation, mobilization, exercise, massage, heat and cold therapy, and lifestyle changes to reduce pain in the bones, joints, nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They rely on the body's ability to heal; hence, they do not prescribe pain medications or surgeries.
Chiropractic care is for everyone, including children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Patients commonly consult chiropractors for back, neck, shoulders, sacroiliac joints, knees, and joint pain. They can help people experiencing frequent headaches or migraines, some forms of arthritis, whiplash (neck injury), and sciatica (a type of nerve pain).
What are the education, training, and specialties of chiropractors?
Chiropractors first complete an undergraduate degree in science subjects such as biology or kinesiology, followed by a 4-year program in chiropractic school. During their training, they also do a year-long internship where they study under an experienced chiropractor. Lastly, they obtain licensure and board certification by passing the necessary examinations.
After becoming a doctor of chiropractic (D.C.), they can either start practicing or earn a specialization by doing 2-3 years of residency. They can choose different fields, including:
- Radiology (study of imaging techniques such as X-rays and MRI scans to diagnose and treat injuries and disorders)
- Rehabilitation (restoring strength, balance, mobility, physical function, and overall health, especially after sustaining significant injuries)
- Internal medicine (diagnosis and treatment of conditions aside from just joints and muscles)
- Neurology (focuses on disorders related to the nervous system)
- Sports medicine (involves treatment of sport-related injuries)
- Acupuncture (a part of Chinese traditional medicine wherein needles are inserted in targeted areas to promote healing)
- Pediatrics (focuses on treating children and adolescents)
- Clinical nutrition (involves nutritional and lifestyle counseling to improve health)
- Occupational health (focuses on treating employees suffering from work-related musculoskeletal injuries and disorders)
What are the different chiropractic modalities?
Chiropractors arrive at a correct diagnosis using your complete medical history, physical exams, diagnostic tests, and imaging tests. They will chart your treatment schedule if they feel chiropractic care can improve your condition.
However, some people may not be fit for chiropractic manipulation—for instance, those with bone diseases and infections, fractures, joint inflammation, circulation issues, and neurological conditions. In that case, the chiropractor will refer you to a different specialist.
Chiropractors use various therapies to treat pain in different body parts, including:
- Spinal manipulation: use of hands to apply force on different joints of the spine, neck, and other body parts to improve motion and physical function.
- Ultrasound: uses sound waves that create heat to treat pain, inflammation, stiffness, and muscle spasms.
- Heat and cold therapy: the former relaxes muscles, improves blood circulation, and reduces pain, while the latter reduces swelling and pain.
- Massage and soft tissue mobilization: involves hands-on techniques to massage and treat soft-tissue pain to improve their function.
- Therapeutic exercise and stretches: include at-home strengthening exercises to reduce pain, increase strength, stability, and range of motion, and prevent future damage.
- Spinal traction: uses a unique device to lengthen the spine and heal the damage.
- Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS): a portable device that uses low voltage electrical current to treat pain. Chiropractors provide it for home use.
- Interferential current: another type of electrical muscle stimulation that treats chronic pain from surgeries, medical conditions, or injuries.
- Cold laser: treats inflammation using low red and near-infrared light levels.
- Dietary and lifestyle changes: chiropractors advise on the importance of good nutrition and lifestyle choices for long-term health. They may recommend dietary supplements and a diet plan to manage weight and improve pain. Similarly, they will help you shift to a healthier lifestyle if you follow an unhealthy one, such as smoking, regular alcohol use, poor sleep, poor posture, lack of exercise, and stress.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care?
Chiropractic care is an alternative medicinal approach that believes your body can heal independently, aided by specific hands-on manipulations administered by a trained professional. These manipulations aim to realign the joints, thereby providing relief from pain. Some benefits of chiropractic care are:
- Improves neck pain: Poor posture, prolonged sitting, or frequent phone use usually cause neck pain. A chiropractor can realign your spine and reduce tension in your neck muscles. A study in 2019 has observed that spinal manipulation is more effective than medication in treating non-specific neck pain and can regulate neuropeptide levels in your blood.
- Reduces reliance on opioid pain relievers: Chiropractic treatment may help reduce the need for opioid pain relievers in individuals suffering from chronic pain, according to a 2020 study. The study compared the use of opioid prescriptions between patients who visited only their doctors versus those who also sought treatment from a chiropractor. The results revealed that people who visited a chiropractor were less likely to take an opioid prescription for spinal pain.
- Eases back pain: Before resorting to medication or invasive procedures, consider non-medication treatments for back pain. Options include chiropractic care, exercise, acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation. A 2017 review found that spinal manipulation (chiropractic care) may provide moderate improvements in short-term back pain and function. Chiropractic therapy may also be a cost-effective alternative to traditional methods for chronic lower back pain.
- Eases headache symptoms: Spinal manipulation is an effective treatment for tension headaches and headaches caused by neck problems. A 2016 study found that people who received cervical and upper thoracic spine manipulation reported more significant pain relief compared to those who underwent exercise and movement therapy. The pain relief lasted for three months after the treatment.
- Helps improve posture: Chiropractic treatment can improve poor posture caused by sitting. A 2017 case study found that a woman suffering from back and neck pain along with headaches due to hyperkyphosis or hunchback posture showed significant improvement in posture and pain relief after undergoing 30 chiropractic treatments over six months.
Chiropractic care during pregnancy
Pregnancy brings numerous physical and hormonal changes that can significantly impact your posture and comfort. As your baby grows heavier, your center of gravity changes, which can alter your posture and strain your body. These changes often result in misalignment of the spine or joints, a protruding abdomen that increases the curvature in your back, and pelvic adjustments as your body prepares for labor. Such changes can lead to discomfort and other complications if not addressed.
Visiting a chiropractor during pregnancy can help restore spinal and pelvic alignment, offering several benefits. Chiropractic care can alleviate nausea symptoms, reduce the time spent in labor, and relieve back, neck, hip, and joint pain. Additionally, it supports a healthier and more comfortable pregnancy by maintaining overall body balance and alignment.
Proper pelvic alignment is beneficial for you and your baby. A misaligned pelvis can reduce the space for your baby to move, a condition known as intrauterine constraint. This restriction can lead to congenital issues and make it difficult for the baby to settle into the optimal birthing position. Incorrect positioning of the baby can prolong and complicate the delivery.
While chiropractic care during pregnancy offers numerous advantages, it is essential to consult your OB-GYN to ensure it is safe for your specific situation. There are certain conditions where chiropractic adjustments should be avoided, such as vaginal bleeding, ectopic pregnancy, moderate to severe toxemia, placenta previa, or placental abruption.
Addressing physical changes during pregnancy through chiropractic care can enhance your comfort and overall well-being while supporting a safer and smoother delivery process.
What should one expect during the first visit to a chiropractor near you?
Just like your primary care doctor, chiropractors will want to know more about your past health. So carry all the information, such as medical reports, a list of medication and supplements, and information on any recent illnesses, injuries, or accidents. Write things down to ensure you remember all the details.
While preparing for your visit, it's advisable to wear comfortable attire and avoid wearing jewelry. Insurance plans frequently cover chiropractic care, but you can check with your insurance provider before the visit if you need clarification.
During your first visit to a chiropractor, you'll undergo a thorough assessment encompassing various aspects of your health. This involves providing information about migraines, sleep patterns, diet, and physical activity. The chiropractor will proceed with a physical examination to evaluate your posture, muscle strength, and joint mobility. In some cases, they will take X-rays to gain further insights.
The chiropractor will request you to lie down on the table for treatment. Chiropractic treatment tables are designed for targeted adjustments, facilitating the chiropractor's efforts to identify and address misalignments (subluxations) that may impact various areas of your spine and body. Chiropractors utilize gentle manipulation techniques to realign your spine or joints. These adjustments can sometimes result in audible popping or cracking sounds.
Following a chiropractic procedure, minor side effects like mild headaches, temporary fatigue, or localized soreness are common. While exceedingly rare, potentially serious complications include pinched nerves, herniated discs, or even stroke. Fortunately, most individuals experience immediate relief and an overall improvement in their health. Chiropractors also provide valuable advice on maintaining proper posture and may collaborate with other medical professionals to ensure holistic care.
How many visits you need for your treatment will depend on your circumstances. The chiropractor may advise ongoing maintenance care for chronic conditions even after improving your symptoms. The frequency of the required visits may also depend on how you respond to treatment and the chiropractor's periodic assessment. While research on maintenance care is limited, preliminary findings suggest that proactive, preventive care may lead to more favorable outcomes than seeking treatment in response to worsening symptoms.
Where can you find top chiropractors near you in Fairfax, VA?
Chronic pain in any body part, such as the back, neck, or knees, limits physical function, thus leading to loss of independence. It impacts your work, social, and personal life to a great extent. Visiting a chiropractor can reduce pain and increase mobility and flexibility in the affected area. So, visit this practitioner for a chiropractic massage near you with Zocdoc's help.
If you wish to receive chiropractic care, Zocdoc can match you with the country's best chiropractors in your area, who also accept your insurance. To do so, go to the website's search box and enter your specialty (type of chiropractor), location (Fairfax, Virginia), desired consultation date, and insurance details.
If you need help finding chiropractors who accept your insurance, our online patient support center is here to assist. Using Zocdoc, you can easily link your medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to your account, although you can use only one plan per appointment.
Individuals with multiple insurance plans can add their secondary insurance details to the appointment notes. Alternatively, if your provider utilizes Zocdoc’s Intake forms, you can conveniently enter your secondary insurance information directly.
You will receive a long list of chiropractors available in and around your residence that you can refine using Zocdoc filters—hospital affiliations, pediatric care, appointment timings, and the expert's gender and language. Although it is better to consult chiropractors in their offices, those with travel restrictions or emergencies can check for experts in the video visits tab.
Additionally, every expert has a dedicated profile page with relevant information about their practice names, education and training, board certifications, experience, expertise, awards, and publications. You can also review patient feedback to learn first-hand about your experiences with the chiropractor. If you still have more queries, the FAQs may have the answers.
Once you have finished your search and zeroed down on a chiropractor, you can complete the online form to finalize your booking for a chiropractor near you. Booking appointments on Zocdoc is easy, secure, and 100% free.
Statistics on pain disorders and chiropractors in Virginia
America's Health Rankings published an analysis of the prevalence of arthritis in Virginia. Based on this report, around 27.9% of adults in the state had some form of arthritis in 2022. About 27.6% of the affected adults were females compared to approximately 21.3% of males. In 2021, the number of arthritis cases among females rose to nearly 31.5%, clearly proving the more affected gender. Almost half of the patients (about 50.8%) were aged 65+, followed by about 30.8% between ages 45-64 and 8.1% from the 18-44 age group.
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 5,450 people (about 3,370 men and 2,070 women) suffered occupational musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses in Virginia in 2020. Service sector workers were the most affected, with about 1,440 cases, followed by about 1,270 affected persons from the transportation and material moving sector. Approximately 2,010 persons had back problems, about 800 had shoulder issues, and 460 had knee problems, making them the most impacted body parts.
The May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the number of chiropractors in U.S. states found that Virginia had about 840 chiropractors. These numbers were less than other U.S. states, thus demanding a scope for improvement.
Sources
National Center for Biotechnology Information[1]
National Center for Biotechnology Information[2]
National Center for Biotechnology Information[3]
National Center for Biotechnology Information[4]
BioMed Central Ltd
Healthline[1]
Healthline[2]
WebMD
Medical News Today
Verywell Health
SpineUniverse
Family Chiropractic Plus
America's Health Rankings
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics[1]
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics[2]
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