Frequently Asked Questions in Yuba City CA

The goal of a Chiropractor is to decrease pain, increase range of motion and bring about normal function in the patient’s life.  Chiropractors work on muscles, soft-tissue and the global regions in the neck, lower-back and attaching extremities to help through the 4-stages of the injury-repair phase: inflammation, proliferation, fibroplasia, and remodeling of the injured area.  To put it in short; Chiropractic care helps the recovery of muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons through the injury-repair cycle.    

The popping sound that comes from an adjustment is called a cavitation, this happens when the gas found within the fluid around joints is moved.  Chronic muscle spasm creates inflammation which sends pain signals causing the muscle to tighten up more and reduce the range of motion.  If you didn’t hear a pop it can mean a variety of things; from tight muscles to reduced end-range of the adjustment, it can also mean your body does not create a cavitation sound which is completely normal.  The outcomes are not measured by ‘popping sounds’ but rather notable parameters like increased range of motion, decreased pain, increase in function, and patient's own response.

So, if you come into a chiropractor for headaches, neck pain, back pain, or car accident and did not hear a popping sound on your first few visits, it is completely normal and for the most part, it is expected.

Most chiropractic visits are covered by insurance, but at Pain Relief Chiropractor we do not go through insurance unless you have been involved in a car accident. Our price for an adjustment is just $40 cash or card.  There is no additional charge.

It is one of the safest healthcare professions.  To put it into perspective Chiropractors have the lowest malpractice premiums; meaning the chance of you getting hurt by a Chiropractor is so low even insurance companies aren’t worried about it.  Chiropractors are recognized across healthcare disciplines as one of the safest drug-free therapy for musculoskeletal injuries including low-back pain, neck pain, and headaches.

There are no known contraindications to Chiropractic while pregnant.  This topic is so advanced that Chiropractors can take special training outside of the normal curriculum which work particularly on soft tissue around the hips, pelvis, and spine.  During pregnancy, Chiropractic is great for maintaining normal posture from the protruding abdomen which increases the back curve.  The pelvis is the housing structure of the baby, misalignment in this may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby, known as intrauterine constraint, and maintaining this can help with a normal delivery.

Everyone is different when it comes to Chiropractic adjustments, most of the time Chiropractic adjustments and treatments are due to the patient having pain in a specific area.  There are some people who get addicted to feeling good and pain-free, so they come in often to maintain a healthy edge and prevent injuries from happening.  Patients who have more severe pain are rescheduled and recommended to come back based on their exam and response to treatment.  Overall, patients can come as needed with no restrictions or contracts.

Chiropractic care is safe for children if no contraindications are found in the history, exam, and evaluation.  These contraindications include but not limited to being diagnosed with ligament laxity, like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or having an acute dislocation of a joint.  Again, a good history and evaluation will decipher if the child is a candidate for treatment.  Licensed Chiropractors are trained to be gentle when treating and adjusting children; as we treat sports injuries, work with children who have back pain due to bad posture and flat feet, scoliosis, and children involved in car crash injuries and more.  In fact, it has been shown that children who develop normal posture in a young age tend to have fewer complex issues as they grow into maturity and become adults, regards to neck and back pain.

The most common misconception is that Chiropractors do not have significant amount of training.  Chiropractors, in fact, must undergo 8 years of higher education before they can be licensed by The State Board.  Chiropractors tend to have 4 years of undergraduate education and usually are a pre-med major which include biology, genetics, biochemistry, physics, and physiology.  After completing a pre-med curriculum, they then attend a Chiropractic Graduate Program, on average these involve 4 years of education with a total of 4,200 hours of academic credits.

• The 1st year: Anatomy, Biochemistry, Spinal Anatomy, and Gross Anatomy Lab.
• The 2nd year: Pathology, Orthopedics, Radiology and Imaging, and Research Analysis.
• The 3rd year: Pediatrics, Dermatology, Gastro-Intestinal Pathology, Physiotherapy.
• The 4th year: Differential Diagnosis, Practice Management, Ethics, and Jurisprudence along with a Clinical Internship/Rotation.

During the 4-year program, the future Chiropractor must take a series of 4 State Board Exams to be licensed and be a Doctor of Chiropractic.

When done by a licensed Chiropractor, soft-tissue rehab above and below the surgical area can tremendously help with pain, range of motion and flexibility.  Like anything, there are risks involved, but a licensed Chiropractor can take a complete history, do a complete orthopedic examination, neurological exam including sensory and motor evaluation, and then decide what treatment type may be best for you during the recovery phase after surgery.  Post-surgical rehab usually lasts 6-10 weeks after which patient transitions into the recovery phase of the healing process.  It’s always good to ask the surgeon what they think about soft-tissue mobilization and spinal manipulation for not the surgical area, but the surrounding areas to decrease muscle tension, pain, and overall fatigue.  The goal is for all healthcare providers to work in sync with each other in a multidisciplinary integrated manner to get the best results for the patient.

Everybody is different, some people feel an effect right after the Chiropractic adjustment and for some, a few visits has minimal progress; this usually depends on what the patient is dealing with.  An acute injury is a sudden injury after a trauma such as car crash, lifting something heavy, and a sports injury; in this injury type the normal healing process in 6-8 weeks as it must navigate through the inflammation stage.  The adjustments will be an adjunct to help facilitate and propagate the healing, but the patient should expect a few weeks before seeing noticeable results when it comes to outcome measures such as a decrease in pain, range of motion and other ODI.  For a chronic injury such as repetitive strain injury, overuse, and prolonged sitting type of injuries, then typically the patient starts to feel instant pain relief after the Chiropractic treatment.  Generally, here the body has already gone through the inflammatory and proliferation phase of the healing process and maybe in the fibroplasia or remodeling stage.  It’s best to let a healthcare provider who focuses on musculoskeletal injuries evaluate each case and give a predictable timeframe of improvement.