Chiropractic is one of the fastest and largest growing health and healing profession in the United States. Chiropractic is the second largest primary healthcare in the world. There are approximately 60,000 chiropractors in the United States. Most graduating chiropractors have approximately 8 years of college. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, talked a lot about spinal misalignment and it's effects on the human body. Therefore, primitive forms of modern chiropractic have been used for centuries. At that time, they were considered "bonesetters". Modern chiropractic, as we know it today, started more than 100 years ago.
The popularity of Natural Alternative Medicines are skyrocketing. People are looking for natural alternatives to drugs and surgery and chiropractic has been proven to be twice as effective as medical treatment in returning injured workers to their jobs faster. The use of chiropractic care has also, been proven to be more cost effective.

Over 85% of Americans will suffer from severe low back pain in their lifetime. At least, 40% of Americans with back pain lasting more than two weeks will see a chiropractor for their problem. Chiropractors in the United States saw over 13,000,000 new patients last year. There are many techniques used by chiropractors and their primary focus is to get to the root of the problem. Chiropractors do not just treat symptoms. Their primary objective is to help prevent nerve interference that is caused from spinal misalignment. When one or more vertebrae loses their normal position, they can cause pressure on the nerves. It only takes the amount of pressure of a nickle to create this nerve interference. Keep in mind, that the spinal column is the power house of all bodily functions and that all the nerves that exit the spinal cord supply every organ and tissue within the entire body. This pressure can cause dis-ease on the tissues that are supplied by that specific nerve and in turn, can cause disease. The misalignment of the vertebrae and the pinching of nerves is called a subluxation. This subluxation is what chiropractors address directly, and can be corrected with the use of an adjustment. Indirectly, they also help prevent nerve damage, decrease muscle spasm, prevent surrounding tissue damage; on the tendons, ligaments and disc, they also, help to prevent spinal degeneration which can be caused from long-term spinal misalignment. If the front end of your car is out of alignment, your tires would wear unevenly. The same thing happens when your vertebrae are out of alignment, your joints wear unevenly and this causes wear and tear which over time leads to arthritis.

Chiropractic can be used one of two ways. First, you can use it to take the edge of the pain, which is like taking an aspirin and doesn't get to the root of the problem. Or, secondly, you can use it to get to the root of the problem. This is may be accomplished through a schedule of care designed specifically for the patient and allows for optimal results. However, the first goal, is to get some pain relief. This may be assisted with the use of physical therapy modalities that help to relieve tissue swelling and prevent muscle spasm. Then, it is usually followed by an adjustment.
The adjustment itself may vary from chiropractor to chiropractor, depending on their own style and techniques. Once the pain starts to go away does not mean that the problem is gone.
When you have a problem the pain is the last thing that you get and the first thing to go away. At this time, it may be possible to get some correction of the spine. This process is like having braces on your teeth. It is necessary to continue with care, in order to get further correction of the spine. As each adjustment builds on the next, this allows for maximum results. How much correction a patient will receive is dependent on a few things. First, two people can have the same surgery, and due to genetics, one may heal faster that the other. Secondly, how fast a person heals may be depend on how long the problem has been there. The more chronic the condition, the harder it is to correct. Third, it may also be dependent on what a patient does on a daily basis. For example, if a person works at a job that consist of repetition and that person continues to do what they have always done, the stress that caused it may continue to aggravate the situation and prevent it from healing as fast as it normally would. And lastly, It is important for a person to follow all recommendations. The more consistent a person is with the treatment that is recommended, the better their results. Chiropractic is a process of rehabilitating the spine and it's surrounding tissues. And multiple adjustments may be necessary in order for the spine to hold itself within normal positions. Furthermore, the vertebrae may not have been in place for a long period of time and may take a while to stay in proper alignment. Each adjustment builds on the next, in order to rehabilitate those vertebrae and surrounding tissues to stay in place. The bottom line is, the problem did not get there over night and will not go away over night. If a person does not fully comply with their individual treatment recommendations, it can create a two step forward, one step back process which can prolong treatment and prevent optimal results for the patient.
Prevention is another key aspect, when using chiropractic care. We have a lot of stress on our bodies; including physical stress, nutritional stress and emotional stress. When this happens our bodies are designed to cope with that stress and for short-term can correct it. But, when a person is under a great deal of stress day after day, week after week and year after year, it becomes chronic and this causes dis-ease on the body which in turn causes disease. This is what Dr. Hazelwood refers to as, Micro-traumas. Our bodies eventually become exhausted, fatigued and at that time our systems will break down and we usually, experience red flag signals. These signals tell us that something is wrong with our bodies. They include; neck pain, tiredness, headaches, back pain, and the list goes on and on. If these signals are ignored long enough, it can lead to long-term illnesses and at that time the problem may not be correctable. Therefore, when a patient finishes a series of treatments it is very important for that person to follow up with some form of a maintenance program. This may help prevent the problem from returning or progressing. The average maintenance adjustment is given every 4 weeks. This may vary depending on the nature of an individuals problem and the amount of stress that they are under on a day to day basis. Generally, preventative care helps prevent the problem from returning to the degree of it's original nature, or if a person does have a flair-up, they will usually bounce back faster.

Here at Healthy Solutions, all new patients begin their care with a consultation by the doctor. During the consultation the patient's health history is discussed and the doctor decides if the patient has a condition that chiropractic can help. The consultation is followed by a physical exam. This exam includes different neurological and orthopedic tests to determine the nature of the patient's problem. If necessary, x-rays of the problem area may be taken. The doctor uses the findings of these procedures to determine the diagnosis and what treatment recommendation will be given. Treatment usually consist of a spinal adjustments and an adjunctive therapy, this can speed up the healing process. The spinal adjustment is perhaps the most important aspect of chiropractic care. The doctor will monitor the patient's progress and will perform re-evaluations and re-examinations about every 4 weeks to determine continued treatment schedule. A series of treatments can last from a few weeks up to several months depending on the nature of the patient's problem.

If you are interested in learning more about your specific problem, please call our office today to set up your