Madison
Heights Chiropractic Center
Frequently Asked Questions
What is
chiropractic?
Can it help me?
Doesn’t all that cracking and popping hurt?
How long will it take to get better?
How much will
it cost?
What can I expect on my first visit?
What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a branch of the healing
arts which is based upon the understanding that good health depends, in
part, upon a normally functioning nervous system (especially the spine,
and the nerves extending from the spine to all parts of the body). It
looks to address disfunctions not by the use of drugs and chemicals,
but by locating and adjusting a musculoskeletal area of the body which
is not properly functioning.
Your spinal column is a series of movable
bones which begin at the base of your skull and end in the center of
your hips. Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves extend down the spine from
the brain and exit through a series of openings. The nerves leave the
spine and form a complicated network which power, regulate, and control
every living tissue in your body.
Gravity, accidents, falls, stress,
tension, overexertion, and countless other factors can result in a
displacements or derangements of the spinal column, causing irritation
to spinal nerve roots. These irritations (interference) are often what
cause malfunctions in the human body. Chiropractic teaches that reducing
or eliminating this interference to spinal nerves can cause your body to
operate more efficiently and more comfortably.
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Can it help me?
Chiropractic care has been shown to be
beneficial in the treatment of a wide variety of problems. Most well
known for treatment of low back pain, neck pain, headaches, and disc
issues, Chiropractic care has been linked to beneficial treatment of
many, many other problems and diseases.
After an extensive study of all currently
available care for low back problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy
and Research- a federal government research organization- recommended
that low back pain sufferers choose the most conservative care first.
And it recommends spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective,
drugless form of initial professional treatment for acute low back pain
in adults.
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Doesn’t all that
cracking and popping hurt?
Under normal circumstances, adjustments
don't hurt. The patient may experience a minor amount of discomfort
during the adjustment which lasts only seconds. Since structural changes
are being made in the body, a minimal amount of soreness sometimes
occurs after the first few adjustments. Adjustments or manipulations are
extremely safe. The risk factor is estimated to be in excess of 1
million to 1.
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How long will it take to
get better?
In general there are three stages of care
that lead to spinal wellness.
1. Intensive corrective care-
Three visit’s a week. By the time most people get adjusted, their body
has been through the ringer. It is important to be seen more frequently
in the corrective stage in order to build on the improvements made from
the previous visit.
2. Stabilization care- Two to
Eight visits per month. This stage of care is the musculo-ligamentous
retraining period. Muscles and ligaments hold each and every vertebrae
in place. As the body begins to adapt and “hold the adjustments” better,
the frequency of visits decreases.
3. Maintenance care- This is the
preventative stage of chiropractic care. Adjustments, once a month,
following the corrective and stabilization stages, allows for
misalignments to be found and adjusted before most serious damage can
occur.
How
much will it cost?
At Madison Heights Chiropractic Center,
we pride ourselves on quality care at an affordable price. The cost of
your visits will depend on the severity of your condition and the
treatments deemed necessary by the doctor. Chiropractic care has been
found to be more cost effective than most other avenues of treatment for
many conditions. At MHCC, we are conscious of the economic hardships
facing many of us at this time. Payment plans are available for those in
need.
We do accept most insurance policies.
Depending on your individual policy, you may have a deductible that must
be reached before the insurance company will begin contributing for your
visits. Your plan may also have a co-payment that makes you responsible
for the portion of the fee that is not contributed by your insurance
carrier.
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What can I expect on my
first visit?
On the first visit, the patient is
required to fill out the necessary paperwork. The doctor will then sit
down with the patient and go over the history of the chief complaint, as
well as relevant past medial history. A comprehensive examination will
be performed, consisting of neurological, orthopedic, and reflex
studies. Postural and spinal analysis will also be performed, all
leading to the doctors diagnosis. Based on the findings, x-ray and other
diagnostic studies may be performed. The entire visit will last about
1-1 ½ hours.
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