Three myths about chiropractic care, and the truth about managing pain

Chiropractic is just for low back pain.

This myth is false. Chiropractic has a long-standing position of being the resource for management of low back pain, neck pain and headache pain. Some chiropractors may only adjust the spine, but here at Grovetown Chiropractic we treat the entire body. Doctor seals has had great success treating hands, feet, shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, ears, and has even adjusted stomachs!

Chiropractic has enjoyed a unique place in the healthcare landscape. While healthcare science has expanded remarkably in this century much of human malady escapes clear diagnosis via conventional means. Chiropractic stands today on the shoulders of it’s founders who practiced in a day when empirical evidences were relied on even more heavily. A chiropractor could be heard to say that before you had disease you had dis-ease. this singular holistic intervention was seen to help a wide array of disorders such as ADHD, autism[1], bed wetting[2], sleep problems[3], range of motion problems, stress, asthma[4], posture issues, joint pain and many other conditions that most people would not think of going to a chiropractor for. The first adjustment ever made allegedly cured deafness.[5]. Wile we wouldn’t advocate for the chiropractor to be sought out as the primary provider for most of these disorders today, this speaks to the breadth of impact of chiropractic as an intervention and as part of a strength/health/wellness first lifestyle.

Under the care of a chiropractor at Grovetown Chiropractic, you will realize that your pain is not your problem. For most, dysfunction in the body has finally become bad enough to cause pain and addressing the disorder improves the pain and much more. Your strength, health, and wellness can be set free with a culture of wellness and a self-care routine that includes chiropractic.

If you visit a chiropractor, you will have to go forever…

This may be true, or this may be false; it depends on the chiropractic office, how bad your condition is and how willing you are to help in the process.

Some chiropractic offices run on the idea that their patients need to come in for scheduled visits for the rest of their lives. We are happy to distinguish ourselves from health care as just a business and strive to help people to a place where they can get rid of their chiropractor! Arriving at a place where you are in a position of stewardship of your own wellness requiring only occasional help from us is the end objective of the care of many of our patients. If we are able to fix your problem and give you the tools to prevent it from coming back, we would be wrong to hide it from you.

Chiropractic care at its best is lasting corrective care. At the heart of the chiropractic adjustment is a motion disorder that is addressed with the adjustment. Getting an adjustment to last, or “hold” can be simple and straightforward, or it can be a lifelong journey and the shortest pathway to success is a comprehensive path that incorporates not only the adjustment but the foresight to engage all the other aspects of healing and wellness that become the difference between getting adjusted and staying adjusted.

Chiropractors just crack bones

This myth may be true or it may be false; it depends on your chiropractor. The adjustment can take many forms but commonly the most direct adjusting techniques are accompanied with an audible release, or a “crack”. In our experience the most direct techniques have proven to be the most direct routes to a lasting improvement, but individual presentations may require modifications in the approach.

Beyond the adjustment is the very important gulf to be bridged between getting adjusted and staying adjusted. There are practices with more brief encounters that basically include an adjustment and that is enough for many people. We have chosen a different embrace of chiropractic that is much more comprehensive. Ideologically we hold the chiropractic intervention in very high esteem and have found over many years the eventual frustration and failure that comes with a repetitive process that stalls with “it helps but doesn’t last” becoming “this doesn’t really work”. Chiropractic deserves better. You deserve better.

Donaid Seals DC.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, March 9). Treatment and intervention services for autism spectrum disorder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/treatment.html

[2] G;, R. W. S. S. (n.d.). Chiropractic management of primary nocturnal enuresis. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7884329/

[3] Kingston, J., Raggio, C., Spencer, K., Stalaker, K., & Tuchin, P. J. (2010, September). A review of the literature on Chiropractic and insomnia. Journal of chiropractic medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188343/

[4] Kaminskyj, A., Frazier, M., Johnstone, K., & Gleberzon, B. J. (2010, March). Chiropractic care for patients with asthma: A systematic review of the literature. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2829683/

[5] JO;, D. D. (n.d.). Improvement in hearing after chiropractic care: A case series. Chiropractic & osteopathy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16423302/copy_4762C1FE-3C10-4AF7-8269-D1C5DC7FD895