Chiropractic Care

About Chiropractic Care

Like conventional medicine, chiropractic is based upon scientific principles of diagnosis through testing and empirical observations. Treatment is based upon the practitioner's rigorous training and clinical experience. Unlike conventional medicine, which focuses on attempting to treat disease once it occurs, chiropractic attempts to improve the health of the individual in an effort to avoid illness in the first place. Most people would rather be healthy and avoid illness, if they could. This is one of the main reasons for the big upsurge in the popularity of chiropractic. People are recognizing the benefit of seeking an alternative to traditional medicine; one that will help them achieve and maintain optimal health.

What truly differentiates doctors of chiropractic from any other healthcare professionals is the fact that chiropractors are the only professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat what are called spinal subluxations. The word 'subluxation' comes from the Latin words meaning 'to dislocate' (luxate) and 'somewhat or slightly' (sub). So the term 'vertebral subluxation' literally means a slight dislocation (misalignment) of the bones in the spine. Although this term was adequate in the 1800s when much was still misunderstood about the human body, today the word 'subluxation' has changed in meaning to capture the complex of neurological, structural, and functional changes that occur when a bone is 'out of place.' For this reason chiropractors usually refer to subluxations of the spine as the "Vertebral Subluxation Complex", or "VSC" for short. The chiropractic approach to healthcare is holistic, meaning that it addresses your overall health. It recognizes that many lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, rest, and environment impact your health. For this reason, chiropractors recommend changes in lifestyle, eating, exercise, and sleeping habits in addition to chiropractic care.

Chiropractic is so much more than simply a means of relieving pain. Ultimately, the goal of the chiropractic treatment is to restore the body to its natural state of optimal health. Since the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself and to maintain its own health, the primary focus is simply to remove those things which interfere with the body's normal healing ability.

What Is Chiropractic

Chiropractors understand that one of the main causes of pain and disease is the misalignment and abnormal motion of the vertebrae in the spinal column called a subluxation. Chiropractic works by removing these subluxations in the spine, thereby relieving pressure and irritation on the nerves, restoring joint mobility, and returning the body back to a state of normal function.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that chiropractic care is one of the most effective treatments for back pain, neck pain, headaches, whiplash, sports injuries and many other types of musculoskeletal problems. It has even been shown to be effective in reducing high blood pressure, decreasing the frequency of childhood ear infections, and improving the symptoms of asthma. More and more scientific research is demonstrating the tremendous detrimental impact that subluxations have on the tissue of the body. In order to be truly healthy, it is vital that your nervous system be functioning free of interference from subluxations. Chiropractors are the only health professionals trained in the detection, location, and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex through chiropractic care. Subluxation is caused by 'The 4 T's' - Thoughts (negative), Traumas, Toxins, and Technology (poor posture and movement).

Trained Chiropractors

The doctors at Rockrimmon Integrated Medical are trained in several adjusting techniques:

• Palmer Package
• Diversified and Gonstead (classic chiropractic adjusting where a cavitation/cracking noise can be heard - please see the "FAQ" for an explanation of this "popping" noise)
• Activator Methods (very gentle, instrument assisted, no cracking noise)
• Pettibon (spinal correction for abnormal spinal curvatures and scoliosis)
• Upper Cervical specific techniques (Occiput, C1/Atlas, C2/Axis)
• Syntropy Chiropractic Training (comfortable, effective "coupled motion" adjusting without rotation of the neck and back)
• Extremity adjusting (ankles, wrists, knees, shoulders, etc.)
• Soft tissue therapies such as trigger point therapy.

Each of the doctors at Rockrimmon Integrated Medical have safely and successfully adjusted tens of thousands of patients with ages ranging from just minutes old, up to people over 100 years old.

Chiropractic Care for Babies and Young Children

The chiropractors at RIM are specially trained to gently adjust your newborn baby and they do recommend that your child be assessed for spinal subluxation. Untreated traumas during the birthing process and injuries that come during childhood can lead to more complicated problems in later childhood and even into adulthood. When these injuries to the nervous system are addressed early-on, they are much easier to correct. If your child is having trouble nursing, crawling, walking, sleeping, or if they have croup/cough, asthma, or appear to be uncomfortable, have the chiropractors at RIM assess your child to see if chiropractic can help. The pressure used for an adjustment on young children is incredibly light and can be compared to that of pressing on a tomato to see if it is ripe.