Chiropractic
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Content provided by:
Graeme Teague, Doctor of Chiropractic
Christchurch, New Zealand
Chiropractic, a profession with those “for” and “against” it. It seems those for the Chiropractic way of helping back pain give glowing testimonials, and those against damning ones. Why?
As with all professions there are good and bad practitioners. The technique itself has good aspects and those not so good. It is up to individual practitioners as to which techniques they use and how they will apply them.
Most of you may believe that Chiropractic is a relatively new profession. However manipulation of the spine can be traced back as far as times of Hippocrates, and even further back in writings from China and Greece. The modern name of Chiropractic started in 1895 by Daniel Palmer and the profession of Chiropractic formed from there. Prior to this, even in ancient times, those treating the spine were called “bone setters” and even were consulted if fractures occurred.
Traditionally Chiropractic is a therapy that manipulates or adjusts the spine, and only the spine. They used heavy handed techniques and the “rack ‘em and crack ‘em” view of Chiropractic was strong. In modern times this has changed…
The philosophy of Chiropractic remains however, that your spine is an integral part in your health. The nervous system if interrupted will not only affect your aches and pains, it will also affect your general wellbeing. Chiropractic believes that by manipulating the spine and removing irritations around the joint, the nervous system will work correctly and health returned.
How this is achieved differs from each practitioner…
From a manipulation viewpoint – you have the traditional Chiropractors who still adjust the spine with heavy techniques. There is an audible sound as they manipulate. At time it may be painless and other times you may feel a bit sore from the adjustment.
There are techniques within Chiropractic that use machines, called Activator Guns, which will adjust the spine. These are painless and use a high velocity to “shock” the joint, helping the movement to be returned.
There are also even more gentle techniques that require no force at all on the joint and these encourage the joint to move better. Completely painless and even some of these techniques can be taught to be used at home to help reinforce the treatment in the Chiropractor’s office.
Chiropractic in general still looks at the spine as being a major factor in your health. But as research and education have improved, so has the overall technique. Now a lot of Chiropractors use nutrition, Acupuncture/Acupressure, Homeopathy, exercise and other muscle techniques to help improve not only your back pain, but also your general health.
It is up to each individual to seek help from a practitioner they identify with, the techniques they use and the approach to your health.
Dr Graeme Teague, DC, B.Sc, B.App.Sc, Cert.Hom, M.N.Z.C.A is a practicing Chiropractor in Christchurch, New Zealand. Dr Teague is a specialist in Applied Kinesiology and Acupressure. He is the author of self-help books The X-Pain Method, The Calm Mind, The Headache Code, and The X-Stress Method. Dr Teague has been practicing since 1991 and specializes in chronic and difficult back pain conditions. To get a free copy of his Back Pain Code Click Here!
