Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is Greek for ‘to do by hand’.
Chiropractic is a recognised health care discipline which emphasises the inherent, recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. The practice of chiropractic is based upon the scientific fact that your nervous system runs and controls every cell, tissue, organ, system and function of your body. Read more
What do chiropractors do?
A chiropractor works in the largest drug-free health care profession in the world.
Chiropractic care focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.
A chiropractor uses their hands to control and manipulate the body, to adjust and realign the body to create an unrestricted flow of communication between the spine and the rest of the body. Read more
What is a subluxation?
A subluxation occurs when one, or more vertebrae (spinal bones) misaligns and loses its proper motion.
Subluxations can be caused by anything from the birthing process to falls, from sport or accidents and practically everything in between.
When this occurs, pressure may be placed on the nerves carrying information between the brain and body, ultimately affecting the body’s performance. The end result is often sickness and disease, such as headaches you may be suffering from, or the asthma you thought was due to a change in the climate.
How do I know if I have a subluxation?
Most people have subluxations before they know it. Like the early stages of tooth decay, subluxations can be present before warning signs appear.
So, when that pain or warning sign hits, the best way to correct subluxations is to visit your OneWay chiropractor for a thorough chiropractic, neurological, orthopaedic and (where needed), x-ray examination. Your test results will show the location and severity of the subluxations you may have and the best course of action to correct them.
Contact us to make an appointment.
Why are x-rays used?
To see is to know. The importance of x-rays is that they provide an inside look at the condition of your spine, your spinal curves and any spinal decay.
X-rays, along with your orthopaedic, neurological and chiropractic examinations, help your OneWay chiropractor formulate the best possible course of treatment and required care plan to help correct any identified problems.
What is a chiropractic adjustment?
An adjustment, or adjusting technique, is the means by which your OneWay chiropractor corrects spinal subluxations.
There are many and varied techniques your chiropractor may use, depending upon his examination results and whether he’s adjusting a baby, the elderly, a pregnant woman or a normal sized adult.
Some techniques involve applying a very quick, gentle and extremely specific thrust to the vertebrae, while others utilise adjusting instruments and drop piece tables that apply an equally gentle but specific force that do the adjustment for you. Either way, your OneWay chiropractor will use what technique is best suited for your individual care.
Contact us to discuss your options.
What makes the sound during an adjustment?
A clicking or popping sound is often heard with the adjustment. It’s perfectly harmless and pain free.
The popping sound is caused by gases in the joint, namely oxygen and nitrogen, mixing together. It’s the same sound you get when you ‘crack’ your knuckles, or when you lift a pane of glass off a wet bench and it causes a popping sound. The sound is not painful and is not necessarily heard with each adjustment.
It isn’t bone rubbing on bone as some people have incorrectly thought, but rather gases escaping from the joint. Some people have a misconception that the louder the noise, the better the adjustment. This is not true. The noise, or lack of it, has nothing to do whether the adjustment is good or not.
Can adjustments wear out the spine?
No. Quite the opposite. If you have a subluxation and you don’t adjust it, research has shown that the discs will eventually wear out and the spinal bones will fuse together, causing major spinal nerve entrapment and damage to cells and organs.
Bones, muscles and ligaments need to be exercised to stay healthy. Besides removing the subluxation, an adjustment is the best form of exercise you can give your spine.
How many adjustments will I need?
The number of adjustments varies from patient to patient, depending on the severity of their problem and their individual health goals. Symptomatically, chiropractic works extremely quickly, with most patients experiencing a rapid change in their symptoms after only a few adjustments up to a few weeks.
Because human beings are unique and individual, no two patients respond exactly the same. As the body heals and stabilises over a period of weeks or months, visits become less frequent. Naturally, the more chronic the condition, the longer the body takes to heal.
Contact us to book an appointment for an assessment.
Can I adjust myself?
Although some patients try to administer a self-adjustment, it only increases their problems long term. The joint becomes hypermobile and extremely unstable.
A chiropractic adjustment is a specific force, in a specific direction to a specific joint. This is why adjustments should be left to your OneWay chiropractor who is highly trained and skilled, through years of university training, to not only locate the ‘correct’ subluxation, but also to adjust it.
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Do babies and children need chiropractic?
Absolutely. It’s been said that “you’ve never had a chance since birth”. And it’s true as most spinal subluxations begin at birth. When you consider that the ‘normal’ birth process is often traumatic, then you can appreciate the terrible spinal trauma that is inflicted upon a baby’s spine when it is delivered using forceps or other instruments.
In the 1930s a medical researcher by the name of Dr Towbin discovered that 7 out of 8 babies that died at birth or shortly thereafter, died from spinal cord damage due to the birthing process. This is why it is vital that all babies and children suffering from any type of pain or discomfort are checked by your OneWay chiropractor for pain-causing subluxations.
Research shows that on average, children have two and a half thousand (2500) falls by the time they are five years old. This is why children suffering from spinal subluxations often present with symptoms such as headaches and back pain. Techniques used to adjust children are extremely gentle and safe.
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Am I too old for chiropractic care?
You are never too old for chiropractic care. More and more people, especially in their later years, are visiting chiropractors to regain their health and vitality and to stay healthy and because every drug has a side effect, chiropractic care is rapidly growing in popularity due to its safe and natural approach.
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are common complaints of the elderly that respond well to chiropractic care. As these symptoms improve, patients report a rapid improvement in other conditions they thought was just part of the aging process they had to put up with.
Whatever your problem, you’ll find your OneWay Chiropractic experience to be extremely safe and gentle and a vital process in your quest to regain your health.
Contact us to book an appointment.
What is a ‘slipped disc’?
Physically, it’s impossible to slip a disk, even though you might have been told this in the past. Your disks are firmly attached to the vertebrae above and below them.
When you hear someone mention that they have a ‘slipped disk’, what they are referring to is a condition where disks can bulge and herniate due to injury or the ongoing effects of subluxations and degeneration.
It’s often a case of ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’. When subluxations have been present for some time, it often only requires a simple bending over or lifting a light object for the back to let go and you’re stuck in a bent over position. The sooner you get to your OneWay Chiropractor the sooner you’ll be back to normal.
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What is a pinched nerve?
When people refer to a pinched nerve they really mean the nerve has been irritated or chaffed, causing an interference to the normal nerve supply that may result in an increased or decreased nerve supply.
Either way, it is usually very painful and you’ll need to see your OneWay Chiropractor as quickly as possible.
Don’t delay, contact us to make an appointment.
How safe is chiropractic?
Extremely safe. And because chiropractors have specific techniques for every type of patient, from babies to the elderly, you can rest assured your visit to your OneWay Chiropractor is going to be not only safe, but gentle also. Although chiropractic is safe and has a fantastic safety record, it should be noted that all modalities carry an element of risk, no matter how small the possibility.
In the latest major new study on the risk of stroke following manipulation of the neck, which reinforces the safety of chiropractic care for people with neck pain, the Report concluded that patients are no more at risk of having a rare type of stroke after visiting a chiropractor than they are after visiting a medical practitioner.
Ref: Risk of Vertebrobasilar Stroke and Chiropractic Care – David Cassidy DC PhD, as part of the multidisciplinary, international task force on Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 led by Scott Haldeman DC PhD MD.
Do medical practitioners work ‘together’ with chiropractors?
More and more research is showing the incredible benefits of chiropractic. Although all medical practitioners should welcome chiropractors with open arms, this is not always the case. Although we all practice the same philosophy, that the ‘welfare of the sick is the supreme law’, medical acceptance of chiropractic has been slow to change.
With millions of people world-wide receiving the benefits of chiropractic, public opinion has demanded a change. Today, more and more medical practitioners are referring patients to our clinics. Veterans Affairs and Workers’ Compensation cover chiropractic. Should you need a referral from a medical practitioner for Workers Compensation or because you are a Veterans Affairs patient, keep shopping around until you find one who will refer you to us.
Do you have another question?
Please ask your OneWay Chiropractic Doctor. We will be more than happy to answer it for you.
