Frequently Asked Questions in Ephraim UT

Chiropractic is a health care specialty that focuses on restoring normal function in the joints, nerves, muscles, and connective tissues of the body to effectively remove or fix painful and debilitating physical conditions. This is accomplished using non-invasive means and methods without the use of surgeries and pharmaceuticals.

The most prevalent conditions we treat are back pain, neck pain, and headaches, but also many other painful conditions of joints in the extremities, radiating pain, and even the jaw. Mostly we treat chronic conditions, but we also treat acute and traumatic injuries like whiplash and low back pain associated with auto accidents very effectively.

An adjustment is a quick and precise movement of a motion segment or joint of the body for the purpose of restoring proper movement or alignment, reducing nerve pressure and restoring normal nerve function, restoring normal muscle tonality, and reforming rigid connective tissues back to more elastic tissues for more complete rehabilitation.

Very safe! No treatment can be completely safe, but adverse incidence is extremely rare and is usually very mild if encountered.

There is not a “one size fits all” answer to that question, but in general, if your condition has been there longer it will take longer to get better. After your initial examination it is easier to start making estimates, but after a few treatments it becomes much more clear as to how many treatments you might need.

The most obvious benefit is just feeling better soon, but there is a wide range of benefits for each individual. One college-age patient didn’t know what it was like to wake up without a headache and started every morning with an aspirin, but after some treatments there were no more headaches. Another patient was a regular at our office for 20 years until shortly before passing at age 99, and she said chiropractic care kept her going. The list goes on and on, but in general, regular chiropractic care can slow the degeneration process that happens to all of us in life, keep us more mobile, and help preserve quality of life.

For most people, risks of chiropractic treatment are very minuscule and vary by the individual. There are some conditions that would be dangerous for a chiropractor to treat, but these people are usually actively seeking care with a medical doctor. Moreover, these conditions should be easy for a chiropractor to identify and make the proper referral. If you are concerned about a purported risk of any kind, please ask us about it.

Relatively non-painful! Adjustments can be startling at first, but soon you are a pro. In acute pain situations it can be a little tricky to receive a treatment with minimal aggravation, but most people feel that it was much better than they expected.

Experience, talent, knowledge, and more—but I’m strongly motivated to help get you well and I will always do my best!

For an established patient, it is usually 10 minutes with the doctor but can be longer depending on what is needed at that visit.

It is very helpful for painful conditions common during pregnancy and healthy for both mom and baby.

Yes, I’m totally addicted! But seriously, there is no real addiction or a reliance on chiropractic if you don’t want to continue using it.

The scientific term for that crack sound is a “cavitation,” which means that a small amount of atmospheric gas escapes from the liquid solution within the capsule surrounding your joints. That’s what causes the sound. The gas gradually dissolves back into the solution over about the next 20 minutes. This cavitation is common during an adjustment but completely normal if it does not occur. Some people’s joints crack a lot and some don’t, but they all seem to get better with the treatment.

The best answer to that is only sometimes: you may be able to move some joints and make them crack, but was it done correctly or therapeutically? I have all the training but I cannot treat myself properly. I need a chiropractor to help me too!

Most do but some do not. It is always best to have our office check that for you or you can call the customer service number on your card on your own if you want to.

Chiropractic care has helped countless people with back pain, but until I examine the back I can’t say if it would help or not.

Neck pain is one of the conditions that we treat on a daily basis, but some causes of neck pain may not be treatable by a chiropractor, so the neck would need to be examined.

If the cause of the headache is in the neck, then there is a good chance that chiropractic care will help the headache.

Chiropractic care and physical therapy are different but both are helpful at the right stage of care. The chiropractor is focused more on the proper function or movement of individual joints and the associated tissues. The physical therapist is focused more on exercises and movement patterns as therapy to help in the desired rehabilitation. Both types of treatment may be needed together at times.

Yes, sprains and strains heal remarkably faster and better with the addition of chiropractic care to the rehabilitation process.

Absolutely. It can help in at least two ways: by improving flexibility in the spine and by decreasing pain to make it easier to hold a good posture.

I have come to always expect patients to get much better under chiropractic care. In reality, most people do get significantly better and many get all the way better, but there is a small percentage that I can’t help. I like to think that you will be in that group that gets better!

Absolutely; without question; thankfully! It is very rewarding and I love the interpersonal part (we sometimes call that friendship) that results from finding healthy solutions together with my patients.

The simple answer is yes, it is out—but that answer may be a little too simplistic. The “back is out” concept has a complex combination of components and goes far beyond the notion that a bone is out of its proper place. This would be about an hour-long lecture that I’m sure would amuse you, but let’s just say that this condition involves not just the position of the bone but also the condition of the muscles, nerves, fascia, joint capsule, tendons, ligaments, etc. No wonder it hurts so much and feels so much better when it is finally fixed, right? Well, fixing it is usually more of a process than an event and most times doesn’t happen overnight as you know—so trust the process and get better.