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Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is concerned with human health and disease processes. Doctors of Chiropractic are physicians who consider man as an integrated being and give special attention to the physiological and biochemical aspects including structural, spinal, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, nutritional, emotional and environmental relationships.

The practice and procedures which may be employed by Doctors of Chiropractic are based on the academic and clinical training received in and through accredited chiropractic colleges and include, but are not limited to, the use of current diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Such procedures specifically include the adjustment and manipulation of the articulations and adjacent tissues of the human body, particularly of the spinal column. Included is the treatment of intersegmental aberrations for alleviation of related functional disorders.

Chiropractic is a drug-free, non-surgical science and, as such, does not include pharmaceuticals or incisive surgery. Due regard shall be given to the fact that state laws, as well as the nation's antitrust laws, may allow Doctors of Chiropractic to utilize ancillary health care procedures commonly referred to as being in the common domain.
No. Chiropractors use a variety of techniques and instruments to remove subluxations from the spine. Some techniques produce an audible popping sound from the spine, while others create no noise at all. All are safe when performed by a licensed professional. At ProHealth & Wellness, we utilize many different techniques to assist our patient's in their return to health. We believe the more comfortable the adjustment the better. Therefore, patient input is important to us.
This is a good question. However a better question might be, when was the last time you had your spinal health evaluated? This may sound amusing at first, but think of how often we have dental exams. How about mammography? Why should it be any different when it comes to your spinal health? Most people are unaware that the nervous system courses through the bones in their back (vertebra). Often times they wait for pain to decide to have a spinal evaluation. Unfortunately, this may be too late. Pain is usually a symptom of a problem left unchecked over a period of time. All people should have periodic spinal evaluations to monitor the health of their spine and nervous system. We utilize state of the art instrumentation and testing to monitor our patient's health. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Back pain statistic.

Although doctors of chiropractic (DCs) care for more than just back pain, many patients visit DCs looking for relief from this pervasive condition.

Thirty-one million Americans have low back pain at any given time (1). One half of all working Americans admit to having back symptoms each year (2). One third of all Americans over age 18 had a back problem in the past five years severe enough for them to seek professional help (3). And the cost of this care is estimated to be a staggering $50 Billion yearly--and that's just for the more easily identified costs! (4).

These are just some of the astounding facts about Americans and their miserable backs! Is there any wonder why some experts estimate that as many as 80% of all of us will experience a back problem at some time in our lives? (5).

Because back problems are this common it's probably going to happen to you too! Shouldn't you find out what to do about it before it happens rather than after? Why wait until you're hurting to learn about your treatment options?

When you're hurting you may not give this important decision the time and attention it needs to make the best choice. Here are the facts about manipulation as a treatment for back problems:

Manipulation is one of several established forms of treatment used for back problems. Used primarily by Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) for the last century, manipulation has been largely ignored by most others in the health care community until recently. Now, with today's growing emphasis on treatment and cost effectiveness, manipulation is receiving much more widespread attention. In fact, after an extensive study of all currently available care for low back problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research--a federal government research organization--recommended that low back pain suffers choose the most conservative care first. And it recommended spinal manipulation as the ONLY safe and effective, DRUGLESS form of initial professional treatment for acute low back problems in adults! (6). Chiropractic manipulation, also frequently called the chiropractic adjustment, is the form of manipulation that has been most extensively used by Americans for the last one hundred years. (7). Satisfied chiropractic patients already know that DCs are uniquely trained and experienced in diagnosing back problems and are the doctors most skilled in using manipulation for the treatment of back pain and related disorders (8). As a public service, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) urges you to make an informed choice about your back care. To learn more about the federal government's recommendations and how chiropractic manipulation may help you, contact a Doctor of Chiropractic in your area.

References:

1. Jensen M, Brant-Zawadzki M, Obuchowski N, et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lumbar Spine in People Without Back Pain. N Engl J Med 1994; 331: 69-116.

2. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.

3. Finding from a national study conducted for the American Chiropractic Association. Risher P. Americans' Perception of Practitioners and Treatments for Back Problems. Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. New York: August, 1994.

4.This total represents only the more readily identifiable costs for medical care, workers compensation payments and time lost from work. It does not include costs associated with lost personal income due to acquired physical limitation resulting from a back problem and lost employer productivity due to employee medical absence. In Project Briefs: Back Pain Patient Outcomes Assessment Team (BOAT). In MEDTEP Update, Vol. 1 Issue 1, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD, Summer 1994.

5.In Vallfors B, previously cited.

6.Bigos S, Bowyer O, Braen G, et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14. AHCPR Publication No. 95-0642. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, December, 1994.

7.The RAND Corporation reported from its analysis of spinal manipulation research literature that 94% of all spinal manipulation is performed by chiropractors, 4% by osteopaths, and the remainder by medical doctors.

8. In Risher P, previously cited.
Arlington, Va. (May 3, 2005) - Do you spend all day tapping away on a keyboard at the office only to come home and slouch in your recliner for hours while watching TV? In both the home and the workplace, countless posture pitfalls await the unsuspecting.

In fact, poor posture can result from simple everyday activities -- leaning over paperwork or straining to peer at the computer screen - and the result is muscle tension, stiffness, backaches, neck cramps and fatigue. In fact, some 80 percent of Americans have not only endured back pain, but contribute to it in the way they sit, exercise, work and sleep.

This May, during Correct Posture Month, sponsored by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), talk to your doctor of chiropractic about ways to alleviate the postural habits that can have a negative impact on your overall health.

"Once established, poor posture creates a chain reaction throughout the body," said Jerome McAndrews, DC. "The digestive and respiratory systems will be affected by poor posture, especially poor sitting posture. And in more serious cases, where poor posture has had major effects on the musculoskeletal system, there can be a resulting negative impact on the vascular system."

"On the flip side, maintaining good posture is a way of doing things with more energy, less stress and less fatigue. It is never too late to change our behaviors in an effort to improve our posture," Dr. McAndrews explains.

What constitutes good posture? Good posture keeps all body parts balanced and supported. When standing, it should be possible to draw a straight line from the earlobe, through the shoulder, hip, knee, and into the middle of the ankle.

Because people find themselves in several positions throughout the day (sitting, standing, bending, stooping and lying down) it's important to learn how to attain good posture in everyday situations. The ACA offers these suggestions:

At the Office
According to ACA's President, Dr. Donald Krippendorf, "Today, it is not only jobs in construction or other labor-intensive fields that cause on-the-job-injuries. Typing at a computer all day can be equally stressful on a person's wrists, shoulders, neck and spine, resulting in painful impairment."

If you work behind a computer, work to improve your sitting posture by:

Making sure your chair fits correctly. There should be 2 inches between the front edge of the seat and the back of your knees.
Sitting with your knees at approximately a 90-degree to 120-degree angle. Using an angled footrest to support your feet may help you sit more comfortably.
Positioning your computer monitor so that the top of the screen is at or below eye level.
Keeping your wrists in the neutral position while you type, not angled up or down. A wrist rest can help you to keep a more neutral wrist posture. The mousing surface or mouse pad should be close to the keyboard, so you don't have to reach or hold the arm away from the body.
Taking frequent, short breaks from your work. Be sure to stretch your hands, arms, shoulders and legs during your breaks.
Lounging and Sleeping
Sometimes the simplest of activities-such as relaxing or even sleeping-can wreak as much havoc on our bodies as spending long hours at a computer can. According to Dr. Krippendorf, "People spend a lot of hours sitting in chairs and recliners. The painful fact is that much of the furniture we sit in can damage our bodies. It is so important to select furniture that employs sound ergonomic principles."

Keep the following in mind when selecting a living room chair or recliner:

Look for furniture that fits the person who will most often sit in it. The "one-size-fits-all" approach is not a good idea when selecting furniture.
Find a chair that offers plenty of support to both the neck and the lumbar region (lower back).
Purchase a portable footrest that can be moved around a room. This will help smaller people use chairs that may ordinarily be too high for them.
If you can only dream of getting a good night's sleep with that uncomfortable mattress and sagging pillow of yours, consider the following simple tips to help you select the right mattress and pillow:

When choosing a mattress, look for one that is comfortably -and selectively-supportive. Selective support allows you to press down one area of a mattress, leaving other areas unaffected.
Be sure to choose a mattress that is finished on both sides so you can "rotate" it, just like you would your car tires. Every few months, turn it clockwise, or upside down, so that body indentations are kept to a minimum.
Be selective when choosing a pillow. When lying on your side, your head and neck should remain level with your mid and lower spine. When lying on your back, your head and neck should remain level with your upper back and spine. In other words, your pillow should not be so thick that it causes your head and neck to be propped up or angled sharply away from your body.
The Erchonia Laser is a TRUE LASER, fully compliant to the definitions set forth by those great men of science such as Bose and Einstein who predicted LASER in 1924 and the contemporary physicists Schawlow and Townes who brought LASER into the modern age. LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Light created in this way, is then culminated and directed into an intense beam of coherent light through the use of cathode and anode reflecting components in order to produce a single stable frequency. According to Webster's Dictionary, Lasers are coherent or marked by logical consistency. The Erchonia laser meets all the scientifically defined attributes of a laser and is therefore classified as a TRUE laser. We assure and maintain this classification, through our unique and patented process, which produces the emission of coherent light, generated at a precise and stable frequency, and in a focused direction.
Unlike high power lasers that use heat and destroy tissue, low energy lasers affect the cellular energy of the underlying tissue. Hot lasers have a thermal effect and have an output of 1MW or above.Cold (or) Low Level Lasers do not have a thermal effect on tissue, lasers that stimulate biological function have an output below 10mw- milliwatts (ten-one thousands of a watt).
Many theories exist as to the mechanism of action for Low Level Laser Therapy(3LT ��) but simply put, photonic energy is absorbed by the photo acceptor sites on the cell membrane which trigger a secondary messenger to initiate a cascade of intracellular signals that initiate, inhibit or accelerate biological processes such as wound healing, inflammation, or pain management.
Low Level Laser Therapy(3LT ��) has been successfully used to treat many conditions such as acute and chronic pain reduction, repetitive use disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome, soft tissue strains and sprains, inflammation reduction, enhanced tissue wound healing, and cell regeneration.

The areas of use described within this section do not necessarily reflect Erchonia's approved "indications for use," case reference K012580."
There are over 1500 published studies and not one of them mentions any negative side effects of semi-conductor diode lasers at the 5mW range like the Erchonia 3LT �� Lasers. Low Level Lasers are safe, non-toxic and non-invasive, there has not been a recorded side effect in over 1700 publications. There are some nessecary common sense precautions that need to be considered, such as avoiding pointing the laser beam directly into the eye and maintating it there, which could prove to be damaging to the eye.
A laser can differ in its wavelength, power source or whether it is a continuous or pulsed wave form. The first lasers were used to cut, cauterize or ablate tissue and were classified as "hot' lasers. "Cold", "Low Energy" or "Low Level" lasers are used to enhance metabolic activity at the cellular level through non-thermal reactions.
Light is measured in wavelengths and is expressed in units of nanometers (nm). Different wavelengths have different energy levels and can have various effects on tissue. For example, the Erchonia 3LT �� Laser is 635 nanometers, which is found within the "red" spectrum of visible light (400-800 nm) and has anabolic tissue effects, whereas, radiation that has a wavelength shorter than 320 nm (ultraviolet (UV), gamma rays, x-rays) has ionizing effects on cells and can be harmful even in small doses.
Lasers are monochromatic (single color wavelength), collimated (non-divergent) and coherent (wavelengths in- phase) in contrast, LED's are neither coherent nor collimated and generate a broader band of wavelengths (multiple). In addition, a significant difference between the two is the power output. The peak power output of lasers is measured in watts, while that of LED's, is measured in milliwatts. Also, LED's usually have a 50% duty cycle, meaning that they are "on" 50% of the time and "off" 50% of the time regardless of what frequency (pulses per second) setting is used.

There are many light emitting products on the market today, claiming to be lasers that do not meet scientifically defined attributes for being a true laser. For example, products that use Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs as they are more commonly known, do in fact produce light, however the light is not intense, producing very little energy and is non-coherent, similar to light produced by common household light bulbs. Non-coherent or non-culminated light is the result of photons moving in random directions at random times, generating random frequencies. The most common use of LEDs is in electronic equipment, such as cell phones and VCRs, to inform the users that the item is ON. LEDs are cheap and easy to reproduce (Pontinen 1992). Obviously, these devices are NOT lasers. This misconception is in large part a by-product of marketing. Some sales professional use the word "laser" in order to describe a process such as in "laser pointers" which refers more to mankind's collective imagination than scientific comprehension.
Erchonia Medical Lasers made history on January 17, 2002 by being the first Low Level Laser manufacturer to be given marketing clearance as Adjunctive Use in Pain Therapy for the treatment of chronic neck and shoulder pain. Although Low Level Lasers typically fall into the "non-significant" risk category, there are many lasers that have been used in the Veterinarian market that are being sold illegally for human use.
Treatments can vary in time from seconds to minutes depending on the condition. Research studies show that there may be a dose dependent response, so it may be more effective to treat at lower doses at multiple intervals then to treat a single time with a high dose.
A treatment plan may vary, depending on the condition. For instance, an acute soft tissue injury or open wound may require multiple short treatments initially then the interval between treatments will lengthen as the condition improves.