Welcome to the Family Chiropractic & Massage blog! Here, we will discuss anything and everything that has to do with chiropractic care and wellness. We will share helpful information and hopefully answer any questions you have through our articles. We are a chiropractic clinic that began in 1997 and has since grown to locations in North Charleston, Summerville, and Moncks Corner, South Carolina. We are dedicated to providing tailored care and treatment with traditional and new techniques to help our patients reach their wellness goals. We treat a variety of conditions including neck pain, back pain, injuries, sciatica, scoliosis, and more. Besides chiropractic care, we also offer physiotherapeutic care, rehabilitative care, and massage therapy. Our licensed massage therapists offer all types of massage from deep tissue to compression massage and more. We are strong believers in natural healing! Check out our website to find out more information about the services and care we offer, and contact us today to schedule an appointment with our experienced doctors!

In our last post, we talked about some of the best foods you can eat for bone health. Our bones are an incredibly important part of our body– They help support us and allow us to move, while also protecting our organs from injury. Because of this, it is incredibly important to keep them healthy and strong. We mentioned some foods such as yogurt, eggs, and more! If you are interested in learning more, we encourage you to check out our last post!

Today, we’ll be discussing some of the most common myths about chiropractic care– And busting said myths! Manual healing methods can be traced back to ancient times, and chiropractic care in the United States began to become prevalent in the late 19th century. Since it’s been around for such a long time, it is inevitable that a lot of myths have spread. Many people have heard about chiropractors, but they may have misconceptions of what chiropractic care is or what a chiropractor does. We’re here to set the record straight! If you’re interested in learning more, you’re in the right place. Let’s get started!

Myth 1: Chiropractors are not real doctors.

This may be the most common myth about chiropractic care. While chiropractors do not hold an M.D. (medical degree), they receive a Doctorate of Chiropractic, which is a graduate degree necessary to practice chiropractic care. Chiropractors must complete a rather significant amount of training in order to graduate. This includes an undergraduate degree and then a chiropractic graduate program and residency program, which totals around 8 years of education and training in total. They must take many of the same courses as medical doctors, including anatomy, radiology, microbiology, and more. After obtaining a degree, an aspiring chiropractor must sit for their state licensing board. 

Myth 2: Chiropractors only treat back pain.

While chiropractors are most often associated with back pain and are great at relieving it, that is not all they do! Chiropractors focus on diagnosing, preventing, and treating disorders of the spine and other parts of the musculoskeletal system. The spine protects the body’s nervous system, which controls all functions of the body, regulating movement, healing, sensation, bodily function, and activity. Chiropractors focus heavily on keeping the spine and nervous system healthy. Because of this, chiropractic care can be beneficial to a variety of conditions, including headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis, sciatica, and even allergies and digestive problems! 

Myth 3: Once you go to a chiropractor, you have to continue for the rest of your life.

This is a common concern many people have: They feel they must be committed to chiropractic care forever. The reality is that you are not required to continue seeing a chiropractor– The choice of health is yours to make. However, some issues do require frequent appointments, and routine chiropractic care is recommended. This is because our bodies are constantly in motion, so misalignment of vertebrae can happen at any time. Visiting a chiropractor regularly can keep vertebrae aligned and prevent new issues from developing or worsening. Many people choose to continue visiting their chiropractor because they are happy with the benefits they are receiving and want to continue to have a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day, it is totally up to you!

Myth 4: You can only go to the chiropractor when you have pain.

Most people wait to see a chiropractor until they are in pain, and many feel that is the “right” time to receive chiropractic care. This is not true, however– It is actually better to start receiving chiropractic care before problems and symptoms like pain develop. As mentioned above, our bodies are always moving and misalignment can happen at any time. Sometimes, vertebrae become misaligned and we don’t even know it, as symptoms don’t always show up right away. Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to start seeing a chiropractor at any time, before problems develop!

Myth 5: Chiropractic care is only for adults.

While you most often see adults receiving chiropractic care, chiropractors treat patients of all ages! No person is too young (or too old!) to visit a chiropractor. In fact, many chiropractors have received additional training in pediatric chiropractic care. Infants can see a chiropractor soon after birth, to make sure that the spine is aligned properly after coming out of the birth canal. Monitoring and managing a child’s nervous system with chiropractic care is a great way to identify and treat issues such as colic and sleeping concerns. Additionally, as a child begins to grow, their body is constantly changing. This is often when issues such as scoliosis begin to develop. If detected early, it can be corrected with chiropractic adjustments! It is also worth noting that children often respond faster to chiropractic care than adults. This is because they do not have as many years of wear and tear on their bodies as adults do. 

As you can see, these are just a few of the most common myths about chiropractic care. If you are looking for an all-natural, non-invasive, and drug-free treatment, chiropractic care is a great choice for you! We hope you found this article informative, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have any other questions or concerns. It would be a pleasure to assist you. Here at Family Chiropractic & Massage, we offer chiropractic care as well as massage services and heat and cold therapy. We have doctors who have studied various chiropractic techniques to render care to patients with different types of conditions. As people vary, so do the techniques chosen to help each patient get well. We use evidence-based treatment methods to help patients get better faster. If you are suffering from any type of back pain, contact us today to set up an appointment so we can assess your needs and create an effective treatment plan. One of our experienced doctors would love to help get you on the right track to living a healthy, pain-free life! Thank you for reading, and we hope you’ll check back for more articles about chiropractic care and all it has to offer!