Welcome to our Frequent Asked Questions page. If you have any further questions, go to our Contact Us page to call or email us.
These are the most frequent questions we get asked:
What is chiropractic?
What does mechanical efficiency mean?
How do chiropractors improve mechanical efficiency?
Does it hurt?
How long does my treatment take?
How much does it cost?
Will I have to keep coming back?
What is chiropractic?
Doctors of Chiropractic utilize manual therapy in a way that focuses on improving the mechanical efficiency of the body.
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What does mechanical efficiency mean?
The body has many joints and muscles that move those joints. If a joint fixates in place (within chiropractic this is referred to as a subluxation), the mechanism of the muscles associated with that joint change. The muscles have to try harder, due to the joint now being more resistant to movement. This resistance typically doesn’t matter tremendously at that particular moment, but the muscles fatigue more easily due to their strain from having to work harder to accommodate, for that particular motion. In areas like the ribs, the small muscles located between the rib bones (intercostal muscles), become sore and inflamed very easily when overly stressed.
For example, a thoracic vertebra fixating in a right leaning motion will cause the attached rib on the right, to present slightly lower than usual, where the rib on the left will fixate higher. This within itself is not a major problem for the person exhibiting this “shift”, but add in the fact that the ribs move upward and downward with every breath, as well as with any leaning or twisting motion, and the small intercostal muscles can be overly stretched due to this changed mechanic of the ribs. Now compound this state, with the fact that most Americans now work at sedentary, repetitive motion jobs, where we move more from the waist than ever before. The strain over time can become quite painful, as the joints and muscles become more and more inflamed.
If you hold yourself in an awkward posture (hunched forward over a keyboard for 8 hours a day), the muscles maintaining that posture fatigue more easily, or may become damaged. If proper muscular/joint motion isn’t returned to that fatigued/damaged area, the associated ligaments, tendons and muscles will slowly lose elasticity, forming a chronic strained muscle and possible scar tissue formation, which will hinder joints movement. Over time, this can start to wear on the cartilage endplates of the joint, causing boney arthritis to form. We’re dynamic beings, our bodies like unique movement, not repetitive motions, not static placement, and certainly not painful locked joints.
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How do chiropractors improve mechanical efficiency?
Chiropractors use the same physical tests as most doctors you are familiar with; muscle testing, orthopedic testing and neurologic testing to determine your problem. We palpate the areas in question, as well as related areas to determine the diagnosis for your problem. That is the most unique part of chiropractic. We use very hands on approach to diagnosing and treating your problem. The main method we utilize to treat these problems it the chiropractic adjustment. We may or may not adjust, depending on the diagnosis. Adjustments consist of placing the body in a very particular position, and the doctor imparts force through the joint to move that particular joint in a very specific way, restoring proper functional movement. This adjustment may or may not produce what is known as a cavitation, or a popping/cracking noise. This is normal. Some people cavitate, others don’t. The noise is simply nitrogen gas escaping from the fluid within the joint. Chiropractors may also use other modalities for treatment such as phototherapy, ultrasound, electric stimulation, foot orthotics, muscle stretching, various forms of massage to treat the area and nutritional supplementation.
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Does it hurt?
It is possible for there to be some post adjustment discomfort. This is due to the rapid stretching of the fibers surrounding the joint. This discomfort also depends on the degree of restriction within the joint, and how inflamed the muscles around surrounding that joint. Most patients, however, routinely report feeling much better, immediately following their adjustment.
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How long does my treatment take?
A typical treatment can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the severity of the case. A chronically strained muscle, over the course of a decade or two, will develop a lot of scar tissue, which will take several short visits to resolve, before the joint will move properly, consistently. Treatment plans vary from a couple visits, to a few months. Serious or long term injuries do not heal quickly. Each patient’s healing time will vary depending their own body.
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How much does it cost?
At our office, we charge $50 for the initial visit, $35 for subsequent visits, and $20 if a modality is required. (ultrasound, electrical stim, etc) Foot orthotics, supplements, braces, pillows all have their own individual pricing, if required.
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Will I have to keep coming back?
After your initial injury has resolved, we at BuffaloFamilyChiropractor.com do not require you to keep visiting. We establish the initial treatment plan, and work with you, the patient, as best possible to resolve your problem. We do encourage our patient’s to get regular wellness checkups, to prevent them from having to come back in significantly higher pain, but we allow you to make that decision for yourself. Many chiropractic patients note that they do feel better and experience less regular pain with regular care, though; in that sense, that we do like to see our patients for routine visits. If you do not feel you need this kind of care, we are more than happy to see you only when you need us. We are here to be a part of your personal medical team.
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