Frequently Asked Questions in Colorado Springs CO

A chiropractor is a healthcare provider that looks to the spine as a cause for disease and pain. Instead of recommending medications or surgeries, most chiropractors recommend a holistic approach to solve health problems. Chiropractors mostly help people by providing adjustments to misaligned bones of the spine. Correcting misalignment of the spine aims to reduce nerve irritation that can be the cause of many ailments people endure.

Chiropractic care in its true form is the location and correction of something called vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations are shifts of the bones that make up your spinal column. These shifts can create problems with the structural, neurological and muscular function. Many people seek out preventative chiropractic care prior to having pain or symptoms because although a vertebral subluxation may be present, it may not directly correlate to noticeable pain.

Chiropractors are considered doctors. Even though chiropractors do not recommend medications or surgeries and look to the spine as a cause for disease, to become a Doctor of Chiropractic, one must endure 7 or more years of school, receive passing grades on standardized national examinations, and show proficiency while training under a mentor.

The history of Chiropractic care started in 1895 when a man by the name of DD Palmer helped a custodian who had become partially deaf regain his hearing by adjusting a misaligned vertebrae in his spine. Two years later in 1897 the Palmer College of Chiropractic was born and began teaching students the science, art and philosophy of chiropractic and helping people without the use of medications, surgeries or injections.

Most people think of chiropractic as someone you go to for the short term alleviation of back pain, however the principles and origination that chiropractic was founded on were based on functionality of the human body through the functionality of the nervous system. The nervous system controls everything within your body and if your nerves can no longer communicate properly with certain organs, tissues or glands, those body parts may begin to experience a lack of proper functionality. True chiropractors locate, analyze, and correct shifts in the spine that cause a loss of proper functionality in the body.

Yes! For the right candidate, chiropractors are incredibly useful. Obviously you wouldn't go to a chiropractor if you need a limb amputated or for a kidney dialysis treatment, but for the location and correction of spinal issues causing chronic disease and decreased functionality of the human body, a true chiropractor who measures, analyzes, corrects and re measures your spine for objective change like we do at balance chiropractic may be the answer you've been looking for to heal a myriad of health conditions.

For the right candidate, yes! There is no treatment or modality that is a cure each and every ailment or issue that one may experience, but a good chiropractor that properly locates, analyzes and corrects misalignments in the spine can help with a myriad of different secondary conditions or symptoms that one may endure.

Every year there is some "breaking news" headline about someone having an adverse or maybe even deadly reaction that may be linked to a chiropractic adjustment, however throughout the world there are literally millions of chiropractic adjustments given on a weekly basis with little to no negative side effects. Even though the risk of a traditional adjustment causing irreparable damage is incredibly small, the doctors at Balance Chiropractic use an even more safe technique that uses minimal force and never involves any popping, twisting or cracking!

Most of the time when you are first getting treated by a chiropractor, it is common to experience short term soreness much like you would after a good workout. At Balance Chiropractic, since our doctors use a low force non twisting cracking or popping technique,it is common for people to have even less soreness or pain after an adjustment because it does not need to heal from the high velocity adjustment that most people are used to.

There are many different philosophies on how many chiropractic sessions one may need. It may depend on several factors such as the patient's history of injury, how long the problem has been present, how much spinal degeneration the patient has endured etc. At Balance Chiropractic our goal is more than the short term reduction of pain, so our doctors recommend a time based care plan that objectively correlates to how distant from normal a patient's spine is measured.

The cost of chiropractic care can vary widely. In Colorado the cost per visit can be as low as $19.00 and even higher than $220.00. At Balance Chiropractic our goal is to make sure we help each person that we can objectively measure as a good candidate, since many of our patients are retired or on limited income we have costs that go as low as $150/month.

People choose Balance Chiropractic as their office of choice for many reasons. Beyond the exceptional customer service and uplifting atmosphere, our doctors perform a non traditional form of chiropractic called Foundational Correction. Instead of twisting, popping or cracking the spine based on pain or tight muscles, our doctors take a series of objective measurements to first dictate whether you are a candidate for care in our office, along with measuring the difference made by your first adjustment, along with making sure there is a measurable difference throughout your customized care plan. Because of this unique approach our goal is for patients to objectively hold their alignment for weeks and months instead of needing to be adjusted at a high frequency each and every visit.

Everyday people search for a "chiropractor near me," and unless some good diligence is performed many leave their first chiropractic visit disappointed. There are many different types of chiropractors with varying levels of skills, a good place to start when looking for a chiropractor near me is for those chiropractic offices with many positive google reviews, informational videos and testimonials from happy patients that experienced a similar health condition as the person searching. Calling several offices and getting an understanding of their process can also be incredibly helpful. At Balance Chiropractic we offer a complimentary consultation to first see if we believe we can help. After your consultation we leave time for your Comprehensive Foundational Examination that includes 4 objective measurements which all have a range of normal and abnormal. The second visit is where you will sit down with one of our doctors and discuss your objective measurements vs what is considered normal measurements. At your second visit you will also receive your first adjustment and follow up imaging to make sure your Foundational Shift is getting better.

There are many common chiropractic techniques. The most common type of chiropractic technique is a method called "diversified," this method includes twisting, popping and cracking the spine based on pain and tight musculature. The technique we use at Balance Chiropractic is called NUCCA. Instead of popping and cracking your spine based on pain for a short term fix, our doctors first take a series of objective measurements that dictate whether or not you qualify as a good candidate. your second visit to the office will include a detailed report and plan to get you back to health, along with your first adjustment and follow up imaging to make sure that you are receiving the results you desire!

A chiropractor technically does not "treat" any symptoms. A chiropractor following original chiropractic philosophy (and not just popping joints based on pain) will only treat one thing - vertebral subluxations. A good chiropractor will aim to locate, analyze and correct vertebral subluxations with the spine that may be causing secondary conditions or symptoms such as migraines, headaches, spinal or extremity pain, numbness and tingling, vertigo/dizziness, allergies, amongst many more common conditions.

Injuries like falls and motor vehicle accidents often lead to spinal problems. Typically, traditional chiropractors use massage techniques and traditional manipulation to increase range of motion, and decrease muscle spasms. While this form of care can lead to temporary pain relief, accidents like these often result in a Foundational Shift in the spine that warrants more specific testing and precise adjustment procedures to recover long term. Balance Chiropractic uses a non-traditional form of chiropractic known as NUCCA to accurately measure the spinal problem and correct it without ever twisting or cracking, reducing pain and inflammation that occurs from injuries.

Most people enjoy seeking traditional chiropractic for the short term relief of back and neck pain. While many do great with temporary fixes from traditional chiropractic, Balance Chiropractic has helped patients with headaches, migraines, neck pain, mid and low back pain, vertigo and dizziness, trigeminal neuralgia, disc bulges and herniations, degenerative disc disease, POTS, orthostatic hypo/hypertension, high blood pressure, fainting spells, chronic fatigue, scoliosis, tics and Tourette's and much more!

Yes, you can get chiropractic care during pregnancy. Chiropractic can help a variety of the issues that arise during pregnancy. Pregnancy can reveal biomechanical issues in the back, which can be helped by chiropractic. At Balance Chiropractic, our NUCCA method is gentle and easy on the mother and the baby!

Your low back is where you hold most of the weight of your body. When the top of your neck shifts, all of that force and gravity pulls on the head and neck, multiplying down to the low back. When your head and neck are centered over your body properly, it can relieve the excessive force

Neck pain can be caused by a variety of factors, but one of the most common is a shift in the structures of the neck which causes abnormal weight management of your 8-14 lb skull. When the head and neck are out of alignment with each other, it puts more stress on the muscles, nerves and spinal bones, leading to pain. traditional chiropractic does a great job at the short term alleviation of pain, At Balance Chiropractic we gently restore proper positioning between the head and neck without ever twisting popping or cracking to get a long term change and restoration of your health.

Traditional chiropractors help sciatica by adjusting the lower back where the irritated nerves originate from the spine. Most people will receive short term symptomatic relief from this approach which is wonderful. At Balance Chiropractic our philosophy is that when the head and neck are misaligned, it can cause extra load on the bones of the spine. The low back is where you hold the majority of the weight of your body, so additional load of the head and neck shifting can create a chain effect all the way down to your low back. The nerves that come out of your low back can be pinched by this extra weight, causing sciatica symptoms. By correcting the head and neck we expect a long term reduction of sciatica and other symptoms.

Chiropractors may do a great job at temporarily reducing pain through traditional manipulation. At Balance Chiropractor the goal is locate the source of the pain and correct your unique Foundational Shift for long term relief. Balance Chiropractic has helped patients with a variety of pain from neck pain, low back pain, hip pain, headache, and joint pains.

Traditional chiropractic adjustments that involve twisting, popping and cracking have been known to hurt and cause residual soreness for short periods of time, the discomfort is usually minimal. At Balance Chiropractic, our doctors will never twist, pop or crack your spine and perform an incredibly gentle adjustment based on your specific and unique misalignment. Most patients report that they hardly feel our type of adjustment and most people don't experience negative results from the adjustment.

Traditional chiropractic adjustments are generally regarded as safe. While many people enjoy this type of twisting cracking or popping adjustment, Balance Chiropractic's adjustments add an additional element of safety for correcting pain and dysfunction coming from the spine. Using the gentle NUCCA procedure, there is never any twisting or cracking done during adjustments. For this reason, the risk for injury is almost non-existent. Adjustments at Balance are proven to be extremely safe, but very effective.

Traditional chiropractic manipulation is known to create a popping sound. A popular myth that needs to be debunked is that this sound IS NOT a sound of the bones moving back to alignment. The sound occurs when the joints in the spine are taken to an end range of motion and then gas is released from inside the joint. At Balance Chiropractic the spine and joints are never taken to an end range of motion and instead the patient is adjusted in a neutral side lying positon with gentle pressure at the top of the neck. It is because of this that the adjustments at Balance Chiropractic never make a popping sound. Even though no popping sound occurs during this adjustment, the NUCCA procedure actually does move the bones in the spine to a better alignment and maintains them there over time.

In a traditional chiropractic setting, you will generally see the chiropractor perform the same adjusting on each patient, during each visit. Although there is nothing wrong with this type of chiropractic visit, Balance Chiropractic performs each patient's adjustment based upon their unique and measurable misalignment. Our adjustments involve no twisting, popping or cracking and only produce 1-2 lbs of force.

Chiropractic adjustments are just a part of a complete health package. It is a very significant part, however, proper diet, exercise, rehabilitative stretches, exercises, and stress reducing activities all contribute to back pain reduction as well. You are a whole person, so any holistic health program should include other advice and aspects to help with your condition. At Balance Chiropractic, every patient receives a custom-tailored plan to address all of these aspects of health, in addition to our foundational correction protocol. This ensures we give you a full set of tools to help you recover from your back pain.

Doctors of Chiropractic spend three-to-five years in school learning and practicing a variety of adjusting techniques and many spend their weekends attending seminars to learn more to serve their patients better, both in school and after they graduate. Most of the techniques used are impossible to perform properly on oneself. While self-manipulation is common, often the bones that are already moving "pop" and the ones that are truly stuck and need to move won't move. It takes a practiced doctor to detect where to adjust, how to adjust, and most importantly, when NOT to adjust. At Balance Chiropractic we take a series of objective measurements every visit to determine when and when not to adjust. We also take images periodically throughout your care to determine where and how to adjust you based upon your unique misalignment.

Several chiropractic techniques do require the removal of clothing at each appointment. Although there is nothing wrong with this approach, at balance chiropractic we will never have you remove your shirt or pants during a regular appointment. If obstructive to your adjustment, we may ask you to remove a bigger hoodie or outer coat. During your examination we will provide a gown so that we can perform a thermal and muscle evaluation on your back.

Chiropractic is appropriate for children! Most chiropractors have training to adjust children in a modified way compared to adult adjustments. At Balance Chiropractic, our gentle, low-force adjustments are suitable for people of all ages. We see children from as young as 3 to as old as 91!

Chiropractors are trained in 3-5 year programs across the United States. Chiropractic colleges teach chiropractors thoroughly in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, biomechanics, adjusting, active and passive care, and rehabilitation. All licensed chiropractors must pass a multi-stage licensing exam which includes practicals. Many chiropractors spend the last year of their schooling working in a school clinic under the supervision of licensed doctors, gaining valuable hands-on experience before they leave school. For specialized chiropractors like NUCCA doctors, additional education is provided in the form of seminars and conferences that many students attend before they graduate, and are expected to attend for the rest of their career. State boards also require chiropractors to acquire continuing education credits, with their licenses dependent on completing a required number of hours in order to renew their license.