If you’ve been thinking about finding relief from your pain and aches, but are not too sure about whether chiropractic can help, you’ve come to the right page. Over the last 10 years of serving our community, these are the common questions received about chiropractic:
- What is chiropractic care about?
- Is chiropractic expensive?
- How many chiropractic sessions will I need?
- What is the difference between TCM, Physiotherapy, and chiropractic?
- Why is chiropractic care important?
- What pains do chiropractors help with?
- What is a chiropractor?
- Are chiropractors medical doctors?
- How do chiropractors detect spinal misalignments?
- What equipment do chiropractors use?
- What happens during a chiropractic adjustment?
- Why is there a cracking sound?
- Do loud cracks equate to an effective adjustment?
- Is it bad to crack myself?
- Can I get adjusted on my first check-up?
- Why are X-rays needed before adjustment?
By the end of this, we hope you will gain a better understanding of what chiropractic is all about.
What is chiropractic care about?
If you have watched YouTube videos of people getting “cracked” or experienced chiropractic care before, you might have heard of the term “subluxation” used frequently. Chiropractic care is focused on addressing subluxation.
Subluxation is a term used by chiropractors to describe a spinal vertebra that is out of position in comparison to the other vertebrae. Essentially, subluxation refers to spinal misalignment which could lead to a nervous system interference.
Our spines act as a shield for our nervous system. When our spinal bones shift out of their normal alignment, it can place pressure and irritation on the nerves. This leads to other symptoms within your body such as:
- Headaches
- Lower back pain
- Pain radiating down the leg
- Digestive problems
- Asthma
What chiropractic does is apply controlled pressure through an adjustment to promote the spine’s natural alignment.
is chiropractic expensive?
If you are looking to seek one-off, symptomatic relief, a chiropractic care program may seem like a hefty investment. However, if you are seeking a comprehensive approach to long-term pain relief, chiropractic care may be worth considering.
Many individuals have reported experiencing lasting benefits from regular chiropractic adjustments. Beyond providing quick and instant pain relief, chiropractic care aims to improve overall well-being over time due to the reduction of pain.
While the investment in chiropractic care may initially appear substantial, it’s important to recognise that this approach can potentially provide ongoing pain management and alleviate the need for other costly interventions such as medication, surgery, or intensive physical therapy.
Additionally, chiropractic care can contribute to preventive measures that may help reduce the likelihood of degenerative conditions and the need for more invasive forms of treatment in the future.
how many chiropractic sessions will I need?
Chiropractic is not an instant fix. One adjustment will not address your problem. Like braces for teeth, physical misalignments cannot be undone with one simple adjustment. (We wish it were that easy!)
The effectiveness depends on a variety of things – your condition, how your body responds to adjustment, your daily habits, among other things.
What is the difference between TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Physiotherapy, and chiropractic?
Fundamentally, all three approaches have different focuses.
Physiotherapy helps people who are injured or disabled to regain muscle strength and joint mobility through movements and exercise, manual therapy, or other modalities. They customise programs to restore as much as they can their functional ability and movement.
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) has been passed down for thousands of years. Their treatments include acupuncture, cupping, bone setting (more commonly known as “Tie Da”), and “Gua Sha“. While bone setting may appear to be very similar to chiropractic, it mainly focuses on adjusting the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. On the other hand, chiropractic focuses more on the spine alignment and optimal flow of the nervous system.
All specialties have different focuses and techniques and knowing when to see who is important.
why is chiropractic care important?
Chiropractic helps to detect subluxations early and tailored care plans can be part of preventative measures against further damage and degeneration to our spine.
Normal Spines
Normal spines have a natural curvature that helps to act as a shock absorber.
Phase 1
Your spine has lost its normal curvature. Patients will experience mild symptoms if any.
Phase 2
Loss of normal spinal curvature and the patient will start to experience a poorer range of motion.
Phase 3
Curvatures start to become abnormal. The disc loses its height and results in increased compression on the nerves causing pain.
Phase 4
Commonly seen with subluxations that have been uncorrected for over 65 years. Phase 4 is a grave condition and will negatively affect the patient’s quality of life.
Is detecting subluxation early really that important? Yes! That’s because subluxations are dangerous if left untreated. It compromises the integrity of our spine and hinders the function of our organs and nervous system. Beyond the negative effects mentioned above, it is important to note that once our bones are damaged, it is irreversible.
Chiropractic not only identifies and addresses misalignments within our spine, it also can be part of your preventive measures to guard against illnesses and improve blood circulation.
What is a chiropractor?
Definition of Chiropractic
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines chiropractic as a health care profession that diagnoses, addresses, and intervenes the worsening of disorders regarding the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. There is an emphasis on manual techniques, including joint adjustment and/or manipulation, with a particular focus on the subluxation.
Put simply, chiropractors are holistic health care providers who specialise in tackling the health and integrity of your spine and nervous system through spinal manipulation, without the use of drugs nor invasive treatment methods.
Are chiropractors medical doctors?
Chiropractors are not medical doctors.
In contrast to using drugs and surgery to treat illness and disease, chiropractic care is less invasive and utilizes a drug-free approach to address spinal misalignments and promote pain-relief.
We fully understand the need for a qualified professional for your health needs. While there are no chiropractic schools in Singapore, our team has been trained by schools with accredited programs either from Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia, or European Council on Chiropractic Education, or The Council on Chiropractic Education. Besides their formal education, our team has undergone intensive internships in clinics and on-the-job training to maintain a high level of standard for our members.
how do chiropractors detect subluxation?
At Chiropractic Singapore, we pride ourselves on the comprehensiveness of our spinal check-up. We have various tests that will help us gain a holistic understanding of your condition, such as:
- Posture Photo Analysis
- Range of motion measurement
- Bilateral weight distribution
- Grip strength test
- Surface Electro-Myography Scan (SEMG)
Posture Photo Analysis
This test measures the posture distortion. Our posture is the window to our spine and nervous system. An off-balanced posture indicates a subluxation.
Range of Motion Measurement
Each joint has a different range of motion. We often use an inclinometer to measure the axis and range of motion of our member’s joints. At the same time, we will look for any signs of discomfort, resistance and compensation in the joints.
Bilateral Weight Distribution
This test determines how your body is carrying and distributing weight through your legs. If there is an imbalance of more than three kilograms, this could potentially mean uneven hips or shoulders. To further confirm this, usually an x-ray examination will be required.
Grip Strength Test
This test is a relative measure of the strength of your nervous system. When there’s increased compression on our nerves, our muscles cannot function as it was intended.
Surface Electro-Myography (sEMG) Scan
This test measures muscular stress along both sides of our spine. Areas of increased and unbalanced electrical activity indicate muscular stress.
Why are x-rays important?
However, even with the tests mentioned above, we normally require a spinal X-ray to add that layer of assurance and safety for our valued members. This helps us determine the most effective approach for their condition.
What equipment do chiropractors use?
Often, our members come in different shapes and sizes. Everyone is different!
To make an adjustment effective and safe for all, we use different types of equipment to help us control the amount of pressure we apply during an adjustment. Commonly used in our centers, we have the drop table and activator.
What actually happens during a chiropractic adjustment?
During an adjustment, our chiropractor will palpate your spine to look for any muscle tensions and subluxation. At the same time, they will do a visual assessment to make sure that your body is in balance. Take, for example, people with scoliosis may have uneven shoulders or hips. Following this, our chiropractors will adjust the spine to address the identified misalignments with the aid of a drop table.
An effective chiropractic adjustment allows the body to feel relief, which aids in moving without restriction and restoring your natural range of motion.
Why is there a cracking sound?
Understandably, people have a common misconception that chiropractors crack bones. We do not. The “popping” or “cracking” sounds you hear during an adjustment are actually gas bubbles that are released due to a change in pressure.
Do loud cracks equate to an effective adjustment?
It’s a common misconception that the cracking, clicking, popping sounds you might hear during an adjustment is the best indication of whether the adjustment was a “good adjustment” or not.
And that is not true. The sound that you may or may not hear really depends on the person and also on the chiropractic technique that is used. There are many different kinds of chiropractic techniques so depending on the one that was used, it can produce different sounds.
Is it bad to crack myself?
Potentially! When we have stress or misalignment on our spine, it limits our range of motion. In order to compensate for this, some of the other areas along the spine will start to move more.
Essentially, when we do the quick twisting motions, it can possibly cause hyper flexibility in those other parts of the spine that moves more to compensate. This can lead to potential problems in the future. We recommend doing simple, basic stretches for the long-term health of your spine.
what pains can chiropractors address?
can i get adjusted on my first check-up?
Before getting adjusted, it is important to get a full spinal check-up. After getting a full understanding of your spinal health, our chiropractors will advise if chiropractic is right for you. It is unsafe to be adjusted before without having the full picture.
If the root cause of your symptoms is spinal misalignments, our chiropractors will want to get you adjusted after the check-up and start providing you the care your body deserves.
