Chiropractic Myths And Facts: Get Answers To Chiropractic Misconceptions

Chiropractic Myths And Facts: Get Answers To Chiropractic Misconceptions

There are a lot of chiropractic myths out there that people still believe even though they're just old misconceptions. One of the most common myths is that medical doctors don't trust chiropractors. While it's true that many physicians don't know much about chiropractic care, that doesn't mean they see it as dangerous.

In this article, we speak with Dr. David who is a local internist that was initially skeptical about seeking chiropractic care. He has been coming to Kalkstein Chiropractic for 5 years and has noticed remarkable improvements in his posture, range of motion, flexibility, and pain. He's very active and is in personal training and as a result, he sometimes gets injuries, and then he comes to us which gets him out of pain quickly in 1 or 2 visits.

Why was Dr. David skeptical about chiropractic care? Physicians learn in medical school that pain should be treated with anti-inflammatory pain medications or even opioids but he has learned that chiropractic care that is focused on patient outcomes is part of a more holistic approach to treating patients. This has gained steam with physicians in recent years as they try to reduce dependence on opioids.

Chiropractic Myths and Facts

There are a lot of misconceptions and myths about chiropractic care, but why is that? 

In the 1940s, a group of conservative physicians belonging to the American Medical Association (AMA) publicly scorned chiropractic medicine and tried to eliminate the profession by portraying chiropractic physicians as uneducated and unscientific charlatans. The efforts of this small group of physicians led to countless misconceptions about chiropractic professionals and chiropractic care, some of which persist today. In the 1980s, there was a lawsuit that found the AMA guilt of conspiracy against chiropractic services and since then, their outlook on chiropractors has changed.

While medical schools often don't teach physicians much about chiropractic care, support within the medical community continues to grow. There have several been academic studies showing the effectiveness of chiropractic care published in major medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association. The effectiveness of chiropractic treatment is largely accepted by medical doctors, and many hospitals actually have chiropractic physicians on staff.

Chiropractic Myth: Chiropractic Treatment Is Dangerous

In a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers analyzed the data of more than 1,700 patients with lower back pain and found that spinal manipulation was safe and effective in both reducing pain and improving function.

Chiropractic treatment is less invasive than many other types of treatment, especially for musculoskeletal pain. Instead of using surgery, steroids, or addictive pain medication, chiropractic treatment treats the source of the pain which often provides instant relief. Chiropractic treatment is very effective for lower back pain which is often treated with opioids which put the patient at risk of addiction and other negative side effects. Many physicians now agree that spinal manipulation should be used as the first line of treatment before prescribing a more invasive or dangerous alternative.

Chiropractic Myth: Chiropractors Aren't Real Doctors

Chiropractors are not medical doctors (MDs) but that doesn't mean they aren't real doctors or that they don't have rigorous educational requirements. Chiropractors are required to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree (DC) and a state license to practice in the United States. According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA):

"Chiropractors are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical internship, with the average DC program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools."

By the time they start practicing, chiropractors complete about 8 years of higher education before they are licensed. Chiropractors often receive additional training and certification in a wide variety of specialties, including dry needling, sports medicine, acupuncture, and rehabilitation.

Chiropractic Myth: Chiropractors Only Treat Neck & Back Pain

This misconception is very understandable considering that many people only ever hear of people seeing a chiropractor for spinal problems but chiropractors actually treat a variety of health conditions for more than 35 million Americans (adults and children alike) annually, according to the ACA. 

Some health conditions that chiropractors treat that may surprise you include:

  • Migraines
  • Tension headaches
  • Sinus headaches
  • Sciatica
  • Disc problems like a herniated disk or pinched nerve
  • Tendinitis
  • TMJ and other temporomandibular joint disorders
  • Whiplash
  • Repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow
  • Knee pain
  • Shoulder pain
  • Osteoarthritis pain
  • Hip pain
  • Sports injuries
  • Fibromyalgia pain
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Pain associated with pregnancy
  • Vertigo

Chiropractors have a wide variety of modalities they can use to treat your health issues including dry needling, ultrasound, spinal decompression, and class 4 laser therapy. When a patient comes into our office, we create a unique treatment plan that is specific to them and their needs to get them out of pain quickly and help them feel better faster no matter what issue they're facing.

These are just a few of the chiropractic myths and misconceptions that you may have about seeing a chiropractor. Chiropractic treatment is a very safe, non-invasive way of treating a wide range of health issues that should be used before trying something more invasive or dangerous. 

Could you benefit from chiropractic treatment? Do you want to feel better faster? Now that you know the facts about chiropractic treatment, give our Towson office a call today at (410) 296-7700 or click here to schedue your appointment!

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Kalkstein Chiropractic

200 E Joppa Rd #300
Towson, MD 21286

(410) 296-7700