FAQ

Chiropractic is a form of healthcare that focuses on the health of the nervous system. It was founded by Daniel David Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. In 1895, Palmer had been studying the relationship between the spine and overall human health when he discovered that misalignments in the vertebrae of the spine can have detrimental effects. It was also while Daniel was studying this relationship that he came across Harvey Lillard. Harvey had gone deaf several years prior after an injury to his spine. Upon hearing this, Palmer quickly sat Harvey down to palpate his spine; he found a misalignment in Harvey’s upper neck. Eager to put his new theories to the test, D.D. Palmer performed the first chiropractic adjustment. A few days later, Harvey reported that his hearing had been almost completely restored with that one adjustment!

Chiropractic is full of case studies such as these since our bodies were designed with an innate ability to heal itself. Because of this innate ability, you should not give up on your body’s potential for healing!

If you were to ask earlier chiropractors this question, they would tell you of treating illness, not the musculoskeletal pain we have come to associate with chiropractic care. However, in reality, chiropractors treat subluxations. Subluxation interferes with you brain’s ability to control your body & its nervous system correctly. Treating subluxation leads to effective relief in many conditions, including but not limited to the following: headaches, neck pain, radiating arm/leg pain, numbness and tingling in the arms/legs, mid-back pain, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, vertigo (dizziness), loss of coordination, nausea, fatigue, and loss of concentration.

Simply put, a subluxation is a bone out of place that puts pressure on a nerve and causes a problem. The symptom arises in the area of the body that the nerve goes to. Chiropractic adjustments put the bone back into place, allowing the joint to function properly again by taking pressure off the nerve, thus restoring proper communication between the nervous system and the rest of the body as the brain regains control.

Chiropractic is based on the brain-to-body connection. The brain is the master controller of our bodies. It controls every single cell and function in the body either directly or indirectly through the nervous system. When we develop subluxations, our nervous system and body can no longer communicate properly. This disruption in communication causes a mismatching of information and leads to compensation, loss of function, and quite ultimately, to pain. Pain is often the last thing to show up and the first thing to go away. However, in instances involving trauma, pain and loss of function go hand-in-hand. In either case, by performing the necessary chiropractic adjustment, the chiropractor puts the bone back into place, thus taking pressure off the nerve and restoring function into the areas the nerve travels.

This being said, chiropractors are not treating bones or muscles. Chiropractors are treating the nervous system. Think of it this way: in essence, all things are controlled by the nervous system. For example, a muscle does not fire unless the nervous system tells it to. So, if you have a muscle that is in spasm and will not cease, it may be because the muscle is being told to do so by the nervous system. Treating the nerve root that connects to the muscle will correct the message the nerve is sending to the muscle, which then causes the muscle to correct its behavior.

This is a compelling question, indeed! How do we know if we are healthy? There are many markers of health, but one that chiropractors use is motor nerves. Motor nerves are the nerves we do not feel but are working all the time. These are the nerves telling your stomach to churn food or your eyes to dilate; they also dictate your posture by directing our postural muscles. Posture & alignment are also used in chiropractic to help determine a person’s overall health status. This often allows chiropractors to prevent pain & injury and increase vitality & longevity.

Take cardiovascular disease for an example. The first indicator of a heart attack often goes unnoticed. Why? Because we do not feel our arteries beginning to clog. In most cases, we also do not feel our blood pressure being high until it begins to affect us in other ways. Therefore, how we feel is not necessarily a good standard for gauging our health. We ought to be looking at our body’s key indicators instead; by doing so, it can also help us avoid health issues we could otherwise experience down the line.

Chiropractic adjustments are not inherently painful. However, in many cases, people are coming to chiropractors for conditions that are already painful. Since most of these conditions involve inflammation and sensitized tissue, there can be some tenderness involved with chiropractic care at first, but this tenderness will lessen more and more as your body recovers.

Be assured, at Vitality Life Chiropractic, we pride ourselves in using the appropriate treatment in order to get maximum results while having the patient’s comfort a top priority.

Quite frankly, this question is not true. People often have underlying conditions in their spine and skeletal system without having any pain since our brain has little representation of our spine, neck, and back. Because of this, we feel very few of the problems that exist in those areas until they become bigger problems. So when you begin chiropractic treatment, you may notice an increased discomfort, although this is not always the case. However, when this discomfort is experienced, it is not bad thing. You are also not getting worse before getting better. You are just getting better! The pain you are experiencing is your brain reconnecting to your body. It is becoming aware of the areas in distress of which it had been previously unaware due to the disruption in communication caused by the subluxation.

Furthermore, many people will experience recovery symptoms. This is when you notice a temporary tightness or discomfort increase, often in areas you were not aware of previously. For instance, it is common for patients to stand taller or walk more correctly after just one adjustment. Because you are using joints and muscles in ways you are not used to, this results in soreness in joints and muscles much like your body would experience after working out. This truly is a great sign, and it is due to the positive changes taking place in your body.

At Vitality Life Chiropractic, we care about our patients. Our goal to provide each one with chiropractic care that is exactly what they need. We take a one-on-one approach with each patient, and each one receives a custom-fit treatment plan that is tailored specifically to them.

We also offer our patients a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. You will find Dr. Ellis to be both professional and affable. He has a wide scope of techniques to get you better faster while keeping your comfort a priority.

For further information about Vitality Life Chiropractic, please visit our New Patients page. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Ellis, check out his About page.

This question is somewhat dependent upon the treatment plan that is tailored to you during your initial appointment. With that in mind, here are a few general allotments for you to consider to help you plan accordingly.

• New Patient Appointment: 60 minutes
• Full Examination: 60 minutes
• Adjustments: 10 minutes
• Heat packs: 10 minutes
• Doctor Assisted Physiotherapy: 15 minutes
• EMS (Electric Simulation): 15 minutes
• Other Therapies: Time as required

Ask us about the package plans we offer to help you save you money.

At this time, we currently accept the following types of payment:

• Cash
• All Major Credit Cards (Discover, MasterCard, Visa, American Express)
• Debit Cards
• HSA Cards
• FSA Cards

Sorry, personal checks are not accepted at this time.