What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts which is based upon the understanding that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system (especially the spine, and the nerves extending from the spine to all parts of the body).

Chiropractic stresses the idea that the cause of many disease processes begins with the body's inability to adapt to its environment. It looks to address these diseases not by the use of drugs and chemicals, but by locating and adjusting a musculoskeletal area of the body which is functioning improperly.

The doctor begins with an examination of the spine to evaluate structure and function. This is what makes chiropractic different from other health care procedures. Your spinal column is a series of movable bones which begin at the base of your skull and end in the center of your hips.

Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves extend down the spine from the brain and exit through a series of openings. The nerves leave the spine and form a complicated network which influences every living tissue in your body.

Accidents, falls, stress, tension, overexertion, and countless other factors can result in a displacements or misalignment of the spinal column, causing irritation to spinal nerve roots. These irritations are often what cause malfunctions in the human body.

These malfunctions can manifest into such these as muscle tension, lack of motion, weakness and in severe cases, pain and or numbness and tingling. Chiropractic teaches that reducing or eliminating this irritation to spinal nerves by placing the spinal vertebrae back into normal alignment can therefore cause your body to operate more efficiently and more comfortably.

Chiropractic also places an emphasis on nutritional and exercise programs, wellness and lifestyle modifications for promoting physical and mental health. While chiropractors make no use of drugs or surgery, Doctors of chiropractic do refer patients for medical care when those interventions are indicated.

In fact, chiropractors, medical doctors, physical therapists and other health care professionals now work as partners in occupational health, sports medicine, and a wide variety of other rehabilitation practices.

What Can I Expect on My First Visit to a DC?

The first thing that Dr. Grossi will do is ask you about the health complaints about which you are chiefly concerned. In other words, Dr. Grossi will ask why you are here at our office today. Dr. Grossi will also ask about your family history, dietary habits, other care you may have had (chiropractic, physical therapy, medical, etc.), your job, and other questions designed to help determine the nature of your illness and the best way to go about treating the problem.

A complete neurological, musculoskeletal and orthopedic physical examination will be performed. In addition, a careful spinal examination and analysis will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities which may be affecting or causing your condition. All of these elements are important components of your total health profile, and vital to the doctor of chiropractic in evaluating your problem.

An "adjustment," as doctors of chiropractic use the term, means the specific manipulation of vertebrae which have abnormal movement patterns or fail to function normally. Doctors of chiropractic spend years learning motion palpation (the art of examining by movement or touch) and other forms of spinal examining procedures, so that they can administer specific and appropriate spinal adjustments based on your individual needs.

Once Dr. Grossi has identified the problem, she will begin care by way of these adjustments or "manipulations." Particular attention will be paid to that area of your spine where a spinal misalginment or "subluxation" has been detected. The adjustment is usually given by hand or "activator" type instruments, and consists of applying pressure to the areas of the spine that are out of alignment or that do not move properly within their normal range of motion.

Dr. Grossi uses many sophisticated and varied techniques, and the specific procedure to be used will be determined and explained completely to you following a careful evaluation of your physical findings.

Under normal circumstances, adjustments don't hurt. The patient may experience a minor amount of discomfort during the adjustment which lasts only seconds. Adjustments or manipulations are extremely safe. The risk factor is estimated to be in excess of 1 million to 1.

You suffer from low back pain (LBP) and you'd like to seek a doctor's care, but you're not sure where to go. Consider this: A recent study compared the effectiveness of chiropractic care vs. medical management for LBP and found that chiropractic care had a higher rate of success in treating LBP than did traditional medical care.

Researchers examined 2,870 adult patients with acute or chronic LBP from the practices of 51 chiropractic clinics and 14 general practice community clinics. At baseline and at various intervals over the next four years, patients rated the intensity of their current pain levels on a pain scale of 0-100 and completed a questionnaire designed to measure the effects of their pain on functional disability.

Results: The greatest degree of improvement was seen within three months of the initial treatment of back pain, with a “modest advantage” seen for chiropractic care over medical care of chronic pain patients in the first 12 months. At the one- and three-month intervals, “clinical importance” was achieved with chiropractic care administered to chronic LBP patients. Comparing chiropractic vs. medical care, the average difference in pain scores was 12.2 points at one month and 10.5 points at three months, favoring chiropractic care.

Still undecided? Chiropractic isn't just for back pain anymore. Regular chiropractic care has been shown to, among other things, relieve chronic headache and arthritis pain as well as relieve stress and promote general health. Please contact our office for any specific questions or to set up an appointment today. Call Union Square Chiropractic at 617-440-1688 today in order to achieve optimal health.