Frequently Asked Questions in Richardson

The Simple and legal answer is yes. In fact, a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) is someone that has been granted a License to practice Chiropractic in their respective state and has all credentials in order to have earned the privilege of being called a Doctor within the spectrum of healthcare. No, we are not Medical Doctors M.D.'s, P.H.D's Doctors of philosophy who spend much of their careers in research, or Doctors of Dentistry D.D.S, or even Doctors of Osteopathy D.O.'s who are your primary care physicians in many cases.

But all are "Doctor" level fields of education and specialty. The major differentiating factor when it comes to a chiropractor is the path of education they went before completing school. Which should be 4 years of undergraduate training in route to earning a Bachelor's degree (an example is in Kinesiology or Biology) followed by continuing on to Chiropractic graduate program which is 3.25 year (now in the U.S) which you can co-currently additional degrees (examples Masters in Neuroscience, functional medicine or additional bachelor's degrees).

Prior to completion of chiropractic school, all students must take and pass 5 National board exams. Throughout a 1.5 year stretch. Ranging from advanced science (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and pathology) then advanced clinical patient management, Neuroscience, diagnostic tests, and radiographic imaging. Followed by a mandated Physiotherapy/ exercise/ rehab exam.

Then finally the clinical practical hands-on assessment and clinical competence in-person exam. This is all prior to our one-year internship in a real clinical setting practicing on real patients (Just like YOU) who we care for and treat under faculty doctor supervision in various settings (from minor back pain cases to neurological disorders that need co-managed extensive rehab). So Yup, Chiropractors are real doctors.

A chiropractor can be so much more than just a back and neck cracker. We are a portal of entry providers, which means you do not need a primary care referral or script. This means you can seek the guidance and care of a Holistic/non-drug prescribing provider before going to the urgent care or pediatrician for example.

The Chiropractor will be your least invasive and more 98% of the time the most affordable option to receive sound health care advice. And as for the adjustive procedure or manipulation when warranted and done correctly can influence the body to relieve pressure in the spine or joint involved and promote optimal healing based on all available relevant collected information.

Asking if Chiropractic works, is like asking if your food is cooked to your liking. What I mean is, If you eat and don't spit your food out. One way or another it nourishes you. Sometimes you may not like the way it tastes or even doesn't sit right in your stomach, but you'll have the energy. But if you truly enjoyed the experience and felt a difference, no matter what you came in for (pain or some organ dysfunction) you'll come back wanting more and tell everyone.

The thing about Chiropractic care (the adjustment in this case) is it doesn't lie. Everyone who is a candidate for care will attest to something different 'I felt better the next day", "I felt better instantly", "I feel taller", "I feel so much lighter", "the pain is less", "the pain is gone" all these factors and then patient outcomes determine whether or not chiropractic works / if you like the cooking.

Yes, and that is why we pay "very little" in malpractice insurance as opposed to professions that put you under anesthesia or perform surgery. Not to mention The paper most cited to discredit the safety of our profession "the Cassidy paper" Cassidy JD, Boyle E, Côté P, et al. Risk of vertebrobasilar stroke and chiropractic care: results of a population-based case-control and case-crossover study. Spine. 2008 Feb;33(4 Suppl):S176-83. never holds up.

For a chiropractor to cause harm to the degree that he/she would be labeled unsafe while performing an adjustment/manipulation, they would have to purposely try to hurt someone with an absence amount of force in a compromised position. I cannot think of any reason why someone would throw their career away to purposefully do this.

The circumstances when a Chiropractor may be at fault or did something unsafe would be "missing" or misdiagnosing an emergent patient who entered the office and was not experiencing a severe symptom at the time and the chiropractor missed the importance of a more thorough the exam and refer to the ER. The worst thing I have seen the most competent chiropractors to is agitate a muscle strain or leave someone sore from extensive muscle work.

Rule number one … DON'T get Hurt. And Rule number two… Get a referral near you (you should be excited and anticipating meeting the new chiropractor that you know gave your loved one or acquaintance a great experience) …It is simple… If a chiropractor tells you need $5000 of care and you haven't been thrown from your car or fell off a motorcycle and landed on your head (with YOUR lawyer involved), then walk out that door.

Chiropractic care is almost always "not covered" by insurance based on it being elective or wellness care. Which is what it is best utilized for keeping your joints and musculoskeletal and nervous system healthy and out of pain and in optimal function. And that is not an opinion it's actually the science that best supports manipulative therapy and optimizing your spinal health.