San Mateo, CA 94402
Questions for the San Mateo Chiropractor
San Mateo Chiropractic Questions
Do I have to come forever once I start?
Absolutely not! Chiropractic care is not addicting. However, after people experience the results of chiropractic, most of them decide to return for regular care rather than waiting till they “crash and burn.”
If the entire population of the US suddenly became aware of the benefits of chiropractic, there wouldn’t be enough of us to meet the demand if we worked 100 hours weekly. Chiropractic care would have to be rationed or restricted.
Chiropractic can add years to your life and life to your years. There is no guarantee of this of course, just my observation over the years.
After all, if you don’t take care of this body, where are you going to live?
Repair parts are getting better all the time, but still fall far, far short of the function of the original. The pain and expense of these interventions are only to be undergone when there is absolutely no choice left. The best surgery available today is generally no surgery, unless you have a life-threatening emergency. Obviously if you have something like a ruptured appendix, you need immediate surgery because a system-wide infection could become fatal.
In certain conditions, only major interventions such as organ transplants are the answer. In the meantime, for many of those aggravating aches, pains, and dysfunction, give chiropractic care a try. You won’t be sorry.
Heat or ice?
Generally it depends on what body part is injured and how long since the injury. When in doubt choose ice. Ice may not produce the optimum results but will not make most conditions worse. If an area is swollen, warm or tender to the touch, it is inflamed. No blood test is required to determine this. You or your chiropractic can quickly make that decision. The tough part is that heat has a comforting feeling but only temporarily. Adding heat to the area will INCREASE the inflammation. The increased inflammation will result in increased pain. Some health care providers recommend contrast therapy. Heat, then ice, then heat, etc. If inflammation is present the heat increases it, the ice reduces it, the heat increases it, etc. I think you get the picture here; it’s like being in a rocking chair — lots of action without getting anywhere.
The purpose of ice is not to reduce pain but to reduce inflammation. Doing so will reduce the pain. Ice is best applied with a flexible gel pack designed for the purpose. It must never be applied directly to the skin which can result in frost bite, like a burn. It should never be wrapped up in a bath towel as you will be wasting your time. A maximum of 2 thin layers of cloth, like a t-shirt, should be between you and the ice pack. It should be applied for 20 minutes, never more or less if you want to get the full benefit of the ice. Generally it can be applied again in 2-3 hours. More frequently or longer times may result in a “rebound” effect, bring more blood to the area and increasing inflammation. You may require more than 1 pack if the area is large of more than one area needs icing. When returning your ice packs to the freezer, place them on separate shelves so that they may recover more quickly. They should remain in your freezer at all times. In my office we have them pre-frozen so that you can begin icing immediately.
Do I need X-rays?
In the past, and continuing today, too many X-rays were/are being taken. Today’s federal guidelines recommend waiting for 30 days before taking X-rays in the absence of “red flags.” (This, of course, is not followed where visual exam or other techniques indicate a fracture.) Examples of red flags are pain radiating down the arms or legs, prior history of cancer, or deep boring pain at night interfering with sleep. Certain symptoms relating to age and sex may indicate the need for studies such as leg pain in young men due to a high incidence of one type of cancer there. Numbing, tingling, or weaknesses in the legs or arms are also red flags. Chiropractors are trained not only to take and read X-rays but to make the determination of whether they are needed. A few specialized chiropractic techniques do require X-rays on the first visit.
Is chiropractic care safe?
The answer is yes, far safer than your trip to your chiropractor. If not, insurance companies wouldn’t pay for chiropractic care. Even Medicare pays for chiropractic care and considers Chiropractors to be Physicians. (There is one flaw — Medicare only pays for spinal care, not all the other joints in the extremities for which chiropractic care is also effective.)
Chiropractic has been plagued by naysayers of various stripes for 100 years. The surest way to verify safety to is to examine malpractice rates because they are based on facts, what insurers must pay out in damages. Not based on ignorance, bias, fear-mongering, or innuendo. A few years ago we changed accountants and received a phone call the next day concerning my malpractice cost. “You must have made a major mistake in the data you gave me. Did you mean that was the monthly cost or for minimal coverage?” He was absolutely floored when I replied that it was for the year AND maximum coverage, 1 million/3 million. There was a long pause, followed by “That’s incredible — less than I pay for malpractice as an accountant.” (He told me later he was paying $18,000; while I was paying only $2,400. Obviously this verifies what I said earlier; chiropractic care is VERY safe, otherwise my malpractice insurance would cost much more.)
Why chiropractic?
A better question is, why not?
Chiropractic care has an enviable reputation for being not only safe but cost-effective and efficacious.
The Executive Summary of the Manga Report from Canada regarding treatment of low-back pain found:
1) Spinal manipulation by Chiropractors was shown to be more effective than alternatives. Many medical therapies are questionable or clearly inadequate.
2) There are NO studies implying any danger in chiropractic care for low-back pain. Some medical therapies are safe but others may generate iatrogenic complications.
3) There is an overwhelming body of evidence indicating that chiropractic care management of low-back pain is more cost-effective than medical management.
4) There would be significant cost savings if more management of low-back pain cases was transferred from medical doctors to chiropractors.
5) There is good empirical evidence that patients are very satisfied with chiropractic management. The report recommended that chiropractic care should be fully integrated into the health care system including hospital privileges.
What’s the difference in physical therapy?
Quite a lot actually. We both work on the neuromusculoskeletal system. But a physical therapist (PT) cannot diagnose and cannot initiate treatment in most states. They typically work by prescription from a medical doctor (MD), osteopath (DO), podiatrist (DPM), or chiropractor (DC). Chiropractors may use therapy themselves as an adjunct to manipulation or may have a PT working under their direction in their office. Besides the inability to diagnose and initiate treatment, I view a PT as a rehabilitation resource, not typically for acute care. For example, if your elbow has been held at a 90 degree angle for 6 weeks or more following surgery or a fracture, you will generally never recover full range of motion without therapy.
What was the Wilk trial about?
For many years the AMA suppressed the chiropractic profession on many levels; admission to hospital staffs is just one example. Medical doctors were prohibited from accepting referrals from chiropractors. They were prohibited from associating with us in any manner including memberships in service clubs such as Rotary and Kiwanis. In the second trial Judge Getzendanner awarded our profession a permanent federal injunction, an award about as common as hen’s teeth.
SUMMARY OF THE WILK TRIAL
The AMA has been found guilty of an illegal conspiracy to destroy the competitive profession of Chiropractic, the members of which were found to "outperform" medical physicians in certain segments of the health care market. From the US Court of Appeals Feb. 7, 1990.
References you may wish to peruse:
1) Medicine, Monopolies, and Malice — Chester Wilk, DC
2) The Serpent on the Staff — Howard Wolinsky & Tom
