Recently I had a client who - after speaking to me 3 times - finally admitted to me why she had so many questions and was so hesitant to get her or her baby adjusted. She grew up in a household where “once you start cracking that back you can never stop!” and “chiropractors get your back cracking and then you keep paying them the fix it” were thrown around!
It made me wonder,
What myths about Chiropractic care are keeping people from getting relief??
So I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 reasons people think Chiropractic care is a hoax - and I am here to debunk it!
Keep reading to see how what you learned growing up may have actually been disproved by science - don’t worry, we won’t tell mom and dad.
Chiropractic care is dangerous!
Ah, yes. The ol’ “your neck could snap” fear. You should legitimately be concerned for the health of your neck and spine. They are the center of many critical functions in your body and they serve to hold you upright.
But you should not be concerned that a trained chiropractor will adjust you in a way that will injure you. YouTube is full of videos that amplify loud crackles and pops mixed with jolty movements of the neck and back. These videos become viral because they are ABNORMAL.
A vast majority of chiropractors use methodical, slow movements to realign your neck and spine. These movements can cause a sound from fluid or gas moving in your joints. But sometimes they also don’t make a sound.
Your neck won’t snap and your back won’t break. But you may sit straighter from pain relief!
You only need chiropractic care when you’re in pain!
The skeptic-turned patient mentioned above finally succumbed to an adjustment when her eyes could hardly open from a tension headache - she waited for the pain. Unfortunately, that is an approach that is taken often, and while chiropractic care can help in relieving pain - the best practice is preventative care to avoid that pain!
Chiropractors differ in how they offer care in one major way. For some offices, you do an initial visit to determine what is misaligned (sometimes via x-ray) and then give a treatment plan of “X visits per week for X weeks”.
Others, like myself, rely more on the cues of your body. I do not set my patients on a “plan”, but rather, we communicate regularly and adjust as needed.
There is no right or wrong plan of adjustment - but chiropractors can all agree that preventative care is best!
I’ll use this topic to quickly touch on the fact that YES chiro care helps with pain BUT it does so much more. Immunity. Fertility. Lactation. Balance. Anxiety. I could go on and on here.
The point is when you practice chiropractic care routinely you can see a reduction in not-so-great feelings! I can back that up with studies and would be so happy to share!
Once you get an adjustment you can’t stop!
Actually, this one might be true, but only because patients CHOOSE to continue care because they feel great.
But the myth is actually that once you begin getting adjusted, your body quickly goes back to an uncomfortable state and you have to return ( spending $$) frequently to remain feeling good.
This sort of ties into the topic above. You can choose to start and stop chiropractic care as you see fit. Once patients truly understand the great feeling that comes with routine adjustments, many choose to work an adjustment into their routine just as they would a massage or pedicure.
Chiropractic care is not safe for pregnant women!
100 % nope.
Chiropractic care is actually great for pregnant women [after the patient has had an initial exam and the chiropractor has determined that the patient is healthy and without pregnancy complications].
Chiro care has major benefits to pregnant women. In addition to relieving lower back and hip pain, adjustments create a pelvic balance and make room for the sweet baby.
In fact, chiropractic care can help correct women with breech presentations. Chiropractic does not turn babies, it creates more space in the pelvis by properly aligning the pelvis and sacrum and relaxing the musculature surrounding it, to allow for more space for the baby to turn.
Chiropractic care is not safe for babies
In 2013, an article circulated the internet making some bold statements about chiropractic and how it negatively affected an infant. As you can read for yourself in this article
the statements were found to be false.
Unfortunately, the thoughts of chiropractic care injuring infants still resonate. I’m here to tell you that there are SO many benefits to getting your sweet baby adjusted.
Birth is beautiful - but it can also be traumatic for the little one. Adjustments following the birth can set your baby on a path to nailing every milestone and rest, digesting, and growing.
In addition to preventative benefits, chiropractic care can help ease conditions that can plague babies. Colic, reflux, constipation, sleepless nights, torticollis, etc.
When adjusting an infant, chiropractors use SAFE and GENTLE measures. So gentle, in fact, that babies often sleep right through them!
It is HARD to adjust thoughts that are deeply ingrained…..
Especially when those thoughts were presented to you by people you truly trust. Knowledge is power. New knowledge is acquired daily and frankly, when our parents were giving us life advice - they may have had knowledge that backed up their claims, too!
I am here to advocate, educate, and help families THRIVE. I am always more than happy to answer questions and clarify. I hope that by being transparent, I can continue to serve my Thrive families and build trust with them.
Thrive Family Chiropractic, LLC was founded by Dr. Padilla in the fall of 2017 with the idea that Chiropractic care should be convenient and accessible to all, with a focus on facilitating care for families, women during pregnancy, and children. Throughout her years of practice, Dr. Padilla has seen how challenging it can be for families to incorporate Chiropractic into their lifestyles and make it a priority rather than a luxury. With this thought in mind, Dr. Padilla wants to provide the best, most personalized, and individualized Chiropractic care to women during pregnancy and to children of all ages, to help improve their lifestyle, prevent chronic illness, and allow them to express their full potential in life, sports, school.
Call (904) 437-4546 today for a complimentary consultation and to schedule an appointment in the office or at home!