This week we’re looking at a more lighthearted topic – over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting literally hundreds of people from all walks of life, in fact, some of them are still regular visitors at the clinic after years! No matter how many people we see though, the same old myths and misconceptions about chiropractic tend to stick around, so this week were busting them!
Myth #1 – Chiropractic Adjustments Are Painful
To be fair, we can understand why people might think this – the cracking and popping sounds that often come with an adjustment can certainly put people off – but it’s critical to realise that chiropractic adjustments (while sometimes loud…!) are a highly safe and non-invasive procedure. The sounds that patients often hear are air pockets moving through the fluid in joints. – just like cracking your knuckles, a back adjustment is painless and will leave you feeling refreshed, but might be a bit noisy. Adjustments themselves, however, don’t hurt and certainly aren’t the sound of your bones cracking!
Here’s the one exception to this rule – we’ll be honest because we always are! Some patients do occasionally say they feel sore after an adjustment, especially the first few. This is simply because the tissue around the spine is already irritated and painful, and having an adjustment can make this a little more noticeable. We advise first-time patients to gently apply ice to the sore area if this occurs, which is always more than enough to deal with the problem. Pain after adjustments almost never persists, and it’s very rare for patients to report soreness after about adjustment number 3.
Myth #2 – Chiropractic is just for back pain
While this certainly isn’t wrong (after all, back pain is what we’re known for!) Chiropractic can be effective for a much wider range of issues. Other very common ones are:
- Poor posture
- Stress-related tension
- Migraines
- Muscle pain
- Sciatica
What’s more, at Complete Chiropractic we don’t just offer Chiropractic if back pain is your problem – like many chiropractors we’ve expanded our practice and the services available so that today we’re proud to offer sports or holistic massage – in some cases, this might be a better fit for your case and will always be an excellent way to augment your adjustment!
Myth #3 – Once you start chiropractic treatment, You will have to continue forever
Don’t worry, we know that people are worried about money right now so let’s get this one out of the way – you do not, repeat – do not need to come back to the clinic every week for the rest of your life to benefit from Chiropractic.
In fact, at Complete Chiropractic we’re well aware that for many people just getting out of pain is the main objective – and this is almost always where we start! The truth, however, is that many people find Chiropractic care so beneficial that they continue with a maintenance adjustment once or twice a month to help them feel the best they possibly can. Others though, come in, deal with their pain and go back on with their lives – and that’s fine too.
Chiropractic is really much more than just “back cracking” – in fact, we’re concerned with ensuring that your body can move as well as possible and without any pain. Adjustments are a big part of that, but home exercises and specialist stretches and routines designed to strengthen your posture are also a critical component. Come to the Chiropractor, have some adjustments and get out of pain – then keep doing your exercises at home and follow the guidelines you’ll receive and you probably won’t ever need to come back…You might want to though!
Myth #4 – Chiropractic is dangerous for Babies, Children or Pregnant women
This one is absolutely false – yes, we can see why people watch a 6’3” bodybuilder get adjusted on youtube and then wonder “is this really ideal for a child” – but the truth is that Chiropractors have a huge range of techniques they can use to adjust the spine using almost no force at all. Specialist adjustment techniques for children and babies exist to emphasise incredibly low force movement and, did you know, many children seem to love getting adjusted (judging by the amount of giggles we get anyway!).
Pregnant women can receive chiropractic in the normal way during their first trimester, after which lower force specialist methods can be used to provide relief from aches and pains without posing any risk to mum or baby. Once you’ve given birth, you can resume Chiropractic safely as soon as you like.
(By the way, if you are a 6’3” bodybuilder looking for a good crunch, we’re more than happy to provide that too!)
Myth #5 – Chiropractic is expensive
Right now we’re all feeling the pinch and people are naturally concerned about the rising cost of living – since Chiropractic care isn’t provided through the NHS (we wish it was!), the fact is it will be an extra expense that you’ll need to cover, should you decide to become a patient. At Complete Chiropractic we also offer your first adjustment totally free when you take up our new patient special, so your first adjustment at least is very, very cheap!
Subsequent treatment does, of course, cost money – we offer treatment packages and a range of discounts which can help to bring that cost down a bit, but you are going to have to reach into your wallet eventually. The important thing to consider then is what Chiropractic can do for you – and whether that’s good value. We understand that people need to control their spending at the moment, and with our goals and evidence-based approach we’re happy to help – many people (as we already mentioned) do just need to stop the pain they’re living with, and we’ll tailor a treatment program that’s a quick a possible to do that for you if that’s your goal. We simply won’t sell you a 20 adjustment package if we’re pretty sure we can have you sorted in 6 – it’s just not how we work!
On the other hand, however, your mobility might be key to your work – many of our patients are, for example, tradespeople who need to be able to move freely to work. If this is you, the cost of a weekly or bi-weekly adjustment is much less than the time or money lost through working slowly, working in pain, or not working at all!
Keep in mind too, that when you first present yourself at a chiropractor with a painful complaint, we will fall into that chiropractor stereotype…. we would like to see you twice a week for the next three weeks! But, once you’re out of the immediate pain that’s bothering you and if you want to continue with maintenance care it will be at a much lower volume – once or twice a month is a popular approach. Take all this into account and we believe that while Chiropractic isn’t free, it’s also not expensive.
At Complete Chiropractic we pride ourselves on being flexible enough to design a treatment plan which will work for the vast majority of people – so don’t be shy, give us a go and if you’re on a budget don’t be afraid to say so!
