Layton Office

(801) 771-2200

West Haven Office

(801) 731-9899

If you've ever wondered what it's like to see a chiropractor, we thought we'd share some of the most commonly asked questions we get in our office.


What is chiropractic care?

Chiropractors are highly-trained doctors who emphasize treating the patient in a holistic way. They incorporate therapies that can benefit both physical and mental health. Chiropractors work with, rather than against, traditional medical interventions. Chiropractors, along with your whole pain management team, look at treatments that will be most effective with the least amount of artificial intervention in the form of surgeries or prescriptions. They believe in the power of the body to heal itself and work to keep everything in proper balance. For chronic pain management, this means looking first to the foundational structure of the body, the skeleton, making sure it is aligned and properly functioning before moving forward. The goal is to correct alignment problems, alleviate pain (usually back pain, neck pain, and headaches), and to support the healing process.


What does a chiropractor do?

The most common kind of chiropractic treatment is referred to as spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) or a chiropractic adjustment. In this type of work, doctors apply controlled force in a very specific way to restore mobility in the joints. Sometimes the patient will hear a popping noise as the spine is adjusted, but this is no cause for alarm. Small pockets of air trapped in the joints cause this popping noise, similar to what one might hear when cracking the knuckles.

Chiropractic treatment is hands-on, drug-free, and complex. Doctors will take a detailed health history, including family history and details of the current injury if applicable. After taking health history and answering any questions the patient might have, doctors may also recommend X-rays to confirm that chiropractic care is appropriate. If a patient is experiencing loss of strength or lack of reflexive response, a chiropractor may refer the patient to a spine surgeon to get more information before beginning treatment. Once all of these steps are complete, treatment can begin.


Does chiropractic work?

In short, yes. Chiropractic care for pain can be a non-invasive treatment option for any of the above injuries. There have been numerous studies that indicate that chiropractic care is a great way to approach many different pain conditions. Neck pain and back pain are the two pain conditions best served by chiropractic care, especially when combined with other treatments.

One study found rapid improvement of neck pain over physical therapy, medications, and surgery alone. Another study looked at successful treatments over a year and found that chiropractic care worked better than physiotherapy and general practitioner care.

For lower back pain (the most common pain condition addressed with chiropractic care), there are many different studies that indicate that it works. One study that focused on military veterans found that chiropractic care decreased pain and improved function better that traditional treatments of lower back pain alone. Another study found that those patients who used chiropractic care for pain had a 90% reduction in pain over four weeks, much higher than traditional medical care (56%).


How many chiropractic sessions do you need?

The length of care depends on the healing abilities of each person. Results may vary from person to person due to the amount of damage to their spine and nervous system. Your current condition determines the frequency of your office visits. It may take longer to correct subluxations that have been present in the spine for many years. As your subluxations become manageable, your frequency of visits will be decreased to a wellness schedule.


What does a chiropractor treat?

A chiropractor can treat a wide variety of conditions, but to begin, chiropractors will evaluate the patient based on a variety of factors that include family history, current activity, the nature of the injury and its interactions with other previous injuries, and the amount of support a patient needs. This gives chiropractors a better idea of how to proceed.

From there, chiropractors can help with a variety of different conditions, including headaches, whiplash, neck pain, arthritis, low back pain, sciatica, gastrointestinal symptoms, respiratory infection, scoliosis, and injuries from a car accident, or from lifting, playing sports, or a fall.


How can I speed the healing process?

At Live Well Chiropractic, we’ll educate you on several things you can do at home to support the adjustments and therapies you receive in the office. These include resting and applying ice when needed, sleeping in a supported position, working on good posture, staying hydrated, eating well, and doing the exercises we’ll teach you in the office. We truly believe this kind of holistic approach will help your body recover faster and maintain optimal health.


If you have any other questions, we’d love to answer them! Just give us a call at 801-731-9899 or ask one of our staff and we’ll do all we can to address any additional concerns you may have.

(Some information for this post was taken from paindoctor.com’s article, “30 Frequently-Asked Questions About Seeing A Chiropractor.”)





Location

HOURS OF OPERATION

West Haven Office

Monday

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wednesday

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Thursday

Closed

Friday

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday

Closed

Sunday

Closed

Layton Office

Monday

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wednesday

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Thursday

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Friday

Closed

Saturday

Closed

Sunday

Closed

West Haven Office

Monday
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wednesday
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Thursday
Closed
Friday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Layton Office

Monday
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wednesday
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Thursday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed