During your first visit to a doctor of chiropractic you will likely discuss your present condition and health history, and then undergo a physical examination. Your chiropractor might order imaging or lab tests to determine what may be causing your issue(s). They may refer you to a different medical professional if necessary for your condition.

Your chiropractor will then explain your condition, develop a treatment plan, and review the risks and benefits of the treatment.

The word “chiropractic” comes from the greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (practice), which aptly describes this treatment approach. Chiropractic therapy (or chiropractic care) is a type of manual or hands-on therapy performed by a licensed chiropractor (doctor of chiropractic, or DC) to improve musculoskeletal health.

Chiropractic therapy focuses on treating disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. It’s most often used to treat various types of pain.

In a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society of 5,589 U.S. adults aged 65 years and older, persistent pain was common and was linked to meaningful declines in physical function and well-being over seven years.

Scientists have been studying the effectiveness of chiropractic care for various types of pain for many years. The most promising research is in the area of low back pain. The research has shown spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) is as effective as other common therapies, like exercise therapy, standard medical care, or physiotherapy.

First, be aware of your posture throughout the day and make an effort to stand and sit up straight. Secondly, avoid sitting for long periods of time and take breaks often to move around. Finally, strengthening your core muscles will also help to improve your posture by providing support for your spine.

For people challenged with chronic back pain, a new experimental treatment that focuses on retraining how the back and the brain communicate offers a clinically meaningful effect on pain intensity and a clinically meaningful effect on disability, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. People were happier, they reported their backs felt better and their quality of life was better. It also looks like these effects were sustained over the long term; Twice as many people were completely recovered.

You don’t have to be an ironworker or a lumberjack to be at risk for back injury on your job. Every occupation, however physically undemanding it seems, carries the potential for back injury. Even office work can pose problems. A physically intense job might put a person at greater risk for a serious accident, but the sedentary practice of sitting at a desk all day brings its own set of physical concerns.

We can’t give you advice on how to navigate a TSA security line, other than to say take a deep breath and be patient. But the American Chiropractic Association has pointed out that a long flight can play havoc with tightened muscles and restricted blood flow. When flying, here are some things to remember.

Your feet are the foundation on which your body stands and functions. Chiropractors recognize that one of the keys to spinal health, and therefore the maintenance of overall health, is taking good care of the feet. A foot injury can lead, for instance, to limping. And when the body starts compensating for a limp or for any joint that can’t pull its weight, the over-stressed parts will start to ache. Most likely the other leg or hip will start to ache. Next may come lower back pain.

The spine is made up of distinct areas: the cervical spine, which is essentially the neck; the thoracic spine, in the mid-back; the lumbar spine, the lower back; and the sacral spine, in the pelvis. The lumbar vertebrae—the individual bones that make up the lumbar section of the spinal column—are described as L1 through L5. If one or more of those vertebrae are out of line—what chiropractors call a ‘subluxation’—here are some problems that may ensue:

Most people’s approach to health care is a preventive one. They visit their medical doctor regularly to check for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other issues. They see the dentist regularly to prevent development of cavities, gum disease and other problems with the mouth. The idea is to not wait until a problem becomes evident.