Chiropractic Care

doctor giving physiotherapy to patient

BodyPro Wellness Center offers chiropractic care as one of many services to help you achieve a dynamic state of health.  

Chiropractic is grounded in the principle that the body can heal itself when the nervous system functions properly. Chiropractic is from the Greek words meaning “done by hand,” whereby practitioners use their hands or an adjusting tool to perform specific manipulations of the vertebrae to free up the nervous system flowing to and from the spine.  

When the bones of the spine are not properly aligned, nerve transmission is disrupted and can cause pain or abnormal sensations in the back, as well as other areas of the body. Additionally, nerves that control some organ function can also be affected. This results in a condition known as a chiropractic subluxation.

What causes subluxation?

Stress is a major cause of a vertebral subluxation, where spinal bones become misaligned and lose their normal position. There are three general types of stress that cause subluxation:

Physical Stress. Whiplash injuries from car accidents can produce profound changes to the neck as a result of the whipping action of the head.

Chemical Stress. Overuse of drugs, alcohol, food preservatives, and artificial ingredients can affect muscle tone, and result in changes to proper spinal alignment.

Emotional Stress. Prolonged emotional stress from stressful life events (such as job loss, death in the family, terminally ill family member) can trigger deep feelings of anger, grief, and fear, which can cause the spine to stiffen, supporting muscles to tighten, and postural changes to emerge.

What is the purpose of chiropractic?

The purpose of chiropractic is to not only relieve the present ailment but also to analyze the cause and recommend appropriate lifestyle changes to prevent the problem from recurring.

Are there risks associated with chiropractic?

The odds of an adverse outcome from chiropractic care are extremely low.  The risk of an adverse reaction to Advil is much higher!  Since practitioners use a holistic approach to health and believe in a risk/benefit analysis before the use of any intervention, they greatly minimize the risk to patients. As a result, patients often experience immediate relief from their neuromuscular problems.

What conditions do chiropractors treat?

Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) care for patients with acute lower back pain, neck pain, disc herniations, arthritis, and headaches. They also care for patients with a wide range of injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, involving the muscles, ligaments, and joints. These conditions can be very painful because they often involve or impact the nervous system.

Since our body structure affects our overall function, DCs often extend care to general health issues, providing patients counsel on diet, nutrition, exercise, healthy habits, and occupational and lifestyle modification.

Can back pain subside on Its own?

Back pain can subside on its own over time, but it may take 1-3 weeks before you are walking around again, pain-free, and can return to normal, daily activities. The body simply adapts to the pain. However, the misalignments will not resolve themselves, and untreated conditions will just reoccur without any intervention at all.

Are there different types of chiropractic techniques?

Yes, there are several different types of chiropractic techniques.  Many chiropractors are experienced in a range of techniques and will pick the one that is best suited to you and your condition.

How many treatments will you need?

The number of treatments you will need depends on your overall health and your specific condition. If you have a chronic or severe condition or a condition in conjunction with another health problem, you may need long-term treatment. If you are in poor health, you may require a longer healing time, which would require more treatments over an extended period of time.  

Treatments are usually given in three stages. The first stage focuses on relieving your pain and discomfort, so this may require frequent treatments at first. The second stage focuses on rehabilitation to continue the healing process and to help prevent a relapse. The third stage is more elective, where patients may choose to have treatments for preventive maintenance with the goal of restoring and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

How can BodyPro help you?

At BodyPro, Dr. Tony Ganem is a Doctor of Chiropractic with 17 years of experience.

Which chiropractic techniques does Dr. Tony utilize?

Dr. Tony uses a variety of chiropractic techniques at BodyPro, including the Gonstead Technique, the Activator Method, and microcomputer circuitry using an impulse IQ adjusting instrument.

What is the Gonstead Technique?

The Gonstead Technique represents the gold standard in spinal adjusting and remains the leader in chiropractic technique. It is the most accurate, specific, and definite approach in evaluating and adjusting the spine, because the entire spine is checked for motion, soft tissue damage, and neurological dysfunction. 

In using this technique, five criteria are used to evaluate the spinal column–instrumentation, static palpation, motion palpation, visualization, and spinal imaging. Practitioners then use their hands to adjust the articulations of the spine. When such correction is made to the spine, the entire body begins functioning better as a whole. After a series of specific Gonstead adjustments, patients begin to feel more energy, sleep better, and notice improved digestion. 

Over time, as spinal joints align and begin to heal, patients notice other conditions clearing up as well. Some of those conditions include:

  • Back and Neck Pain
  • Headaches / Migraines
  • Scoliosis
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Low Metabolism
  • Allergies
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Acid Reflux (GERD)
  • Asthma
  • Carpal Tunnel
  • Disc Herniation
  • Sciatica

Are Gonstead adjustments safe?

The Gonstead adjustments are safe for patients of all ages, including infants and young children, adults, athletes, pregnant women, and senior citizens.  This technique has proven to be effective in not only relieving pain and discomfort but also in correcting the cause of the problem.

What is the Activator Method?

The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique® is a diagnostic and treatment system used to treat many types of back pain, neck pain, and headaches (both chronic and migraine).

How does the Activator Method work?

The Activator adjusting instrument is a spring-loaded, handheld mechanical instrument that provides a quick, low-force impulse to the spine to restore motion to the targeted spinal vertebra or joint.

What are the benefits of this treatment?

The major benefit of this treatment is the speed of the device. The instrument is so quick that the body’s muscles are less likely to tense up in response to treatment, and consequently doesn’t resist the treatment. This lack of muscle resistance facilitates the effectiveness of treatment. The other benefit is that the applied force is localized and does not add any additional torque or bending movement to the joint.

What is the Impulse IQ adjusting instrument?

The Impulse IQ adjusting instrument is an FDA-registered device used to deliver gentle and precise chiropractic adjustments to the joints of the spine and extremities to relieve pain and restore function. Microcomputer circuitry housed within the device produces a controlled force allowing the practitioner to treat different areas of the body.

What are the advantages of using Impulse IQ?

In using the computer-assisted chiropractic adjusting instrument with Impulse IQ, practitioners can provide fast, controlled treatment to patients.  Impulse IQ has patented Auto-Sense technology that senses when mobility is maximized, ceasing the adjustment, and providing immediate feedback of the patient’s response to the adjustment.