Questions about Chiropractic Care?

Confused about Chiropractic care and what it can do for you?  Check out this article that was previously printed in Healthy Cells magazine!

What can a patient expect when they seek chiropractic care?

We often find that patients have sought many different solutions before they seek care in our office. Our patients tell us that they’ve “tried everything” and are at their wits’ end. We even hear “I’ve tried chiropractic before, and it didn’t work”.  It’s important to note that  there are different kinds of chiropractors, and therefore different kinds of chiropractic care. Our focus at Keystone Chiropractic is structural chiropractic; we focus on correcting the structure of the body, and misalignments that cause secondary conditions to arise.

How does chiropractic care produce relief?

Chiropractic is unique in healthcare as it doesn’t treat conditions in the traditional format. Traditional medicine treats conditions largely by treating symptoms associated with an illness. At Keystone Chiropractic, our focus is on correcting structural displacements at the most mobile area of the spine, the craniocervical junction, whose misalignment can cause a cascade of health events, including body imbalance and spinal cord pressure. As a result, conditions like neck pain, headaches, low-back pain, sciatica, and knee and foot pain all result from craniocervical displacement. Childhood conditions like ear infections, asthma and allergies, learning difficulties, and bed wetting respond well due to adjustments in neurological pressure. Even more severe neurological issues like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, and trigeminal neuralgia respond well to correction of the structural displacement of the craniocervical junction. Upper cervical adjustment can be effectively utilized to alleviate the core cause of these conditions, creating lasting relief.

What is the process from the initial evaluation to the end of treatment?

Our first step with each new patient is a conversation, where we identify what symptoms they have been experiencing, for how long, and what kind of traumas they’ve encountered in their life. Most people will have forgotten the initial trauma that started them down this path of lost health, as the trauma may have been years, or even decades before they started to have symptoms. There is never a charge for this conversation, as we have to first establish that you’re in the right office for the symptoms you experience.

The next step is a comprehensive exam and, if necessary, specific imaging of the cranio-cervical junction which allows us to determine down to a half millimeter what your specific structural displacement looks like. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but spinal cord pressure starts at such a small displacement. This is very much like the little bit of food caught between your teeth after a meal. It feels like the biggest chunk of something until you remove it and see that it’s a tiny speck of food.

Dr. Schurger then takes time to evaluate the data and come up with a care plan to reestablish normal structural integrity. It would be nice if we could move a bone once and everything stays perfectly in alignment for the rest of your life, but most people have had chronic health conditions by the time they find Keystone Chiropractic. As such, the body has old habits that require gradual retraining. This is why we recommend regular follow-ups early on to make sure their correction holds. If it does displace again, we are then able to correct in a timely manner before secondary conditions resurface.

What are the merits of upper cervical chiropractic?

Keystone Chiropractic focuses on correcting structural displacements, not an individual secondary condition. Most people come in with a couple (or more) secondary conditions that are interfering with their lives. By correcting structural displacements in the craniocervical junction, the body is often able to self-correct these secondary conditions.  The Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic method which we practice (visit blairchiropractic.com for more information) is so precise that he can find displacements down to half of a millimeter. When correcting these displacements, he is able to do so to within half a degree of your anatomy. This creates a custom correction that requires no twisting or popping of the spine, is very gentle on the patient, and often requires fewer corrections. This ultimately translates to short follow-up visits with long-lasting results and greater periods between adjustments.

What has been the general reaction of your patients who seek treatment?

Structural chiropractic like the kind we practice here is different for each person, but generally, people start noticing better movement and energy (or a good night’s sleep) in short order. We have patients who have near-miraculous recovery in minutes to those who have a slower recovery over weeks to months. Ultimately, we get excited patients who refer their loved ones and even strangers.

Dr. Schurger’s practice, Keystone Chiropractic Springfield, is located at 450 S. Durkin Drive, suite B in Springfield. Call 217-698-7900 or email [email protected] to arrange a consultation. Visit our website for more information and to begin your journey back to better health.