A chiro clinic treats patients for conditions such as back injuries, whiplashes, headaches and other related complaints. A chiropractor, who sometimes is also called a back doctor, uses manual manipulation to treat the back and the neck. Apart from chiropractic procedures, they sometimes also use other treatments such as massage therapy in an effort to reduce and relieve pain.
The spine is of utmost importance in the chiro clinic because it is along this route that the nerve impulses travel from the brain to the muscles, organs and other tissue and back. A disruption in the messages being relayed and received means that important information does not reach the brain. When a chiro works on a patient to align the spine, he also corrects the message delivery system and pain can be relieved.
At the clinic patients are also thought how to train and exercise to prevent injury. With the correct exercises the back and stomach muscles are strengthened and the chance of injury is reduced. The clinic also emphasises a healthy lifestyle which includes good eating habits and regular exercise. With the correct diet a patient’s weight can be altered and controlled – being overweight places extra strain on an already struggling back.
Chiropractors study for 6 years before they are qualified to practise. They hold Masters Degrees in Chiropractic and are members of CASA; they also comply with the standards set out by the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa. They are professionals who do not prescribe medication or perform surgery but can refer patients to medical practitioners who can.
Babies and children can also be treated at chiro clinics. Chiros use gentle manipulations to improve conditions such as colic, disrupted sleeping patterns and reflux. Children’s spines come under threat at three distinct phases in their lives: during birth trauma when the baby has to go through the birth canal, the period when the child moves from four feet onto two and starts to use an upright spine and the final growth phase that happens at 11-13 years of age.
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