Another blog post from the desk of Ann Arbor chiropractor Mike Tannenbaum, D.C.

Occasionally, a patient comes to my Ann Arbor chiropractic office with much trepidation because they were given incorrect information about chiropractic. (By the way, usually this misinformation was given by those who know nothing about chiropractic.) Below I've listed some of this misinformation and, in response, factual information about chiropractic.

Chiropractic is dangerous. This is incorrect. The reality is that chiropractic is a very safe form of health care. Study after study backs this up. Also, liability insurance rates for chiropractors are very low, specifically because chiropractic has been shown to be so safe.

Once you begin chiropractic, you can't stop. This is false. Often a chiropractor will recommend to a patient a treatment protocol that has three parts: Initial care to get rid of the pain, reconstructive care to get the bones of the spine to remain in the proper position, and lastly wellness care to maintain the progress made in aligning the spinal bones. This process, and any care after this, is completely up to the patient. Some patients feel that regular chiropractic care after the three stages of care is beneficial and some patients don't see any reason to continue chiropractic care (for any number of reasons – one of which, and probably the most common – is that they feel all better).

Chiropractors are not “real doctors.” This is not true, as the chiropractic degree is known as the “doctor of chiropractic” (DC). DCs have extensive education. They are required to take the same undergraduate “prerequisite” courses as allopathic physicians (MDs) and osteopathic physicians (DOs) and required to take many of the same courses as those in medical and osteopathic school. As a matter of fact, the basic DC education requires more classroom hours than those of the basic medical or osteopathic education.

Chiropractic deals only with back problems. While it is true that chiropractic treatments deal with back problems, they also help people with all the joints of the body. That means chiropractic can help with issues such as problems of the shoulder, elbows, feet, hands, and knees. In addition, chiropractic is very successful in getting rid of chronic headaches, and in helping manage conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and asthma.

If you have any questions about this blog post, back pain, neck pain, or headaches, I can be contacted at my Ann Arbor chiropractic office at [email protected].