Question 1

What is that cracking sound you hear during an adjustment

Accepted Answer

The cracking sound you hear is CO2 being released due to a rapid change in volume within the joint capsule. The capsule surrounding your joint creates a separated cavity for each articulation. This space is filled with fluid, that gets cycled out and refilled slowly, so is relatively constant. The size of this space is determined by your normal joint Range of Motion (ROM). Oftentimes during an adjustment we are increasing the spacing at the joint rapidly. This rapid expansion of the volume inside the capsule creates a decrease in pressure which releases CO2 as gas. This gas makes a popping sound like when popping a bottle of champaign. It can be seen on an MRI here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJLU-4M-hdE

Question 2

Do you take insurance?

Accepted Answer

Insurance takes a lot of time and can create inappropriate incentives to provide certain types of care for people with specific coverage. Offices who take insurance commonly hire either an agency or an individual to manage claims and interface with the Insurance companies. Payment is not guaranteed, and may take months to receive. Many practitioners, myself included, have therefore decided to step to the side of this system. This allows us to be more affordable upfront and to provide whatever treatment you need regardless of insurance provider.

There is a way for you to use your insurance. I provide what is called a "super bill". A super bill is a document that itemizes your specific diagnosis and procedures performed in the office (similar to an EOB). You pay at the time of service and then you submit your super bill for reimbursement. What you receive is based on your plan's coverage for out-of-network clinics.

I am happy to provide any supporting documents, or fill out any forms you may need. My focus is working with you rather than working with your insurance company.

Question 3

Is chiropractic safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) program is a 3.5-4.5 year post-graduate degree. The majority of class hours are spent learning the anatomy via diagrams, x-rays, MRI's, cadavers, and palpation (feeling on our own bodies and on others). Doctors of Chiropractic have more than double the number of classroom hours focused on anatomy than the average medical degree.(https://www.calchiro.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/education_of_dcs_and_mds.pdf) Chiropractic technique is then the next priority taught both in the classroom and through various external programs specializing in specific styles. The result is the most educated and qualified professional to know when, where, and how to deliver the safest, most impactful adjustment to your system.

By far the most common injury sustained during an adjustment is a sprain of a ligament or strain of a muscle, similar to twisting your ankle only with much less force and therefore to a lower degree. The scariest injury people hear about, but has since been disproven many times over,(https://www.chiro.org/Stroke/) is the risk of Vertebral Artery Dissection (VAD or stroke). A study (https://chiro.org/Stroke/Arterial_dissections_following_cervical_manipulation.html)published using information from an insurance company in Canada found that out of 136 million cervical adjustments, 23 could be temporally related to a VAD. That's 1 in every 8.06million office visits. Meanwhile, the incidence of spontaneous VAD is 1-1.5 in 100,000 per year.(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18574926/#:~:text=The%20annual%20incidence%20of%20spontaneous,and%20is%20frequently%20initially%20unrecognized.)

Extra time is scheduled into your initial visit (flowchiropracticsb.com/schedule-first-visit)for history taking, exercises/stretches, but also to walk you through each adjustment slowly, so you'll know exactly what is happening and what to expect.

Question 4

What types of issues resolve with chiropractic care?

Accepted Answer

Chiropractic is a a practice aimed at addressing the overall tone of your body. When we experience trauma the body tenses and guards itself against further injury. Once you feel safe, your body can let go of this tension and begin to heal. Sometimes this takes a long time, or only happens in part, so the trauma is effectively stored in your body as excess or irrational tension. Chiropractic helps connect to these areas of stored tension and, if ready, begin to release and reincorporate them. As this happens you have more communication within your body and healing/reduction of pain happen subsequently. Most people seek out a chiropractor when they've hurt their backs, and so this is where they experience relief. However, the first adjustment delivered by Chiropractic's founder, D.D. Palmer, restored hearing to someone who had lost it after a fall!

A non-exhaustive list of common things that resolve with chiropractic are:
-Low back pain
-Neck pain
-Headaches
-Shoulder pain
-Hip pain
-Knee pain
-Anxiety
-Numbness or tingling in extremities
-Destructive posture

Ready about many more here!(https://www.flowchiropracticsb.com/blog)

Question 5

What technique do you use/What does an adjustment look like?

Accepted Answer

The Chiropractic Board allows for a wide variety of techniques and tools with which Chiropractors are permitted to practice. At its base, chiropractors work with the nervous system to bring attention and change to disruptive patterns in patients. The method which they do that is as varied as each individual chiropractor. Some Chiropractors work with just the top few bones of the spine, some work largely with muscles, while others focus primarily on bones and joints to create change. Some chiropractors use tables that drop out from under you and others use small devices to pinpoint the area and decrease the amplitude of an impulse. Certain techniques are better for certain people, and something that may seem jarring from one practitioner may feel completely natural when done by someone else.

I have been trained in and use a variety of techniques ranging from gentle touches on the surface to deeper trigger point work and osseous, audible adjustments. I will use whatever type of force your body needs and you are comfortable with. Most adjustments are done with only my hands, while others make use of props such as yoga blocks, pillows and even a Spring Loaded Instrument (similar to Activator). I adjust the full spine as well as extremities like shoulders and feet in every visit, although I may focus on certain areas. I understand that an adjustment is not just something that is given, but is also something that needs to be received well by the body. I give great attention to, and welcome feedback, verbally or non-verbally, regarding positioning during the adjustment so you are in as much ease and your body is as receptive as possible at the moment of impulse.

See what others have said about their experience here!(https://www.flowchiropracticsb.com/about)

Question 6

Is chiropractic expensive?

Accepted Answer

I value chiropractic care and I believe it should be accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic standing. By keeping overhead costs low and asking for a bit of a commitment, I am able to provide care where cost is not a barrier to feeling better.

My prices are set upfront,(https://www.flowchiropracticsb.com/monthly-plans) there are no hidden fees, and I am happy to discuss duration or expectations with you at any point.

A large study of 1.7million people found that people seeking chiropractic care for back pain saved over $100 per episode.(https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/217450) Another study looking at efficacy found that chiropractic was also 33% more effective than conventional medical treatment.

Additionally, Chiropractic helps your body to correct itself, which leaves you with more empowerment and more strategies for dealing with anything that comes up in the future.

What would you like to know?