10 Chiropractic Pain Relief Myths

#3. Not Many People Go To See A Chiropractor for Pain Relief:

 Doctors of Chiropractic and Doctors of Medicine take many similar classes but the degrees and specialisations are not the same. The length it takes for a chiropractor to train will vary from 4-5 years and many chiropractors will subsequently keep studying and specialising in different areas alongside their work.

Chiropractic is in fact the third largest primary health care profession (after medicine and dentistry). According to US statistics around 35 million people see a chiropractor each year (www.crossrivertherapy.com). 

#4. Chiropractors aren’t Real Doctors:

Chiropractors will commonly graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Master of Science (MSc) qualification as well as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). UK Medical doctors take a 5 year undergraduate or 4 year post-graduate qualification and will gain a qualification with an acronym such as MBBS, MBChB, BM, MB BCh.

Following their undergraduate chiropractors register with the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) and many will join a Post-Registration Training Scheme (PRTS) and continue their education and specialising by doing courses and completing pathways at the Royal College of Chiropractic (RCC). Chiropractors have to demonstrate to the GCC that they continue their education with at least 30 hours of CPD which includes taking courses as well as learning with others.

Medical Doctors become what is known as Junior Doctors and do Foundation Year 1 (FY1) and Foundation Year 2 (FY2) doctors. After FY 1 they register with the General Medical Council (GMC) and continue their specialisation. They can specialise in up to 60 areas this further training may take up to 8 years. Junior doctors carry the following titles: (FY1 – foundation year one junior doctor), (FY2 – foundation year two junior doctor), ST – specialty trainee in a hospital specialty, SpR – specialty registrar in a hospital specialty, GPST specialty registrar in general practice.

Junior doctors are still supervised by Senior doctors. A consultant is a senior doctor who has overall responsibility for the care of patients in hospital. They have completed a minimum of six years training in their speciality area to gain a certificate of completion of training (CCT) and listing on the GMC’s specialist register.

Listing on the GMC’s specialist register allows consultants to practice independently without any senior supervision, but they are required to pursue ongoing education in their specialty through a system called continuous professional development (CPD). SAS doctors are Staff Grade, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctors. SAS doctors have at least four years postgraduate experience, two of which are in their chosen specialty. This means that doctors can move into these posts at various levels of experience and seniority, as well as gaining experience and promotion within the grade itself. There are SAS doctors in every hospital specialty and also in community hospitals (such as psychiatry and paediatrics). Some hold jobs in both the hospital and the community (e.g. gynaecology and sexual health). Some SAS doctors also work part-time as GPs. SAS doctors therefore work across primary, community and hospital care. General Practitioners GPs have overall responsibility for the management of patient care outside of hospitals, including the diagnosis and treatment of health problems and the referral of patients for specialist treatment where necessary. Rather than having a specific specialist area, GPs can diagnose many illnesses or ailments, and determine whether a patient needs to see a doctor with more specialist training. They are also increasingly responsible for the management and monitoring of complex chronic illnesses.

The standards for chiropractic education are high . They entail the student successfully completing several hundred clinical hours of “real” patient management in a clinical setting under professional supervision. This is different from many other practitioners providing manual therapy.

Most Chiropractic colleges require students to partake in a clinical externship program which places them in actual chiropractic clinics.

All Chiropractors in the UK have to be legally registered with the UK governing body the GCC. Continuing education is then required to maintain a high level of competency and to stay up to date on the latest research and techniques.

For further information on medical training and standards please see: bma-plg-doctors-titles-explained-2017.pdf

A very well known medical orthopaedic consultant once said this: “Chiropractic and Medical Degrees are more similar than dissimilar”. Nevertheless, it is important to be clear that a chiropractic doctor is not a medical doctor and I hope you are now more familiar with the differences in training and education.

#5. Spinal Adjustments Are Really Dangerous:

Chiropractic adjustments are safe when performed by a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), but are not without risk which is why chiropractors undergo extensive training and supervision during their study and internship. The risk of injury is very small.

Indeed, the National Institute of Excellence (NICE) recommends chiropractic spinal manipulation for the treatment of chronic lower back pain https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG59

As with any medical procedure or even when you are taking medication there are potential risks and side-effects but by seeing a chiropractor who is trained in assessing patients for any potential complications you are greatly mitigating that risk. Chiropractors will often recommend using an ice pack or heat to help any pain that may arise following a treatment.

At our Chiropractic and acupuncture clinic in Milton Keynes we match the technique to the patient but will always favour gentler techniques when treating the spine and neck. 

#6. Cracking your Knuckles will give you Arthritis:

There was a study done to see if there was a correlation between developing osteoarthrits and cracking knuckles.

Participants included 15 people who cracked their knuckles and 13 who did not crack their knuckles. Of the 15 that did crack their knuckles only 1 showed arthritic changes.

On the contrary, 5 of the 13 who did not crack their knuckles showed that they had arthritic changes in their hands.

This shows that joints receive a therapeutic effect from an adjustment. This is because the joint itself will receive nourishment from the exchange of gases. It also allows the fluid and gases of the joint capsule to move and not stay stagnant, which also helps decrease the arthritic formation.

Osteoarthritis is more than likely to be a result of not moving the joint enough than having it adjusted.

This is what a recent newsletter by the Harvard Medical school (https://hms.harvard.edu/) mentioned about cracking your knuckles:

Cracking your knuckles may aggravate the people around you, but it probably won’t raise your risk for arthritis. That’s the conclusion of several studies that compared rates of hand arthritis among habitual knuckle-crackers and people who didn’t crack their knuckles.

The “pop” of a cracked knuckle is caused by bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid — the fluid that helps lubricate joints. The bubbles pop when you pull the bones apart, either by stretching the fingers or bending them backward, creating negative pressure. One study’s authors compared the sudden, vibratory energy produced during knuckle cracking to “the forces responsible for the destruction of hydraulic blades and ship propellers.”

Even if knuckle cracking doesn’t cause arthritis, there’s still good reason to let go of the habit. Chronic knuckle-cracking may lead to reduced grip strength. And there are at least two published reports of injuries suffered while people were trying to crack their knuckles.

#7. Chiropractors Just Crack Your Bones:

At our chiropractic and acupuncture clinic we have several options that do not include manipulations that cause audible releases.

Examples are the Activator technique, massage, mobilisations, acupuncture and craniosacral therapy, etc. A chiropractic adjustment is focused on mobilizing a specific joint that is fixated or subluxated and the aim is to restore normal function.

This fixation or dysfunction affects your whole body via negatively affecting other joints, as well as, internal organs. The audible sound, which is sometimes heard during the adjustment, is the sound of Oxygen, Nitrogen and CO2 being released due to the opening of the joint space.

#8. Chiropractic Care Is Only For Certain People:

Chiropractic and Acupuncture care is effective and safe for Pregnant Adults and children of all ages, including babies. We have seen all ages from the very young (a few days old) to the very elderly (in their 90’s). Both Chiropractic and acupuncture can be very effective in Pregnancy because it helps gently re-align the Body and Pelvis and our both our practitioners specialise in Pregnancy care as well as giving you the right advice at the right time.

Our acupuncture practitioner Simin Wei has two children and has helped many women with fertility and pregnancy related conditions.

Childhood is the stage in life where you are growing, learning, exploring and playing so the musculoskeletal system is under a lot of stress.

Jonathan Grendelmeier has done specialist training and further education in both Sports chiropractic and paediatrics and has many years of experience coupled with empathy and motivation to help athletes, non-athletes and both patients of any age to achieve their goal of becoming more fit or changing their lifestyle habits.

#10. You Will Have To Continue Chiropractic Care For The Rest Of Your Life:

At our clinic, we aim to provide you with pain relief in a short time frame if that is possible and if your condition is amenable. However we also promote preventative care to help patients avoid pain and disease. This is called maintenance care or well being care. This is why we often (but not always) recommend patients to return for check-ups.

The aim of the check-up is to keep you lose and in good health.

If you do suffer from chronic or recurrent back pain then a recent study has proven that Maintenance care is the right option for you the Norden study in 2018 looked at over 2000 patients and came to the conclusion that MC was more effective then symptomatic care https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0203029

Maintenance care is the preventative approach in health care has been gaining large support in the medical community and with insurance, because it has been proven to be cost and health effects in the long term. Chiropractic and Acupuncture check-ups are safe, convenient, quick and natural and prevent complicated problems in the future.

Many patients see changes in their energy, immune system function, sleep patterns and general well being with chiropractic and acupuncture. 

“Chiropractic adds years to your life and life to your years!”

I hope this answered any questions about Chiropractic you might have. If there are any questions or concerns that I have not addressed of yours please do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to help assist you in achieving “Wellness from Within” .

Dr Jonathan Grendelmeier, (BSc(Sons), MSc, PG DIP Medical Acupuncture) has been working as a chiropractor and acupuncturist in Milton Keynes for 23 years and is an active member of the British Chiropractic Association https://chiropractic-uk.co.uk/) as well as a Faculty member of the Royal College of Chiropractors (https://rcc-uk.org/)