Ask The Doctor: Dr. Ryan Planck
Why do patients elect to receive wellness care after their acute care?
Many think that health is merely the absence of pain or symptoms. A maintenance/wellness approach to health means embracing a range of healthy habits to support both physical and mental well-being. Wellness Care is designed to maintain your improved health and spinal function, and prevent the return of the original condition once spinal correction has been achieved. Consistent visits allow your chiropractor to find spinal misalignments and muscular problems before they are able to cause more serious discomfort. Few things as complex as your body can be ‘fixed’ and then ignored. That’s why the Keith Clinics recommend a schedule of steady chiropractic checkups. Like maintaining your teeth or your car, preserving the integrity of your nervous system requires an ongoing investment. Good nutrition, exercise, chiropractic care, and other preventive measures are part of a wellness lifestyle.
How often do people visit the chiropractor?
Data shows that utilization of chiropractic care in the United States has steadily been on the rise in the past decade. A recent study published in Spine Journal showed that during an average lifetime, 24% of the US population will visit a chiropractor at some point. This means that of the approximate 324,000,000 people living in the United States currently, approximately 81,000,000 of them will seek chiropractic treatment at some point in their lifetime. Of those who seek treatment, 63% will seek chiropractic for lower back pain, 30% for neck complaints and the remaining for mid back or non-spinal complaints. A combination of multiple areas of discomfort will cause our patients to seek out chiropractic care, such as after a motor vehicle accident, personal injury or general overuse or postural problems. I am proud to be a part of one of the largest growing health professions in the U.S. and feel honored to offer the highest level of non-invasive, non-surgical spinal care available.
I’m having lower back pain due to my pregnancy, are adjustments still safe for me and the baby?
Lower back pain during pregnancy is a very common occurrence. Quite often your OBGYN is unable to safely and effectively treat lower back pain as most medications are considered unsafe or at best risky to take during pregnancy, this includes over the counter anti-inflammatories which also raise health concerns for your child in utero. The rapid change in weight and center of gravity changes during your pregnancy leads to overloading your facet joints, which are the weight bearing portion of your joints. Quite often as your gestation lengthens, you will notice mothers start to lean backward in order to fight off their weight gain, sometimes even causing them to change the way they walk. This loading of the spine causes abnormal wear and tear and also leads to misalignments in the spine and often subsequent muscle fatigue/spasms. Chiropractic treats this condition naturally and safely by diagnosing the part(s) of the spine that have been affected and gently re-aligning those areas to take pressure off the spine. We couple our adjustments with gentle massage to relieve the spasms surrounding the areas of pain.