Ask the Doctor: Dr. Stewart Peters
Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?
The short answer is no. You do not need a referral from your medical doctor. Chiropractic Physicians are considered primary care providers. That being said, it is never a bad thing to involve your medical doctor in any and all of your health care decisions.
Are there any sports or activities I should avoid during the recovery process?
Incorporating exercise and stretching back into the patients daily routine is important, and the doctor will inform the patient when it is appropriate. Initially, patients are restricted from exercise to let the body heal, relax, and recover from injuries or inflammation. When exercise is reintroduced, it will start out basic and progress into more functional and resistive training.
Why do I need to keep seeing a chiropractor if I’m not in pain anymore?
Research shows that the normal progression of healing of a strain/sprain, the most common injury we see at Keith Clinics, takes 6-8 weeks to fully heal, but can vary based on a patients current state of health, and age. The Chiropractic adjustment and physiotherapy that we provide as practitioners alleviates pain fairly quickly by reducing the amount of irritation and inflammation. The patient will feel relief quickly, however, this does not mean the healing process doesn’t take it’s normal amount of time. Our care plans are devised to give the patient the proper amount of therapy and time to fully heal.
What type of education and training do chiropractors have?
Chiropractic candidates entering Chiropractic school are required to have a Bachelor Degree, and pre-requisites specifically health care oriented, including special sciences like organic chemistry and physics. A Doctor of Chiropractic degree is awarded after 13 quarters of schooling (3.5 years), and after all clinical requirements are met. Also, there are national boards, state boards and licensing requirements, as well as, yearly continuing education standards to meet.