NUCCA FAQs

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a preventative approach to health care. It is a holistic branch of the healing arts that focuses on achieving optimum health naturally, without the use of drugs or surgery. The emphasis of Chiropractic is on health, rather than disease.

How does a spine misalign (subluxate?)

Any injury, accident or trauma at any age can cause the spine to misalign. Such examples include the birthing process, falling at an early age (learning to walk or riding a bike), falls off horses, from trees, slips on ice, hitting your head on a cabinet or the car door, sporting accidents, etc. The list goes on and on.

What happens if the spine stays misaligned?

Injuries in life can cause the body to be off balance. Even seemingly simple events, such as bumping your head or slipping down stairs, can create this situation. Essentially, the injury will cause the connective tissue that holds the spine together to become more lax. That is when the head and neck will move off center, and this causes other parts of your spine and body to experience a greater level of stress even during normal activities. Afterwards, this extra stress in your body will require greater energy levels for everyday movements, and your body will no longer be operating at its fully capacity. This is when a NUCCA adjustment is important to realign the body.

If a body remains in the misaligned state, the muscles throughout the lower spine will begin to tighten and pull the hips out of balance. As a result, the head and neck will re-center based on that new unbalanced hip position. The spine is then forced to twist, unnaturally, which creates even more stress on the body. Typically, we recognize this as pain.

How does NUCCA correct a misaligned spine?

The NUCCA adjustment aims to balance the head and neck into the straight upright position by using atlas, at the top of the spine, as a lever. The NUCCA adjustment recognizes the misalignment of the entire spine, but adjustments occur at the top of the spine. The alignment at the top creates a natural force that will travel through the spine and remove points of irritation. The result is a balance body.

How is body balance (or imbalance) measured?

By using several different exams, the doctor of chiropractic will be able to determine if the body is correctly balanced. Body posture, (including hip and shoulder level, head tilt), leg length inequality, bilateral weight measurements, as well as Surface EMG and Thermography can be used to determine if the body is in balance.

Am I misaligned? (subluxated?)

Do you know if you have a cavity? In the early stages, we usually do not know unless we seek the advice of our dentist. If we wait until the later stages, we will surely notice pain. The same is true with our spine and nervous system. The early stages of spinal decay may go undetected, unless we seek the advice of a doctor of chiropractic. Like periodic dental checkups, periodic chiropractic exams are a good investment in your health! Get your spine checked today for spinal misalignment (subluxation)!

How does the NUCCA doctor know how to adjust the patient?

If clinically indicated, very specific x-rays are taken. From these pictures, precise formulas and measurements using physics and calculus are used to calculate the specific way to adjust each patient. This calculation is specific to each patient; it is said that a person's misalignment is as unique to them as their fingerprint!

Why does my family get adjusted on different sides?

Again, the work we do is very specific, and is tailored precisely to each and every patient. It has been estimated that there are over 10,000 different types of misalignments; the likelihood that you would have the same misalignment as a family member is very low!

How is NUCCA different that traditional chiropractic care?

The NUCCA adjustment is a light, gentle force technique. There is no twisting or turning of the head, neck, or back, nor any cracking or popping that one might associate with traditional chiropractic manipulations. Because there is not any type of thrust associated with this technique, it is ideal for patients that may be apprehensive of traditional chiropractic techniques.

Is chiropractic safe?

Yes. The report Chiropractic in New Zealand, published in 1979 by the New Zealand Commission of Inquiry, determined that spinal manual therapy in the hands of a registered chiropractor is safe. This Commission's report strongly endorsed chiropractic services. The 1993 Canadian Magna Report, a government-commissioned report, recommended chiropractic care for back pain patients based on cost-effectiveness, safety, and patient preference.

What type of education does a Doctor of Chiropractic receive?

Doctors of Chiropractic are very well educated. They spend thousands of hours in both clinical and basic sciences, and must pass stringent National Board and State Board exams to gain licensure. Doctors of Chiropractic continue their education following graduation for licensure renewal.

A 1998 study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine compared the medical versus chiropractic education. While medicine had more clinical hours of instruction (including three year residency), chiropractic students spend more time in lecture and laboratory learning the clinical and basic sciences (3790 for chiropractic versus 2648 for medicine).

Chiropractic versus Medical Classroom Hours