Chiropractors are spine specialists who both diagnose and treat a broad range of physical conditions. Best known for their treatment of back and neck pain they many also specialize further in areas such as sports medicine, orthopedics and neurology.
Chiropractors begin their training in much the same way as do medical doctors. They training for a number or years in fields such as diagnosis, X-ray analysis, neurology, and orthopedics but then continue on to specialize in the study of manipulation, spinal disease, exercise, nutrition, physiotherapy and sports injury management. Now, with today’s growing emphasis on treatment and cost effectiveness, manipulation is receiving much more widespread attention. Chiropractic manipulation, also frequently called the chiropractic adjustment, is the form of manipulation that has been most extensively used by Americans for the last one hundred years.
There are a few basic types of chiropractic treatments that are commonly called adjustments. The traditional adjustment is rendered by hand but other types of adjustments may be administered by the use of an instrument. Whether by hand or through the use of a precise instrument, the goal is to improved mobility or function of some part of the body which in turn might reduced pressure on a compressed nerve (“pinched”) or increase the range of motion of injured muscle or joint. This ability to improve function of the spine or extremity without the use of surgery or drugs gives Chiropractic a central role in the conservative management of many types of pain. In fact, after an extensive study of all currently available care for low back problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research–a federal government research organization–recommended that low back pain suffers choose the most conservative care first. And it recommended spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective, drugless form of initial professional treatment for acute low back pain in adults. The result has been that Chiropractic has become one of the fastest growing heath professions among the public, professional sports teams and performing arts. The Chiropractic doctors of our office are some of the best and most respected in their field and have treated a broad range of local professional athletes and performers. This has included members of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Giants, The New York Mets, The New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater as well a host of Musicians and many Broadway companies.