Alternative methods for treatment are becoming popular among athletes and others who have serious back pain. The scope in the field of chiropractic therapy is increasing day by day due to this reason. Let’s have a quick look at the requirements and job description of chiropractors.
In order to work as chiropractor, all you need to have is a degree in chiropractic therapy. The requirements vary from one chiropractor school to the other. The main requirement to work as a chiropractor is that the student should have completed 90 credits hours of course work. Most of the chiropractors schools want you to have an average 2.5 grade point that qualifies him to get admission for chiropractors education program.
The four-year study program is specially designed for the students to train them up in chiropractic care of the sick patients. The students need to have a thorough understanding of the topic. Hence, in the first two-years the students are taught various subjects such as anatomy, physiology, cardiopulmonary systems as well as public health. In third and fourth-year of the study program, the students are subjected to various procedures so as to ensure hands on experience to develop their technical skills. A student will be possibly learning topics regarding practical instructions, spinal manipulation, and adjustment.
The students have to take up a national exam which is approved by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners on completion of the course. The examination chiefly consists of 3 parts. The first parts check the student’s knowledge in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pathology etc. The second part will test the student’s skills in areas such as general and neuromuscular diagnosis, diagnosing imaging, and principles of chiropractic. And the final third part of the exam consists of testing the student’s performance in nine clinical areas that include case history, physical examination, and different chiropractic techniques.
Chiropractors assist the patients with pain and other ailments. They make diagnoses and initiates treatment based on the principles of nervous system. These health workers are highly skilled in performing their duties to minimize the patient’s pain and suffering. They are taught several techniques so as to fix the misalignments of the spinal joints that have an adverse effect on the general health of a person. The misalignments in the spinal joints lead to problem such as lowering the patient’s resistance to diseases. For this reason, chiropractors are trained to manipulate the spinal column to have a healthier nervous system.
Not all chiropractors are the same in treating the patients. The International chiropractors Association consider that the patients should be treated by manipulation of the spine, while, the American Chiropractors Association believe in multidisciplinary approach which involves both spinal adjustment and other modalities like psychological counseling, physical therapy, and dietary measures. For many years, American Medical Association (AMA) opposed chiropractic approaches towards diseases because they considered it as one of the unscientific method of treatment of diseases. However, in the year 1972, the government amended the Medicare act to include the chiropractic approaches on medical treatment of the patients and it has found its place.
A chiropractor performs manipulations. If you believe in bacteria, microbes, and viruses as being causes of diseases (rather than spinal column irregularaties or some such), then chiropracty is not appropriate for a large class of problems. However, it is probably an appropriate *option* for muscle strains and back trouble (or neck trouble) of a variety of type. I treatments were occasionally slightly painful for me, but I was in pain when I started (or was in certain positions). Obviously, if I hadn’t had any complaints, I would not have gone. I got some help. I sort of went out of curiosity. I had been to rolfers before, and wanted to try something different. The “cracking” that the chirpractors do is rather unnerving, but didn’t hurt.
This is a toughie for even the most level-headed of sufferers.
An osteopathic medical school (there are only a few in the US) teaches a slightly different philosophy based on a roughly century and a half old belief in manual manipulation for the treatment of disease. This is a different type of manipulation than chiropractors use. In most osteopathic schools, science-based medicine is taught as well, and most DO’s no longer practice manipulation as treatment modality. There has also been a greater emphasis in the past on holistic medicine at these schools. That has changed a lot though. Now just about every medical school emphasizes the whole-person approach to diagnosis and treatment. So, the differences between the two traditions are disappearing.
Chiropractors claim to be able to diagnose scoliosis in infants and children. They also claim to be able to treat it. What is the real evidence, how many studies have they done, and why are they so off-the-mark? Their self-promotions and attempts to convince school officials that they know what they are doing has really been more of a smoke screen for bad science masquerading as chiropractic care. Where did they learn about scoliosis, in their schools, or at the Singer courses?
Patient-centered diagnosis looks at every aspect of the patient, including exposure to potential air-borm toxins that may be a part of a sick building syndrome. Diagnostic concerns cover such public health issues. We look inside as well as outside of the patient. We look at family as well as personal history. We look for specific patterns and we use environmental medicine, also called clinical ecology. But we never stop there.
