Do You Need a Family Chiropractor? An Essential Guide

Good family health is directly proportional to a happy, productive, prosperous life. Your body's functionality depends on various connections between different organs, and when you keep them healthy, you can enjoy better physical, mental, and social wellbeing. 

A 2017 research study shows that family health is crucial because it improves the household's overall wellbeing and ensures everything goes smoothly. For example, health professionals use family health history to determine common disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and musculoskeletal disorders. 

Genetics, environment, and lifestyle influence these acute and chronic health conditions. A book published in the National Library of Medicine highlights that a family chiropractor follows a holistic health approach and focuses on the entire body of each family member, from a baby, child, and adolescent to young adults and seniors. 

A study published on PubMed Central shows that a family chiropractor is critical in providing non-invasive, safe, and drug-free solutions to the family, improving their health using spinal manipulation, adjustments, and other techniques. 

The Importance of a Family Chiropractor 

A family chiropractor is a professional, experienced, and skilled health provider who can help you and your family in different ways. You can hire chiropractic services to treat a wide range of health conditions. 

A professional chiropractor focuses on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems and ensures your body's muscles, tissues, joints, and nerves work optimally. A chiropractor may help with various diseases, whether musculoskeletal, central nervous or peripheral nervous, circulatory or lymphatic systems. 

A chiropractor uses their hands to manipulate or adjust the spine at specific points, improving the symptoms, fixing a particular issue, or treating a physical or mental health condition. Here is how a family chiropractor can help: 

Thorough Medical Examination

A professional family chiropractor always performs a thorough medical examination, especially if this is your and your family's first visit to the clinic. The purpose is to develop a sophisticated preventive or treatment plan for each family member. 

However, you must provide the complete medical information of each family member to the chiropractor. The chiropractor will perform a thorough medical examination during the first appointment, and may including:

• Blood pressure reading 

• Orthopedic and neurological exam

• X-rays 

• Physical exam 

• Detailed medical discussions 

In addition, the chiropractor will ask you to perform various movements to determine whether your posture and range of motion are optimal. For instance, the health provider will ask you to bend backward and from side to side. Other tests or diagnostic procedures the chiropractor may perform are:

Gait Examination: It requires the chiropractor to see how you walk. The gait examination aims to determine inconsistencies between your spine and pelvis. 

Piriformis Test: Another test your family chiropractor may perform is the Piriformis test to determine whether you or your family members have Piriformis syndrome. During the test, the chiropractor will ask you to flex and bend your hips and knees while lying down. Next, the chiropractor puts light pressure on your legs to check the flexibility and mobility of your hip joint, particularly the Piriformis muscle. 

Yeoman's Test: It helps the chiropractor examine the sacroiliac joints and determine whether they have sprains or strains. You will lie on your back, and the health provider will flex your leg and extend the thigh. If you feel pain in your lower back or buttocks, your joints have lost flexibility. Other tests include:

• Hand strength or grip 

• Body weight assessment 

• Muscle point analysis 

• Sensation test 

• Reflexes test 

• MRI 

Holistic Family Care

A family chiropractor develops a holistic/preventative plan for the entire family. Instead of focusing on specific symptoms, the chiropractor provides a complete form of care or treatment. 

The purpose is to improve physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual healing/wellbeing based on spinal manipulations, adjustments, therapies, and other techniques. 

A family chiropractor with experience in holistic health believes that pain does not exist in isolation but impacts a person's overall wellness. Therefore, a holistic care plan developed by your family chiropractor will ensure your long-term health and wellness. 

Chiropractors with holistic health experience and training aim to help with discomfort, inflammation, and pain, but at the same time, they also aim to restore your general health and give you peace of mind. 

In addition, holistic chiropractic care is an excellent option for people with musculoskeletal, nervous system-related issues, and chronic pain. Your family chiropractor in Bundaberg will combine various techniques, such as:

• Mobilisation

• Joint adjustment 

• Sacro-Occipital Technique  

• Exercise or physical movements 

• Cranials

• Ergonomic advice

• Nutritional advice 

The best thing about a family chiropractor is that each family member will have their own plan. The strategies above help the chiropractor determine the root cause of a health condition, treat the symptoms and apply techniques to mitigate the risk of complications. 

Positive Health Effects on Children 

A 2016 research study published on PubMed shows that chiropractic care can benefit children of all ages by providing various positive effects. Visiting a professional chiropractor may help promote overall health, development, and wellbeing. 

The study highlights that chiropractic care is a stand-alone therapy for health conditions among children.

Improved Health for Older Adults 

Research studies show that visiting a family chiropractor can benefit senior family members. It improves your elderly family member's entire body's wellbeing, reduces symptoms of acute and chronic health conditions, and enhances the overall quality of life. 

Therefore, we recommend taking your senior family member to your chiropractor in Bundaberg to identify spinal-related issues, such as swelling, inflammation, back pain, posture, neuropathic pain, flexibility issues, range of motion problems, etc.  

Final Words 

A licensed, professional, experienced, and skilled chiropractor can customize treatments for each family member and offer an extensive range of services, including manipulations, adjustments, decompression, active release, dry needling methods, nutrition management, fascial stretch therapy, etc., as part of the holistic plan to improve your overall well-being. Contact us today!