Chiropractor versus Doctor...
What's the Difference?

Most chiropractic patients and some medically based patients who do not respond well with drugs or surgery have many questions when it comes to chiropractor versus doctor. Chiropractors provide alternative medicine for their patients. Medical doctors are allopathic practioners. Which means they provide surgical procedures and prescribe drugs. There are many benefits of chiropractic care that patients don't even know about.

Usually a good D.C. will explain the benefits when the new patient walks into his or her clinic. If that patient is cut short, they are still left with questions about what a chiropractor does. There are many misconceptions with the general population because they have not been educated by a chiropractor or a patient that has had success with chiropractic treatment.

Usually chiropractic patients are the best at educating their friends and family because most have had a good experience and were relieved of their pain without drugs to hide their symptoms.

Doctors of chiropractic specialize in treating subluxations of the spine and extremities. Dynamic chiropractors use motion palpation to find these areas to adjust and restore function and proper motion. There are other ways chiropractors find and treat subluxations, but those will be mentioned later. We also treat dysfunctional muscles with certain muscle techniques.

Muscles can be either overly active, inhibited, tight, or weak. D.C's give advice on what and what not to do, why they are hurting, and what they need to do to get out and stay out of pain. Generally, negative people respond to treatment differently than positive people, this is called the biopsychosocial model. Chiropractors also give advice on proper nutrition and ways to eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Today's modern chiropractor should be able to rehabilitate a patients injury with proper exercise and posture advice. Finally, when considering chiropractor versus doctor, a doctor of chiropractic can specilize in areas such as radiology, sports, geriatrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, nutrition, or rehabilitation.

A chiropractor versus doctor breaks down very easily. We've seen what a D.C. does now we'll look generally at what a medical doctor does. On a typical visit to the medical doctor the patient presents with a series of symptoms that a nurse and or M.D. will listen to. They may do a quick exam and take the patients vitals (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiratory rate).

Then they will send the patient to the local pharmacy to fill a prescription to relieve their symptoms. Medical doctors usually have very little interaction with their patients because they are so busy.

This is your everyday basic general practicioner. However, many medical doctors will specialize in certain areas of interest. There are too many of these interests to name here. This is a very good option if you have a systemic illness or disease, but if you have a musculoskeletal problem a chiropractor would be best suited for you. With chiropractic becoming more and more popular medical doctors are starting to work with us to treat the patient as a whole. After all, we are all out to do what's best for the patient.

Here's the break down when it comes to chiropractor versus doctor.

Chiropractor: adjustments, muscle techniques, rehabilitation, nutrition, advice, referral to MD.

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Doctor: drugs, surgery, referral to physical therapist, referral to chiropractor.

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