Dr. Vinesh Vaghmaria - Chiropractor - Cape Town

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an adjustment?

An adjustment is a treatment tool of the Chiropractor. It requires the doctor to place his hands on or around the affected joint using a quick, short thrust to return the joint to its normal motion.

Does an adjustment hurt?

When done correctly, an adjustment shouldn’t hurt. On occasion, a patient may react as if in pain, but this feeling quickly dissipates as they realise it is simply the surprise of a new sensation. The vast majority of patients have an overwhelmingly positive response to an adjustment. Some may experience mild tenderness.

What is the popping sound during adjustment?

The popping sound is the result of gas within your joints responding to the change of pressure when an adjustment occurs. However, the sound has nothing to do with the quality of the manipulation/adjustment.

Can pregnant women see chiropractors?

Absolutely. Adjusting methods are always adapted to a patient’s size, weight, age, and specific complaint. In addition, most pregnant women find they have easier pregnancies and deliveries when they receive consistent chiropractic care.

Will I have to continue Chiropractic care for the rest of my life?

This is a common misconception. While most people experience great relief with consistent chiropractic care, it certainly is not required. Chiropractic delivers care on three levels: pain relief care, corrective care and maintenance care.
The goal of pain relief care is to eliminate immediate symptoms requiring frequent visits.
Corrective care focuses on treating the underlying cause of your problem.
Maintenance care focuses on maintaining the progress of the corrective phase and preventing further subluxations, requiring less frequent visits. For optimum health, it is recommended that you progress through all three care stages.

Is Chiropractic safe?

Yes. Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. It is the result of a conservative and natural approach to health that avoids invasive procedures or addictive drugs.

Can I adjust myself?

No. Since a Chiropractic adjustment is a specific force, applied in a specific direction to a specific joint, it is virtually impossible to adjust oneself correctly and accurately. It is not advised for one to attempt adjustments on their own. This type of self-joint manipulation is usually counterproductive and sometimes dangerous, often creating an already unstable spine or joint even more unstable.

Can a person who had back surgery see a chiropractor?

Yes. It’s an unfortunate fact that up to 50% of those who have had spinal surgery discover a return of their original symptoms months or years later. They then face the prospect of additional surgery. With the correct Chiropractic care repeated back surgeries can be prevented, and if initially utilized, back surgery can often be avoided all together.

What does the research say?

Over the past few years, much research has been done to evaluate the effectivenessof chiropractic manipulative treatment.research has shown that 80-90% of people will suffer from lower back pain at least once in their lifetime and that it is the second leading reason why people will visit a health care professional.Lower back painis second only to the common cold.Furthermore, lower back pain is the most common reason for visits to orthopeadic surgeons, neurosurgeons and occupational medical practitioners and the third most common reason for surgery.

The most recent study, caled the BEAM trial, recently published in the British Medical Journal (Nov 19, 2004:1-8), found that Chiropractic treatment produces superior results in terms of safety, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction.Through Chiropractic care, patients are shown to take fewer days sick leave, spend less time incapacitated, use less medication for pain relief, have less chance of needing back surgery and have less chance of the problem becoming a chronic condition.

Are there any risks associated with Chiropractic Care?

As with everything in life and every medical intervention, Chiropractic care does have its own set of risks. These can include an aggravation of any inflammatory condition, neuromusculoskeletal sprain/strain, osseous dislocation or fracture and very rarely vertebral artery syndrome. These potential risks should be considered when making your decision to receive chiropractic care however it is important to note that you have a 1 in a hundred thousand chance of being struck by lightning and less than 1 in a million chance of suffering from a complication of spinal manipulation.