For many people, when they think of doctors, their mind goes to medical doctors, leading them to wonder why chiropractors call themselves doctors if they don’t have medical degrees. While medical doctors are certainly one type of doctor, and among the most commonly known, they are not the only doctors out there. People who get PhDs are doctors, yet many of them do not practice medicine. Chiropractors call themselves doctors because they are – just not in the way you most commonly think.

How Chiropractors Are Doctors

In order to be a medical doctor, you need an M.D. degree, which chiropractors don’t have. You can’t see a chiropractor for many issues you’d see a medical doctor for because they are not trained in how to treat problems, like broken bones and the like. Chiropractors call themselves doctors because they are doctors of chiropractic care, which refers to the practice of utilizing non-invasive adjustments with your hands in order to correct alignment problems and improve how your body functions.

As you may expect, since chiropractors treat the body, they’re required to have in-depth training in order to lawfully practice. This includes:

• A Bachelor’s degree with a focus on “pre-med” or the sciences, such as biology, kinesiology, exercise science, human biology, anatomy, and more.
• A 4 year healthcare degree from a university or college that is accredited.
• A state license that they need to pass a national board exam in order to obtain.
• Proven competence with working with patients, generally one year. 
• Continuing education requirements in order to keep their licenses.

In most states, chiropractors are designated physician-level providers. Many insurances cover chiropractic care, including the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, Medicaid, Federal Workers’ Compensation, state worker’s compensation programs, and more. 

What Chiropractors Can’t Do

Chiropractors have a bit of a bad reputation due to a few bad apples claiming that chiropractors can provide services they simply aren’t qualified for and that their treatments can help issues that science hasn’t proven. Every field has people like this that can smear the public idea of the profession as a whole, unfortunate as it is. It’s a big part of why people are so skeptical over why chiropractors call themselves doctors and ask if chiropractic care is even legitimate. 

Chiropractic care is legitimate, but like everything else out there, it has its limitations. If you run into a chiropractor claiming they can do any of the following things, you’ll know that they’re not legitimate and that you should continue your search to find a qualified chiropractor who is legitimate and honest, who you’ll be able to entrust your care to. 

Chiropractors cannot:

• Prescribe medications. Chiropractic as a whole is a field that is very proud of how its treatments are all natural and non-invasive. Chiropractors will always strive to get to the root of the problem so that you can avoid having to take meds whenever possible. Aside from the nature of the field as a whole, prescription medicine can generally only be prescribed by medical professionals and psychiatrists. While chiropractors are doctors, they’re not medical doctors, so they cannot prescribe medication.

• Conduct surgery. You need extensive, specialized training in order to be a surgeon, which chiropractors don’t have. Just because chiropractors call themselves doctors (because they are), doesn’t mean they can treat every health issue out there. Besides, chiropractic care is focused on non-invasive treatments to restore body functions and assist in rehabilitation and strengthening. Surgery is as invasive as it gets!
• Treat traumatic injuries. There are many injuries that chiropractors can treat, such as whiplash, back pain, hip pain, and more. They cannot help you with fractures or other such traumatic injuries, although they can help you in the rehabilitation process after a medical doctor has done their part.
• Advertise themselves as medical practitioners. This has happened a lot over the course of pandemics in history, which makes the majority of legitimate chiropractors look bad when they’re not. Chiropractic care helps you maintain better overall health, helps you heal faster, and helps you regain strength and mobility – but they cannot claim to be a substitute for medical doctors. When you have chiropractors call themselves doctors, and they’re claiming to be medical doctors, that’s when it simply isn’t true. 

What Chiropractors Can Treat

Just because chiropractors can’t treat every problem doesn’t mean that it’s wrong that chiropractors call themselves doctors. They wouldn’t be required to go through such extensive training, be covered by insurances, and be honored as doctors on a state and federal level if they weren’t. Chiropractors can treat a wide array of issues, and many medical doctors will refer you to chiropractors for treatment for ailments such as spinal disk issues and sports injuries and back pain and the like. 

In many cases, people find it beneficial to see a chiropractor before they see a medical doctor. This is because since chiropractic care gets to the root of the problem, in many cases, chiropractic care can eliminate the need to take the next step of going to a medical doctor. 

Some of the reasons why people see chiropractors are:

• Leg pain
• Hip pain
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Muscle tension
• Sprains
• Pelvic pain
• Shoulder pain
• Headaches
• Alignment problems, like scoliosis
• Whiplash
• Stress
• Sleep problems
• Helping align the pelvis for birth
• And more

Chiropractors call themselves doctors because they have every right too, with all the specialized knowledge and experience their field necessitates in order to treat people. Elevate Wellness has a team of experienced, legitimate chiropractors who are open and honest with you through every step of your treatment. We’ll get to the root of your problem and utilize non-invasive methods such as adjustments in order to improve your quality of life. Contact us today to schedule an appointment, and let’s get started on helping you feel better!

Depending on the kind of person you are, winter is either the best time of the year or the season for hibernating and only going outside when you absolutely have to. Regardless of whether you love or hate it, it’s no secret that winter weather brings with it increased risk for injuries, with the cold and the ice and all. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of seven helpful winter chiropractic tips to help you keep your body in good condition and avoid injury, no matter if you’re a winter sports fanatic or if you only venture outdoors to go to work and the store and the like. 

#1. Stretch Daily

Stretching is often something people just associate with athletes and dancers and very few people stretch on their own. However, stretching is one of the best winter chiropractic tips we can give you because of how everyone can benefit from it. You don’t need to be able to touch your toes or do a split, but simple stretches like child’s pose and downward dog and calf stretches and the like will boost your body’s mobility and flexibility. 

When your muscles and joints are stiff, this increases the likelihood of injury, especially when it’s icy or when the cold makes you even stiffer. Regular stretching will loosen your muscles and joints, which is especially important in cold winter weather. 

#2. Warm Yourself Up Before Activities

A common mistake people make is trying to jump right into activities like shoveling snow before taking the necessary precautions to warm their bodies up. This is a crucial winter chiropractic tip, regardless of whether you’re a skiing enthusiast or if you just need to shovel your driveway. Warming your body up with stretches and exercises like jumping jacks and squats and a brisk walk will reduce your risk of injury. While this is more commonly known among athletes, if you aren’t sporty, it’s still vital for you to warm yourself up before doing any sort of winter activity!

One of the most common reasons we see new patients during the winter months is due to back pain and other such issues that result from shoveling snow, slipping and falling, and more. While warming up before doing any outdoor activity won’t guarantee that you won’t get hurt, it will make it less likely, which is why this is one of the most frequent winter chiropractic tips chiropractors will give. 

#3. Maintain An Exercise Routine

We get it – it’s cold outside, if you try to do anything outdoors, there’s this entire process of bundling up, and if you drive to the gym, you’re risking potentially icy roads and decreased visibility due to snowfall. In spite of this, it’s important to find some way to stay active, for the health benefits and to reduce your risk of injury. You don’t need to log intense cardio workouts or do heavy weights or anything unless you want to. Even taking a walk around the block or going up and down the stairs in your home are a great way to keep active during the cold winter months. 

#4. Don’t Spend Too Much Time Hunched Over

People are more likely to be on their phones when they’re spending more time indoors, so for one of our winter chiropractic tips, we recommend trying to limit your screen time, or to be mindful of your posture while you’re on your phone. Many people hunch over and don’t really think about their posture when they’re clicking through social media, but poor posture can result in neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, and more. Try to remember to sit up straight with your shoulders aligned with your hips and not to constantly have your neck bent over your device.

#5. Ensure You Have The Right Outerwear

A common reason why people slip and fall is because they’re walking in the snow or on ice without the proper footwear. You want to ensure that you have shoes with grippy soles and good traction in order to keep you more stable. It’s not just improper footwear that can cause problems, which is why one of our winter chiropractic tips is to have the right outerwear, which yes, includes your footwear, but also extends to warm sweaters and coats and bottoms and the like. The colder you are, the stiffer you are, which puts you at higher risk of injury. 

#6. Be Mindful Of Your Diet

It’s so much easier to stray away from healthy eating in the winter months, with all the holiday treats and the snacks while you’re bored inside and opting for hot chocolate instead of water in order to stay warm. While treats and snacks and hot chocolate are all wonderful in moderation, too much of anything isn’t good for you. While this may not be a winter chiropractic tip you’d expect, chiropractors know how your diet impacts your health and your body’s ability to protect itself and stay in good condition. Indulge in treats, but be mindful of how much you do, and make sure you’re still eating well and staying hydrated with water. 

#7. Schedule Regular Chiropractic Visits

By seeing a chiropractor regularly, you’ll set yourself up for success this winter by keeping your body in better condition and through having someone who can help keep your body in alignment and treat pain and other issues that may flare up. We know, we know, you expected this from winter chiropractic tips, but we recommend it because it’s proven to help and will indeed make getting through the winter months safer and easier on your body. 

Elevate Wellness offers top notch chiropractic services. With our expertly trained professionals, you can rest assured that you’ll be receiving excellent treatment that is personalized to you and your needs. For more winter chiropractic tips or to set up an appointment, don’t hesitate to contact us today! 

Everyone has heard how important good posture is. Growing up, you’ve probably been told to “Sit up straight!” and warned that you’ll develop a hunch if you don’t. Yet in spite of all the evidence showing us how and why good posture is important, it’s easy to hunch and slouch, either from wanting to make yourself seem smaller or from sitting down all day. 

While your neck and your back are the most common parts of your body linked to your posture, your shoulders play a vital role too. If poor posture is left uncorrected long enough, you may end up with shoulder pain. If you’ve tried to fix your posture and your shoulders hurt, this can be for a number of reasons ranging from the impact of long-term poor posture and improper attempts at correcting your posture.

How Poor Posture Causes Shoulder Pain

People often overlook the impact your posture can have on your shoulders. Hunching and slouching causes your upper back to bend forward, which affects your shoulders. This can change the position and how your shoulders move over time, leading to bad posture shoulder pain.

Loss Of Strength

Poor posture affects your muscles, leading to muscular imbalances which can result in muscle pain. This is because when you slouch, some of your muscles tighten while others loosen. This muscular imbalance makes it so that your shoulder muscles can’t produce the same amount of force as they would be able to if they were balanced. This weakens your shoulders, as well as stretching the muscles in your back while loosening the ones in your chest. Since your muscles become imbalanced, they lose strength they’d otherwise have if you maintained proper posture.

Lessened Range Of Motion

Slouching doesn’t just affect the strength of your muscles, it also limits your range of motion. You can notice this immediately, not just over an extended period of time. If you have poor posture and attempt to do something even as simple as circling your arm, it may be stiff or hurt. If you then try to do the same thing with corrected posture, you’ll likely notice that it instantly becomes a bit easier or less painful. 

Improper Movement Leading To Injury

Your shoulders aren’t meant to be hunched forward. Prolonged poor posture can misalign the positioning of your shoulder blades, which can lead to injury at your rotator cuff when you try to move your arms. Since poor posture limits your range of motion, it also heightens your risk for wear and tear injuries, tendinosis, and tendonitis.

Why Pulling Your Shoulders Back Won’t Help

One of the most common responses when people talk about posture is for others to automatically pull their shoulders back in an attempt to improve their own. Merely pulling your shoulders back won’t fix the hunching of your upper body and neck, though. This is because your shoulders sit over your rib cage. 

This means that in order to fix your posture, sitting up straight means that your breast bone and your pubic bone shoulder are aligned on top of each other. Puffing out your chest and pulling your shoulders back won’t put your spine in alignment or fix the position of your rib cage, and ergo, your shoulders.

How To Fix Your Posture

Fixing your posture won’t happen immediately. In many cases, especially if poor posture has gotten to the point where your shoulders hurt, correcting your posture will feel wrong. This is because your body has grown accustomed to hunching, so working to change that is changing what your body has grown used to, which it will naturally resist. In order to prevent injury and to correct your posture, it will take time and effort, but it can be done.

To fix your posture, it’s going to take conscious effort all day long. Good posture is simply a part of your day to day life. Strengthening your back and core muscles will make it easier to maintain good posture. Sitting up from your hips instead of pulling your shoulders back will help keep your rib cage properly aligned. Pinching your shoulder blades lightly together and rolling them up and back can help too.

Changing your posture requires awareness of how your body is positioned always, and making those constant adjustments until it becomes something your body does automatically.

How Chiropractors Can Help

If you’re struggling with fixing your posture, especially if it’s because of shoulder pain, chiropractors can help. Chiropractors can observe how you sit and walk and test your strength and range of motion in order to determine how best to help. Poor posture can put a lot of pressure on your spinal discs, so they may also take a look at your back. 

Chiropractors can help by adjusting your spine in order to increase movement and reduce tension, so that it will be easier to adjust to better posture. They can also work with your muscles to help strengthen them, so that they can hold good posture, and so that it is more comfortable when you work to sit or stand properly. They can also guide you through stretches and rehabilitating exercises which will reduce tension and strengthen your muscles. 

Fixing bad posture on your own can be difficult, because it’s not as simple as “just sit up straight!” There can be underlying issues resulting from poor posture. Chiropractors can help guide you back to good posture, so that you can go about your life without pain or injury.

Do You Need Help Fixing Your Posture?

Elevate Wellness knows how important your posture is for your health, and also how difficult it can be to fix your posture by yourself. We can help you regain good posture, and help treat any pain resulting from bad posture. Contact us at Elevate Wellness today to schedule a consultation.