Rocky Mountain Family Chiropractic

Chiropractic Education

Many people seem surprised to find out that the chiropractic education process is so extensive. I usually reply, “…whether you’re planning to become a chiropractor, medical doctor, or dentist, it takes four years of college followed by and additional 4-5 years of additional education (med school, dental school, chiropractic college) simply because there is that much to learn about the body to become a competent health care provider. ”

Hence, depending on the area of interest a person has in the health care industry, it takes a similar amount of time to complete the educational program.

DID YOU KNOW…

• The initial step is completing a typical “pre-med” undergraduate or college degree.

• Courses including biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology, various science labs, as well as all the liberal art requirements needed to graduate are included in the undergraduate education process.

• Many states now require 4 years of college in addition to the 4 to 5 academic years of chiropractic education to practice in their particular state.

• Once entering a chiropractic university, the same format exists as most health care disciplines.

• The basic sciences are covered in the first half of the educational process after which time successful completion of the National Boards Part I examination is required to move into the second half – the clinical sciences.

• From there, internships, residency programs, preceptorship programs become available to the chiropractic student.

• Once graduated, residence programs including (but not limited to) orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, radiology, sports medicine, rehabilitation, internal medicine, and others are options. Many various Masters and doctorate programs in specialty areas are also available.

This chart shows the similarities between three health care delivery approaches, DC, MD, and DPT (doctor of physiotherapy). Curriculum Requirements For the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree (DC) in comparison to the Doctor of Medicine Degree (MD) and the Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (DPT):

*Does not include hours attributed to post-graduation residency programs.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF AVERAGE CLASSROOM AND CLINICAL STUDY HOURS PRIOR TO GRADUATION IS EVEN HIGHER FOR CHIROPRACTIC COMPARED TO THE MD AND DPT CURRICULUM.

It should be noted that this does not include additional educational training associated with residency programs, which are available in the three disciplines compared here.

At one of the chiropractic colleges, the academic core program or Clinical Practice Curriculum consists of 308 credit hours of course study and includes 4,620 contact hours of lecture, laboratory and clinical education.

There are 10 trimesters of education arranged in a prerequisite sequence.

The degree of Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) is awarded upon successful completion of the required course of study.

In order to receive a degree, a student must have satisfied all academic and clinical requirements and must have earned no less than the final 25 percent of the total credits required for the D.C. degree, allowing up to 75 percent of the total credits through advanced standing.

The academic program may be completed in three and one-third calendar years of continuous residency. Graduation, however, is contingent upon completion of the program in accordance with the standards of the College, which meet or exceed those of its accrediting agencies.

In addition to courses included in the core curriculum, a variety of procedure electives are available to the students. These electives are designed to complement the study of adjustive procedures included and facilitate investigation of specialized techniques.

            As a doctor of chiropractic, we are committed to providing the highest quality care available to our patients. We coordinate care with other doctors when appropriate in quest of reaching the goal of our helping our patients in the most efficient, economic, and evidence-based approach possible.

-Dr. Green

Low Back Pain: Why Is It So Common?

This question has plagued all of us, including researchers for a long time!  Could it be because we’re all inherently lazy and don’t exercise enough? Or maybe it’s because we have a job that’s too demanding on our back?  To properly address this question, here are some interesting facts:

1. The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) is common, as 70-85% of ALL PEOPLE have back pain that requires treatment of some sort at some time in life.
2. On a yearly basis, the annual prevalence of back pain averages 30% and once you have back pain, the likelihood of recurrence is high.
3. Back pain is the most common cause of activity limitation in people less than 45 years of age.
4. Back pain is the 2nd most frequent reason for physician visits, the 5th ranking reason for hospital admissions, and is the 3rd most common cause for surgical procedures.
5. About 2% of theUSworkforce receives compensation for back injuries annually.
6. Similar statistics exist for other countries, including theUKandSweden.

So, what are the common links as to why back pain is so common?  One reason has to do with the biomechanics of the biped – that is, the two legged animal. When compared to the 4-legged species, the vertically loaded spine carries more weight in the low back, shows disk and joint deterioration and/or arthritis much sooner, and we overload the back more frequently because, well, we can! We have 2 free arms to lift and carry items that often weigh way too much for our back to be able to safely handle. We also lift and carry using poor technique. Another reason is anatomical as the blood supply to our disks is poor at best, and becomes virtually non-existent after age 30.  That makes healing of disk tears or cracks nearly impossible. Risk factors for increased back injury include heavy manual lifting requirements, poor or low control of the work environment, and prior incidence of low back pain.

Other risk factors include psychosocial issues such as fear of injury, beliefs that pain means one should not work, beliefs that treatment or time will not help resolve a back episode, the inability to control the condition, high anxiety and/or depression levels, and more.  Because there are so many reasons back problems exist, since the early 1990’s, it has been strongly encouraged that we as health care providers utilize a “biopsychosocial model” of managing those suffering with low back pain, which requires not only treatment but proper patient education putting to rest unnecessary fears about back pain

Neck Pain – Can Chiropractic Really Help?

Neck pain is a very common problem affecting up to 70% of the adult population at some point in life. Though there are specific causes of neck pain such as arising from a sports injury, a car accident or “sleeping crooked,” the vast majority of the time, no direct cause can be identified and thus the term nonspecific is applied. There are many symptoms associated with patients complaining of neck pain and many of these symptoms can be confused with other conditions. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what neck related symptoms are most likely to respond to chiropractic manipulation before the treatment has started? This issue has been investigated with very favorable results!

The ability to predict a favorable response to treatment has been termed, “clinical prediction rules” which in general, are usually made up of combinations of things the patient says and findings from exams. In a large study, data from about 20,000 patients receiving about 29,000 treatments, was collected and analyzed to find out what complaints responded well to chiropractic treatment. The results showed that the presence of any 4 of these 7 presenting complaints predicted an immediate improvement in 70-95% of the patients:

1. Neck pain;

2. Shoulder, arm pain;

3. Reduced neck, shoulder, arm movement;

4. Stiffness;

5. Headache;

6. Upper, mid back pain

7. None or one presenting symptom.

Items not associated with a favorable immediate response included “numbness, tingling upper limbs,” and “fainting, dizziness and light-headedness in 4-12% of the patients. The “take-home” message here is that was far more common to see a favorable response (70-95%) of the patients compared to an unfavorable response (4-12%), supporting the observation that most patients with neck complaints will respond favorably to chiropractic treatment.

So, what do we do as chiropractors when a patient presents with neck pain? First, after gathering preliminary information such as name, address and insurance information, a history of the presenting complaint is taken. This consists of information including what started the neck complaint (if you know), when it started, what makes it worse, what makes it better, the quality of pain (aches, stiff, numb, etc.), the location and if there is radiating complaints, the severity (0-10 pain scale), timing (such as worse in the morning, evening, etc.), and if there have been prior episodes. Various questionnaires are included that are scored so improvement down the road can be tracked and a past history that includes a medication list, past injuries or illnesses, family history and a systems review are standard. The exam includes vital signs (BP, pulse, height, weight, temperature and respiration), palpation, range of motion, orthopedic and neurological examination. X-ray and/or other “special tests” may also be included, when needed. A review of all the findings are discussed and after permission to treat is granted, a chiropractic adjustment may then be rendered. A list treatment options may include:

1. Adjustments;
2. Soft tissue therapy (trigger point stimulation, myofascial release);
3. Physical therapy modalities;
4. Posture correction exercises and other exercises/home self-administered therapies;
5. Education about job modifications;
6. Co-management with other health care providers if/when needed.

This video demonstrates why the residents of Bountiful, Utah might not be getting the proper care. Dr. William Green is a chiropractor in Bountiful, UT who specializes in helping patients with back pain, neck pain, and ALL types of pain. He serves the Bountiful, Woods Cross, North Salt Lake, and Davis County residents and helps them not only to get well, but to stay well also.

Call us today to schedule an appointment in our Bountiful, UT office located at: 425 Medical Drive Suite 216 Bountiful, UT 84010

801-683-9553

This video demonstrates why the residents of Bountiful, Utah might not be getting the proper care.  Dr. William Green is a chiropractor in Bountiful, UT who specializes in helping patients with back pain, neck pain, and ALL types of pain.  He serves the Bountiful, Woods Cross, North Salt Lake, and Davis County residents and helps them not only to get well, but to stay well also.

Call us today to schedule an appointment in our Bountiful, UT office located at: 425 Medical Drive Suite 216 Bountiful, UT 84010

801-683-9553