Meet the Chiropractic Center Team
Get to know the specialists who will be involved in treating you.
Chiropractic Care
Promoting wellness and reducing your pain
Appointments
Chiropractic Care at Winchester Hospital
The Winchester Hospital Chiropractic Center is proud to offer chiropractic services to people of all ages. Our full time staff of chiropractic physicians offer effective care in managing a wide variety of conditions.
We have a state-of-the-art facility and use the latest technology and treatments available. We have close working relationships with the medical staff within the Winchester Hospital and in the surrounding communities. In fact, over 50% of our patients come to us because their primary care doctor, internist or other specialist referred them to us.
What is Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care is based on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. Small fixations (stuck vertebrae) can cause spine problems. A variety of situations can cause these fixations and compromise proper spinal biomechanics:
- Accidents
- Chronic tension
- Falls
- Poor posture
- Repetitive movements that gradually wear down body parts
- Sports injuries
Chiropractic care is the science and art of detecting and correcting such imbalances.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
We will make every effort to schedule a timely appointment with your chiropractor at Winchester Hospital. Plan on spending about 60 minutes in the office on your first visit. (Subsequent visits typically last from 15 to 30 minutes.)
On your first visit to the office, we will have some initial paperwork for you to fill out. These forms will usually include a questionnaire on your medical history. This will allow one of our chiropractic doctors to have a brief overview of your background, including surgeries, diagnostic tests, medications and nutrition.
On your first visit, we will answer the following questions:
- What’s causing my problem?
- Can chiropractic care help me?
- How long will it take for me to be well?
- How much will it cost and does my insurance cover chiropractic care?
One of the most important aspects of the first visits is to make sure that you are in the right place. If our team determines your particular problem is not something we can help you with, we will make a prompt referral to the appropriate specialist.
The doctor will use the information you provide to evaluate you before the actual exam. Once you’ve completed your paperwork, the chiropractic doctor may ask more detailed questions before they start the actual examination.
The chiropractic doctor will then complete a physical examination similar to that of any medical physician. The doctor may also perform orthopedic and neurological tests based on your specific concern.
After the exam, the doctor will explain their findings and lay out a course of treatment. The doctor may prescribe treatments similar to those used in a physical therapy office to speed your recovery and healing process. These may include:
- Heat
- Ice
- Interferential current (electrical therapy)
- Rehabilitation exercises
- Ultrasound imaging tests
The Adjustment/Manipulation
Although the back is the primary focus of chiropractic care, the doctor may apply manipulations to any muscle or joint in your body. After proper positioning, the chiropractor creates tension around the affected joint, then applies pressure to return it to its proper position.
You may hear — and maybe also feel — a popping sound following this maneuver. The noise is like the one you hear when cracking your knuckles. It results from the release of nitrogen gas built up and generally doesn't hurt. The adjustment relieves your pain by restoring proper function to the joint.
Phases of Care
Stage 1: Acute stage (Lasts 48 to 72 hours)
This stage immediately follows the initial injury. Symptoms are usually most severe during this stage. While generally short, some patients may remain in this stage for a week or more.
The primary characteristic during this stage is inflammation (swelling). You may also experience pain — even with the smallest movement. Treatment focuses on pain relief, controlling swelling, and supporting or protecting injured tissues. Your recovery is usually quicker and more complete when you seek chiropractic care during this stage.
Stage 2: Sub-acute stage (Lasts 72 hours to several weeks)
After passing quickly through the acute stage, the body changes its focus. The body no longer works to control the impact of the injury. Rather, it turns its attention and resources to healing and repair.
This sub-acute period can last from a few days to several weeks. As you feel less pain and experience fewer symptoms during this stage, take care not to exceed your functional limitations. Doing so may worsen your condition and extend the healing process. It’s important to continue your treatment plan to avoid falling back into the acute stage.
During the sub-acute stage, your chiropractic care team may use a variety of techniques to restore proper function so that you are not limited in any activities of daily living. These techniques may include soft tissue massage, targeted exercises or deep stretches.
Stage 3: Chronic stage (Lasts for several months or years)
In some people, recovery is delayed or incomplete and they enter the chronic stage. By their very nature, these conditions are long-lasting, sometimes several months or even years. Clinicians generally agree that a condition that doesn’t show continued signs of improvement at six to seven weeks should be considered chronic.
Conditions We Treat
Our experienced chiropractic care team treats a wide variety of health conditions. Below are some of the medical conditions our chiropractors most commonly treat.
- Arm pain
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Bursitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Chronic pain
- Frozen shoulder
- Golfer’s elbow
- Hamstring injuries
- Headache
- Herniated disc
Services & Specialties
Depending on your situation and health condition, your chiropractor may work with one or more of the following specialties to provide your care.
