FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS in Spartanburg SC

A chiropractor is a trained Doctor who specializes in removing nerve interference between your brain and your body by delivering adjustments to your spine or extremities.

Rather than treating diseases, chiropractic care is a lifelong investment in your health and wellness. Chiropractic care seeks to restore optimal spine relationships for proper nerve communication from your brain out to your body. This allows for optimal function of your organs, muscles, joints, and tissues which allows them to work and function the best.

We are Doctors of Chiropractic. We go through a 4-year graduate study college where we take thousands of hours of anatomy, physiology, neurology, and other medical study courses. Along with state licensure, we take 4 national board exams that set the bar to become a Doctor of Chiropractic.

Chiropractors are trained to restore optimal “brain-to-body” communication. “Brain to body” communication is when your brain sends messages through your nervous system out to every organ, muscle, and tissue for it to work and function properly throughout your life. Those messages sent from your brain out to your body can be distorted or hampered through misalignments of your spinal column. The misalignments put pressure on your nerves and diminish the nerve impulse and transmission. As a result, those organs, tissues, and muscles are not receiving or even sending out the correct information to your brain. Chiropractors realign the misalignment and allow proper nerve communication from your brain out to your body and back to your brain for processing.

Chiropractic is extremely safe. Each adjustment is delivered in a gentle and precise way to allow optimal restoration of nerve transmission and function.

There are many different viewpoints about chiropractic. While some people have had negative and others positive, each viewpoint and office is different. Here at Cross Chiropractic, we focus on educating our patients and optimizing their quality of life. By focusing on having an optimally functioning nervous system, the muscles, tissues, and organs controlled by the nervous system will be better off.

When pain is felt with an injury or an accident, trauma has often occurred. When trauma occurs, there is usually damage to the area of concern. In the spine, the damage could consist of over-stretching of ligaments or nerves, tearing of tendons, bleeding, and/or misalignment or damage to the bone. All of this trauma induces the inflammation response which is why you feel pain. There is usually a loss of function with, color change, swelling, and heat. This is the body’s response to injury and accident in an effort to project and stabilize that area. Chiropractors help relieve pain by allowing proper communication of the brain and body to help heal the area. This is usually done by adjustments that help correct misalignments of the bones which occurred with injury. The adjustment realigns the bones and helps ligaments (which help hold bones in place) be in optimal alignment to each other, allows muscles to work properly, and restores optimal nerve transmission.

Absolutely. Chiropractic care has great benefits for pregnancy and even newborns! It has been linked to less pain during pregnancy, shorter labor times, and quicker deliveries.

Low back pain can be caused by many issues. The main reason for pain is the inflammation process. When a part of the spine becomes misaligned and becomes “stuck” (fixated), it causes the inflammation process. A chiropractor’s job is to realign the misaligned spinal segment. The misalignment is called a subluxation. A subluxation occurs when a bone of the spine becomes misaligned and causes nerve pressure. The pressure on the nerves and the inflammation that accompanies the subluxation causes pain to be felt. When a chiropractor delivers an adjustment, he corrects the subluxation, and the inflammation is reduced which causes a decrease in pain. The correction of the subluxation allows proper nerve transmission and optimal mechanics of the joint. Proper mechanics of the joint allow you to walk, run, and move to the best of the joint’s ability.

Neck pain can be caused by many factors. Chiropractors specialize in removing vertebral subluxation. A subluxation occurs when a bone of the spine becomes misaligned and causes nerve pressure. Neck pain could be a result of a misaligned vertebrae which stretches ligaments and muscles surrounding that segment of the spine. Along with nerve pressure, those stretched tissues send information back to the brain which interprets it and lets you know there is an issue there, usually in the form of pain. The chiropractor’s role is to realign the vertebrae which allows optimal nerve transmission and allows the ligaments and muscles to calm down since they are no longer stretched or compressed. The brain then sends information back down to the body that all is well and as a result, there is relief from pain.

Sciatica is a symptom that usually begins in the lower back and follows the sciatica nerve through the hip, buttocks, and into the upper leg. Since sciatica is a problem with compression or irritation of the sciatica nerve, chiropractors (who specialize in removing nerve pressure) are your best option for getting lasting relief. Compression of the sciatica nerve can be a result of a vertebral misalignment (called a vertebral subluxation). The misalignment of the bone puts pressure on the nerve. Having a chiropractor correct the vertebral subluxation can release pressure on the nerve causing lasting improvement of sciatica.

Popping sounds occur when gas is released from a joint. Just like your fingers having joints and hearing the popping sound when you crack your knuckles, your spine has joints that allow you to move, bend, shake, and be active. When adjustments are made to your spine, those same gasses can be released causing the popping sound.

Not all patients are adjusted the same way. Your chiropractor will perform a thorough exam on your first visit and come up with a proper plan of care that is tailored specifically for you. Each visit will consist of a thorough analysis of your spine and if needed, an adjustment. Each adjustment is different, and it is up to you and your chiropractor which adjustment is best.

No. What most people consider “self-adjusting” is usually the popping noise heard from compensating areas of the spine or even healthy joints moving, not the actual primary issue. When a spinal segment is stuck, it requires an outside force (from a chiropractor) to correct the misalignment.

Chiropractic is extremely beneficial for children. Allowing proper mechanics and movement of the spine allows children to move, play and live optimally. Most importantly, chiropractic care allows proper nerve communication from the brain out to the body. This allows your child to adapt to their environment which boosts their immune system. Chiropractic care is even linked to improved digestion, sleep, energy, reduced ear infections, reduced bed wetting, and even proper growth patterns. The best time for children to start chiropractic care is now.