Chiropractic is a distinct health care practice performed by Doctors of Chiropractic (D.C.) that primarily seeks to correct functional and structural problems in the body (particularly the spine) that can lead to back, neck, head, arm, and leg pain and a host of other symptoms. Chiropractors are uniquely trained and equipped to address these problems that the chiropractic profession refers to as subluxation complexes, but are often referred to as spinal/segmental dysfunctions, fixations, or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic espouses a holistic and vitalistic view of health, and therefore emphasizes factors such as diet, physical activity, and managing stress in order to address the underlying cause of conditions and symptoms. Doctors of Chiropractic focus their attention primarily on the spine and nervous system, because the spine and nervous system make up the “master control” system of the entire body. Chiropractors may also correct functional problems in the extremities (arms, legs, hands, and feet) when necessary for a return to full function and health. Some chiropractors will also incorporate other forms of care such as therapy techniques, massage, and wellness counseling/coaching.
Chiropractors most often help patients presenting with neck pain, back pain, headaches, arm and leg pain, as well as other joint pain because vertebral subluxations in the spine often cause these symptoms. However, because poor spinal function adversely impacts brain function, improving spinal function with chiropractic will frequently have positive effects beyond just pain relief that result in improvements for other conditions like poor sleep, mood disorders, chronic constipation, bed-wetting, colic, migraines, frequent infections, dizziness, etc. All of those problems and so many more have improved with chiropractic care in our center. No matter the symptoms or condition, the goal of chiropractic care remains the same; to correct the root causes of poor health and function. This includes vertebral subluxation complexes that are interfering with the brain’s ability to properly regulate and coordinate function throughout the rest of the body, as well as other challenges the body is facing like poor diet, lack of exercise, chronic stress, and other lifestyle factors.
Choosing a chiropractor is the first step toward understanding that your body is a self-healing organism. At Hoogeveen Chiropractic Wellness Center (HCWC), our doctors focus on the spine and nervous system—the body’s “master control” center. By identifying and correcting subluxation complexes (spinal misalignments or fixations), we remove interference that prevents your brain from properly regulating your health. This holistic approach doesn’t just mask symptoms; it addresses the structural and functional root causes of pain in the back, neck, head, and extremities.
While many patients begin care to find relief from pain, the benefits often extend much further. Because spinal health directly impacts brain function, chiropractic care frequently helps with systemic issues such as poor sleep, migraines, digestive troubles, and even pediatric concerns like colic or bed-wetting. Our goal is to restore your body to full function, which is why we integrate wellness counseling on diet, exercise, and stress management alongside our specialized adjustments and massage therapy services.
You can trust that you are in expert hands at our Bellevue clinic. Doctors of Chiropractic undergo a rigorous 7 to 8-year educational journey, involving over 4,600 classroom hours and a comprehensive four-part national board examination. Our team—including Dr. Adam, Dr. Brooke, Dr. Logan, and Dr. Sterling Rupp—brings over 40 years of combined experience to every patient. We are committed to continuing the legacy of compassionate, family-oriented care that Dr. Gregg established when he founded HCWC in 1999.
We invite you to join our community at our Fort Crook Road location and discover a more vitalistic way of living. Whether you are looking to recover from an injury or simply want to optimize your family’s overall wellness, we provide a caring, professional environment tailored to your unique needs. Explore our website and social media to learn more about how our clinical expertise and holistic philosophy can help you reclaim your health.
Despite chiropractic’s 120+ year history, confusion and misunderstanding about its safety is prevalent. The labeling of chiropractic as unsafe is completely unfounded and contradicted by the research literature. Once someone experiences chiropractic for themselves, they quickly see how unfounded these criticisms are.
Chiropractic care has been shown to be one of the safest health care options available. Chiropractors are certainly the safest physician you could visit. How can I make such bold statements? Malpractice insurance companies determine premiums based on the risk a provider poses.
What chiropractors pay for malpractice insurance in an entire year is less than or equal to what primary care medical doctors pay in one month.4
A recent study further proves chiropractic is not only safe, but much safer than traditional medical care. The researchers made their findings pretty clear by concluding “Among Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 to 99 years with an office visit for a neuromusculoskeletal problem, risk of injury to the head, neck, or trunk within seven days was 76% lower among subjects with a chiropractic office visit than among those who saw a primary care (medical) physician.”5 This is not intended to be a critique of medical care, but it reveals just how safe chiropractic is.
A proposed connection between chiropractic neck adjustments and injury to a blood vessel in the upper neck has occasionally been publicized in the media. Unfortunately, these stories are heavy on emotion and contain very little research and facts.
The fact is, much research has been done on the potential occurrence of this type of stroke and the neck adjustment. A recent study in the journal Spine found that the incidence of people having a stroke following a chiropractic visit was no different than those having a stroke following a medical doctor’s visit.1 Another study shows that those receiving neck adjustments from a chiropractor have the same risk of experiencing a stroke as the general population.2 Yet another study on neck adjustments shows us that the forces from a neck adjustment are less than the forces from you turning your own head as far as you can to one side or the other.6 Bottom line? You should be more concerned about injuring your neck from checking your blind spot or your pre-workout stretching than one of our highly-trained and licensed chiropractors using their advanced skills to restore healthy alignment and mobility to your neck joints.
Sources:
1. “Safety of Chiropractic Interventions: A Systematic Review.” Spine. 2009, Oct.
2. “CVA Monograph.” NCMIC Insurance Company. 2005.
3. CEVantive University. Chiropractic continuing education program.
4. “Medical Malpractice Insurance: Multiple Factors Have Contributed to Increased Premium Rates.” United States GAO report to Congress. June 2003.
5. Weldon, JM et al. “Risk of Traumatic Injury Associated With Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation…” Spine, 2015;40(4):p264–270.
6. Symons B et al. “Internal Forces on the VA During SMT” J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2002;25:504-10.
Is it safe for children?
Chiropractic is extremely safe for children and adults alike. Please watch the video below and visit our chiropractic safety page for more details. Children heal faster than adults, and typically respond much quicker to chiropractic care than adults. So what may take your body weeks or months to get over, children may respond in days or weeks.
Is it safe during pregnancy?
Chiropractic was developed over 100 years ago in 1895 by a man named D.D. Palmer in Davenport, IA. He was a healer in the community who offered a different health care approach from traditional medicine. The medical profession at that time was offering treatments such as blood-letting, undergoing a great deal of change, and wasn’t always widely available, which resulted in an increase in alternative healers such as D.D. Palmer.
D.D. Palmer espoused the philosophy that the body had a natural healing ability. He espoused that the body could self-heal and self-regulate provided that the body was supplied with sufficient quantities of what it needed, was free of toxicity, and had no interference to the one system that coordinates everything in the body, the nervous system. From there he postulated that interferences to the nervous system could occur as a result of spinal misalignments called subluxations. He further reasoned that because the spine houses the spinal cord and protects the spinal nerves as they leave the spinal cord, these subluxations can have significant consequences. He then gave his first spinal adjustments, and was able to help a deaf man’s hearing and also a man who had heart problems. Chiropractic was born and the rest is…well, history.
Although the specific art, science, and philosophy of chiropractic is only a little over 100 years old, the art of looking to the spine to improve overall health dates back to Ancient China and Ancient Greece. Hippocrates, often referred to as the father of modern medicine, wrote about spinal “manipulations” in his famous work Corpus Hippocrateum. He stated “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.” Socrates, quite possibly the greatest of the Ancient Greek philosophers, was quoted as saying “If you would seek health, look first to the spine.” The art of correcting the spine as a health care approach was carried on by the so called “bonesetters” who were known to perform spinal manipulation as well as reduce joint dislocations. These bonesetters were around from the time of Hippocrates until the development of professions like chiropractic and osteopathy.
