Gregory J. Gorman, D.C.

Does a chiropractic ‘adjustment’ hurt? Is it dangerous?

Chiropractic is completely safe and very effective. It is safer than taking over the counter pain relievers or walking across the street. Muscles that are tight due to an injury may experience some discomfort from being moved, but this subsides quickly. Within hours most patients feel far better than they did before their visit.

Will my injury require more than one chiropractic visit?

Full recovery from an injury will take more than one visit, but you should begin to experience some relief the same day. Naturally the duration of care will depend on the extent of your injuries, your fitness level, how well your body responds to treatment and your activity level. Visit the Approach page to read about the three phases of Recovery, Restoration, and Resilience.

Is chiropractic addictive? Will my joints become dependent on being adjusted?

Chiropractic is no more ‘addictive’ than dental care. We joke about that, but it really is a similar issue of health maintenance. How can you get addicted to something that’s good for you? Yes, you can always choose to wait until you experience an injury (or a cavity) before seeking care. But the goal is for you to stay well without relying on outside forces. When you feel something in your body is not quite right – come in for a bit of preventive care. It’s the best way to keep your body functioning at 100%. But in the end, you decide what’s best for you.

The pain is gone, that means we’re done, right?

If the goal were only to stop immediate pain, yes might be an acceptable answer. But the real aim is prevention. After all, something caused your body to be susceptible to injury, or prevented it from repairing itself properly. Unless you want to stay in a cycle of injury and recovery that sidelines you from your active life, follow through is vital. The good news is that less and less chiropractic care will be needed as your body mechanics improve and weak muscles regain their strength. You will quickly become attuned to what your body should feel like when functioning properly. By being alert for the signals your body is sending, you will know to come in for a visit before an injury occurs.

Is a Chiropractor a real doctor? Or do they just receive a ‘certificate’?

A Doctorate of Chiropractic (DC) is a real doctoral degree, not just a certificate of completion. The schooling is 3 years of graduate study and is comparable in complexity to medical school. The curriculum includes many more hours of anatomy and biomechanics than medical doctors experience. The difference is that Chiropractors are not licensed to prescribe pharmaceuticals – we use a different approach to healing injuries and alleviating pain that does not rely on drugs.

Can you help with pain that is not in my back or neck?

Yes, my work is concerned with the biomechanics of the entire body, not just the spine. The spine is often included in treatments because it often adjusts to compensate for other parts of the body that are weak or out of balance. For instance, an injury in one foot may cause related issues in the knees, hips, sacrum and upward. Likewise, poor alignment in the shoulders can cause compensations that radiate down to other parts of the body.