1. What does a Chiropractor do?
Chiropractors are professional health doctors that focus on your bodies innate ability to heal.
 
2. What is different about Connections Chiropractic?
We at Connections recognize that each person is one whole system. One system that is deeply integrated within itself. Our goal is to connect people back to themselves; back to their source that gives them their sense of purpose. We aim to create a ripple effect in our community that leads to healthier parents, men, women, and children and that reaches out past the confines of our office.​​​
 
3. Are there different types of chiropractors?
There are many different flavors of chiropractor, however the application of chiropractic is done through the chiropractic adjustment. At this office, we focus on optimizing the nervous system through the adjustment to engage your body’s innate abilities.
 
4. What does chiropractic help with?
Chiropractic care is able to do some amazing things to increased function in many different areas of life including mental/emotional states like anxiety, depression and ADHD. Although we can help with such a vast variety of issues, many chiropractors have a focus on pain and mobility as their primary concern. Here is some awesome research by Dr. Heidi Haavik that shows some of the neurological benefits of chiropractic! 
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/11/1124
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/11/1050

5. Is chiropractic safe?
Yes. Chiropractors have lower malpractice insurance rates compared to any other doctoral level medical professional because of how safe we are as a profession.
 
6. Does chiropractic have side effects?
While it is true that there can be side effects from being adjusted, the most common side effect is muscle soreness. More serious side effects are seen in conjunction with what chiropractors call red flags and one of the main aspects of chiropractic schooling is identifying these red flags and managing patient care effectively when these red flags are recognized. This is why the occurrence of serious complication with chiropractic care is so rare.
 
7. What do I do if I notice something change after care that I wasn’t expecting?
If you do notice something unusual we want you to tell us. Other side effects that may be considered unusual that we frequently hear of are better sleep, less anxiety, feeling like a better parent, normalized bathroom habits, better physical performance, and overall quality of life improvements.
 
8. What happens during a chiropractic adjustment?
For an adjustment, the doctor will put pressure into an area and typically moves the joints of that area very quickly or slowly but with more depth depending on the needs of the patient. Frequently the patient will feel a pop or crack, but that is something chiropractors call cavitation or tribonucleation. This is merely a result of gases pooling inside the joint and they make that sound when they come together quickly. We love the sound, and it’s nice to hear, but it isn’t what makes the adjustment work.
 
9. What makes the adjustment work?
What makes the adjustment work is the brain and the rest of the nervous system. The nerves act like the eyes of the brain so that the brain can “see” what’s happening in its internal and external environment. When nerves don’t communicate effectively, which we call a chiropractic subluxation, the brain can’t accurately “see” what’s happening in that area and makes guesses as to what is going on. The brain is an amazing guesser, but can still make mistakes when subluxation happen. When the adjustment happens, the signal sent to the brain from the area resets the brain’s ability to “see” from the area again. Just like muscles need to be trained to stay strong, the brain needs to be trained when subluxation happens until it is self sufficient again.
 
10. How do I train to keep my brain and nerves healthy?
Doing physical activities and activities that make you think are both great ways to make your nerves and brain work. We typically recommend doing your normal gym routine or going for a walk after an adjustment to help exercise your nerves while they’re in a higher functioning state!
 
11. Is it safe for pregnant women, babies, and children to get adjusted?
Of course! There are special techniques that have been created for expecting moms, babies and young children! Most chiropractic schools train their students on these techniques, but special certifications are also available for doctors that want to specialize in treating this population. All of these techniques are extremely gentle to make it safe for this population to receive care.
​
12. What type of pain do chiropractors treat?
We can work with all different kinds of pain! Pain is essentially the alarm system your body uses to let you know that there may be a problem. It’s even possible for your brain to interpret the experience of pain when there is no physical reason for pain to happen. There are different structures in your brain and spinal cord that can cause pain without a physical reason and since the adjustment effects the brain, we can even influence even the way your brain and body perceive pain.
 
13. How often should I see a chiropractor?
There’s no specific protocol set for how often healthy people should see the chiropractor, but even in individuals who aren’t experiencing immediate issues, research shows that chiropractic care can increase general adaptability, nerve efficiency and brain function. We suggests that these types of patients get adjusted between once a week and once a month depending on their mental and physical stress levels.
 
14. What should I expect during my first visit?
You should expect to be greeted by warm and friendly staff as soon as you walk in the door! Our staff will give you a quick rundown of what you will see in your new patient paperwork, which we use to get to know you better and see how we can assist you with your health. After your paperwork is finished, you’ll meet with the doctor to review your health information and determine what type and how chiropractic care best meets your needs.
 
15. Do you take insurance?
We do not take insurance. In light of the nature of insurance companies and because how they qualify care isn’t up to date with the current neurological research, we wouldn’t be able to provide services in a quick, efficient manner that we know will be effective. However, if requested, we will offer you a “Super Bill” which is essentially a receipt of the services we provided that you can submit back to your insurance. Be sure to know the benefits of your plan with this option. If chiropractic care is covered by your plan, insurance companies will most often reimburse you, the patient, quicker and at a higher rate than they reimburse us as your service provider.