Going through chiropractic school, we had a lot of words thrown at us that sounded like complete gibberish. To make matters worse, we had to learn the accompanying Latin versions. After time, this became second nature and wasn't much of an issue. In practice, I try to use layman terms to remove much of the confusion. From time to time I catch myself reverting back to the technical terms. I thought it may be helpful to explain a few of the words chiropractors commonly use.
One term thrown around in a chiropractic office is "subluxation." There are many different definitions out there depending how technical you want to sound, but all this really means is a "bone is out of place." Normally this is used in reference to the spine, but it can be in reference to any joint.
Another is "dermatome;" This means "the area of skin a nerve goes to." If you have ever seen a chiropractor (or any other doctor for that matter) because of numbness or tingling chances are they want to know if it follows a specific dermatome. This information really helps with diagnosis.
"Technique" is also used a lot by chiropractors on their websites or advertisements. All this refers to is how the chiropractor puts the bone back where it needs to be. Each chiropractic school has their own set of core techniques that they teach their students. During school and after graduation, chiropractors can learn more by going to seminars or continuing education courses.
What I would like to know:
Are there any other words - chiropractic or medical related - that you have heard and would like a better explanation?
Have a great week
Dr. Snyder
If you have any questions/concerns/apprehensions about chiropractic you would like answered send me an e-mail at Drandrewsnyder@gmail.com and I can address them in a future blog.
