FAQ's

Q: My father was told by his doctor that crunches are not good for your back. Is this true?

A: There’s actually one situation where crunches don’t help and that’s if your dad had a condition called a spondylolisthesis. With this condition, the lower vertebrae of the back have a chronic stress fracture. Patients with this condition often have more pain when they do crunches. However for the majority of people crunches are beneficial.

Q: What’s the sound during an adjustment?

A: Inside our joints are bubbles of nitrogen gases that come together when you distract or stretch a joint. When these bubbles come together, the pressure in the joint is released and it makes an echo. That’s where the sound comes from during a traditional chiropractic adjustment.

Q: How come you cringe and make a big deal when I say “crack?”

A: Because it’s not really a great description of what we do. The proper term is “adjustment.” I may cringe because I can just see people saying to their neighbor, “My chiropractor gives me crack and I feel much better.”

Saying the word “adjustment” sounds more intelligent when you talk to others. Surgeons don’t stab you, they make an incision. Chiropractors don’t crack you, they adjust you.

Q: How often are you going to do that Trigger Point class? I really want to go but the last two times it’s full.

A: We’re going to do it once per month. There’s a limit to how many people can come to it because we can only fit so many people in a room. Sign up early and you’ll get a spot.

Q: Why do you not accept some insurance companies?

A: Some insurance companies such as Medi-cal pay LESS than what it costs us to see the patient. It costs money to turn on the lights, pay staff, pay rent, etc. Some insurance companies have lowered their payments to insane prices that it’s not worth it anymore. Any business that doesn’t make a profit won’t last long. That’s why many doctors are simply not accepting patients with insurance companies that don’t pay. Would you open a business where it cost you a dime to make a product and a person would only pay a nickel for?

Q: I want to buy new running shoes. Which are the best?

A: There are different types of running shoes. There are motion control shoes that are built for heavier people with typically flatter arches. There’s a stability shoe for people with arches that exist when your foot is not on the ground but collapse when the foot is on the ground. Then there is the neutral shoe for people that are typically light and have a normal/high arch. All running shoe manufacturers make these types of shoes. Your decision shouldn’t be which brand you buy but rather the type of shoe…then you pick the brand.

Q: I just joined a gym that has spinning classes using exercise bicycles. Should I do that? Is it a good workout? Do I need the special shoes?

A: Spinning classes are hard. It’s a great workout and you don’t need to buy the special shoes just yet. See if you like the class first, then you can get the shoes with the cleats on the bottoms that lock your foot on the pedal. Once you feel the power with those, you’ll never look back.

Q: Do you think that science will develop technology that will solve back pain?

A: I’m not sure how they will do that as “back pain” can be caused by multiple things. Just as the common cold may have 150-plus viruses, they would have to come up with 150 different cures. I’m not holding my breath.

Q: What is decompression therapy?

A: It’s the new buzz word in chiropractic. It’s a traction table similar to tables that have been used for years within the profession. But now it’s computerized. There’s many ways to decompress a joint. This is just one way to do it.