While in the United States, there are more chiropractors than dentists, the profession remains confidential in France, where the few thousand professionals in practice comes from the only school in France. Their specific expertise around back problems is becoming more and more popular.

A full-time 6-year course for a comprehensive set of specifications: herniated disc , sciatica , torticollis, lumbago , cervico-brachial neuralgia, radiating pain .... training - standard for the world - provides these spine experts with a virtuoso hand practice that often works miracles. In close relation with classical medicine - thanks to their strong medical skills - the "chiro" - pronounced "kiro" - intervene on heavy or complex pathologies and affirm their difference with other manual therapies.

Chiropractic, a subtle diagnosis of the nervous and osteoarticular systems

Caroline Lambert, chiropractor in Paris, explains: "Chiropractic focuses on the nervous and osteoarticular systems, while osteopathy works more on the visceral, fluid or cranial systems, when physiotherapy intervenes on the rehabilitation, the muscular system, ligament and articular, but with other techniques. "

For the vice president of the French Chiropractic Association: "The great strength of the chiro lies in his training in subtle diagnosis - particularly in radiology, and manipulation. "

A rich panel of manipulations

The crunch of the spine is part of the image of Epinal this confidential profession. "To crack is neither systematic nor essential", tempers Caroline Lambert.

"With 3500 hours of training dedicated to the dexterity of the hand, the chiro masters a multitude of techniques and tools that are unique to him; the manipulation that makes you crack is one of them. If a patient is uncomfortable with this action, we can do otherwise to release tension and release a joint. "

Alleviate back tension to release nerve impulses

"Chiropractic is involved in the joint system, but also nervous," says Caroline Lambert. The spinal cord is an extension of the brain inside the spine. "Compression, irritation or misalignment of the vertebrae disrupts irrigation of the nervous system.

Realigning the column induces secondary benefits and problem solving for which you do not consult at first glance. Better sleep , free breathing, general relaxation, effective digestion , etc. The innervation of the vital organs improves, the autonomous central nervous system works better as well as the performances of the sympathetic and para sympathetic systems. There is sometimes even a drop in hypertension: arterial blood circulation is more fluid when back tensions drop.

One pain can hide another

"To have your back", "to have your back to the wall", "to bend your back" and other popular adages tell how this part of the body can be a place of somatization in the face of stress .

"Some symptoms express a frustration, a general tension, a depression that sometimes flirts with burnout " describes the practitioner. The back serves as an emotional safety valve.

In contrast, recurrent migraines may be related to neck problems (this is called tension headaches). If the neurologist does not diagnose anything in particular, the chiropractor investigates in this direction. Same approach for vertigo, or intestinal disorders that are sometimes caused by problems of lumbar. And vice versa. Hence the need to work in complicity with other medical bodies.

A first decisive session

It allows you to take stock of lifestyle habits but also the past of the patient: bedding, digestion, frequency of use of laptops, daily time in the car, trauma (fall, accident etc). "In the long run, a bad work or sleep posture creates a feeling of distorted verticality. We must help the body to find the right benchmarks. We systematically ask for an X-ray and a scanner of the concerned areas to know the ground because some manipulations are counter-indicated on functional pathologies ", warns Caroline Lambert.

In France, the 2011 law decree differentiates chiropractic and osteopathy. Apart from the doctor, only the chiro has the right to manipulate the spine and touch the neck without a certificate of no contraindication from a doctor.

A three-step protocol

The first step is to get the patient out of the emergency (lumbago, acute sciatica ...), in one to three sessions. Then, the correction phase works to rectify the posture or to work on the liabilities: overweight, after-effects of accidents etc. Sessions can range from a few weeks to several months. Finally, during the stabilization period, we make sure twice a year that the new equilibrium continues.

Prevention is better than cure

Like the dentist or the gynecologist , it is preferable to schedule a regular check-up of the spine in order to treat any disturbances upstream. No need to wait for the pain. "You can be slightly misplaced or have some tension and feel nothing unpleasant. But when this imbalance increases with time, it causes more and more serious symptoms, just like caries. "

The child carrying a heavy binder, the student sitting for hours in front of his desk, pregnancy, or resumption of the sport ... at each major stage, a visit of control is necessary. The chiropractic session is not supported by the social security but by many mutuals, within the framework of well-being packages, up to a certain amount.

To go further: www.chiropraxie.com