FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS in Waterloo IA

A chiropractor is a primary care doctor who specializes in spinal health and well-being. Chiropractors help their patients reduce pain, increase movement, improve performance, and enhance their quality of life without the use of drugs or surgery. They focus on prevention, diagnosis, and conservative care.

In addition to adjustments, chiropractors also provide soft-tissue therapies, lifestyle recommendations, fitness coaching and nutritional advice."

- From Palmer College of Chiropractic: https://www.palmer.edu/about-palmer/chiropractic-profession/

Yes! Chiropractors are doctors and are licensed to practice as a chiropractic physician in Iowa.

They attend 4 years of undergraduate college often with a degree in biology; and then attend a chiropractic graduate program that involves 4 years of education and 4200 hours of instruction including clinical training. After completing their education, they sit both national and state board examinations. Once they have earned their certification from those boards and their licensure they become a doctor of chiropractic.

Additionally, some chiropractors that take an additional 2-3 years of training, practical experience and pass stringent testing become board certified in a specialty such as neurology, orthopedics, nutrition, and others. Dr. Kuhn holds board certifications in chiropractic neurology with an additional subspeciality in electro-diagnostics, in neurofeedback, and has a Master of Science in Advanced Clinical Practice to better serve you.

Chiropractors are best known for treating low back pain, neck pain and headaches. While the spine has always been a focus, chiropractors may also treat a variety of other conditions such as injuries from falls, sports and lifting along with a variety of other conditions that may be affected by involvement of muscles, ligaments, tendons, discs, and the peripheral nervous system.

Those with advanced training like Dr. Kuhn are also qualified to address more difficult conditions that may involve the central nervous system like vertigo and balance disorders, TBI and concussions as well as developmental concerns and learning disorders.

Chiropractic has been found to be better, faster, and less expensive that other forms of care for years for similar conditions in studies. Chiropractic also is one of the safest forms of health care. Over 50 million Americans visit chiropractors annually per a Gallup poll.

Absolutely! Lots of studies support the use of chiropractic, but don't just take our word for it…

Here's what Dr. Ronald Glick, assistant professor of psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh School of

Medicine said in an article in TIME. "The benefits of chiropractic for acute low back pain have been pretty widely accepted for years now within the medical community."

And the Mayo Clinic website adds, "Some studies suggest that spinal manipulation may also be effective for headaches and other spine-related conditions, such as neck pain."

"Chiropractic is a licensed health care profession that emphasizes the body's ability to heal itself. Treatment typically involves manual therapy, often including spinal manipulation. Other forms of treatment, such as exercise and nutritional counseling, may be used as well."

- From the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

"The chiropractic profession was founded in 1895 by D.D. Palmer. In 1897, the Palmer School of Chiropractic, which would later become Palmer College of Chiropractic, was started.

A chiropractor is a primary care doctor who specializes in spinal health and well-being. Chiropractors help their patients reduce pain, increase movement, improve performance, and enhance their quality of life, without the use of drugs or surgery. They focus on prevention, diagnosis and conservative care.

In addition to adjustments, chiropractors also provide soft-tissue therapies, lifestyle recommendations, fitness coaching and nutritional advice."

Retrieved from: https://www.palmer.edu/about-palmer/chiropractic-profession/.

All forms of health care can have side effects. Fortunately, side effects from chiropractic care are rare and if present usually very mild. Dr. Kuhn will discuss risks, benefits, treatment options and alternative to care with you prior to treatment so you can make an informed decision about your choice of care.

That depends. Some cases are easy, and some are more involved so how many depends on your health history, your health concern, and your goals. We will make recommendations for what you need based on your health goals along with our training and expertise. In the end that decision is always up to you, and we respect your right to choose.

Additionally, we are a ChiroTrust member and have made the following pledge:

"To the best of my ability, I agree to provide my patients convenient, affordable, and mainstream Chiropractic care. I will not use unnecessary long-term treatment plans and/or therapies."

Everyone is and individual and their health concerns are different. We do not follow canned plans. While we generally recommend well established protocols, everyone progresses differently and their care is individualized to match their needs.

As for the costs itself, after your history and examination we will discuss with you treatment options and costs up front so that there are no surprises. Most insurances cover chiropractic and we will verify your health insurance for you to let you know what to expect.
We are a ChiroTrust member and have made the following pledge:

"To the best of my ability, I agree to provide my patients convenient, affordable, and mainstream Chiropractic care. I will not use unnecessary long-term treatment plans and/or therapies."

We are fortunate to have many good practitioners in our area. What sets us apart from the others is Dr. Kuhn's training, board and other certifications, experience, and our sincere caring.

Dr. Kuhn is a Waterloo native, and Kuhn Chiropractic PC is a husband-and-wife team with a focus on quality care and trust built on the relationship with our patients and their families. We look forward to serving you!

If you are within the commutable distance to Waterloo, IA, call us at (319) 236-1000. If your case is not one that we feel we can help, we will advise you who in the area may be able to help.

If you are out of the area and you are looking for a chiropractor who has taken the ChiroTrust pledge, google "The ChiroTrust Pledge: and the name of a town in quotes. For someone in addition to being a licensed chiropractor, is trained in chiropractic neurology then go to the American Chiropractic Neurology Board's website at acnb.org and use their doctor locator to find the nearest practitioner to you.

For some doctors and patients there is an opinion or a belief that one particular technique is the best for everyone and every condition. This can lead to the age-old adage, "If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." We believe it is better to ask the question,

"What is the best tool for this patient, with this condition, at this stage of their life.

Dr. Kuhn is trained and uses a variety of methods and techniques within chiropractic. He has found that it is most important to match the technique to the patient's needs, rather than trying to adapt the patient to a particular technique that is favored by the chiropractor. In his training as both a Palmer and National Chiropractic Colleges graduate, along with 38 year of experience and continuing education he has amassed a variety of techniques and methods of care that he will expertly match to your safety, effectiveness and comfort.

Dr. Kuhn sees primarily sees patients in three categories of care. The first is pain. As a chiropractor, Dr. Kuhn provides safe, effective, and affordable care for back pain, neck pain, migraines and headaches. He also sees patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, neuropathy and chronic pains

The second category of care that Dr. Kuhn provides is brain-based care that he provides as a Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist by the ACNB; and as being Board-Certified in Neurofeedback by the BCIA. With this advanced training and certifications, he is able to provide care for conditions like concussion, developmental-learning and behavioral concerns, vertigo and balance concerns, along with anxiety and depression.

The third category is related to nutrition and lifestyle care that he is qualified to provide with his Master of Science in Advance Clinical Practice from NUHS. These conditions include weight loss, lifestyle coaching, nutritional testing, genetic testing and more.

Chiropractors in general are highly skilled practitioners for treating injuries. Dr. Kuhn is certified in Whiplash and Spinal Trauma by the ICA and was also trained in collision reconstruction for the medical practitioner by Texas A&M.

Absolutely! Low back pain is common in pregnancy as are other pains. Because of the negative side effects to the developing fetus caused by medications, mothers are often are advised to avoid the use of pain killers and anti-inflammatories during their pregnancy.

Chiropractic is often so effective in relieving the pain and stress of pregnancy, that many of Dr. Kuhn's patients request an adjustment on their way to delivery. Chiropractic has also been found to be beneficial for children too!

Sciatica comes from irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve exits from your spine mostly at the levels of L4-S2 in your lower back. Irritation from bone, disc, other soft tissues or even just swelling can cause sciatica.

Another way sciatica can be caused is from entrapment that is created by either the piriformis and/or the gluteus medius muscles. Treatment is very different for this kind of sciatica and it is important to have a highly skilled practitioner like Dr. Kuhn evaluate you so that you get the fastest and most effective care for the origin of your sciatic pain.

The most common are back pain, neck pain, migraines and other headaches along with arm and leg pain. Because of Dr. Kuhn's advanced training and certifications he also treats chronic pains with excellent results even after other methods have failed.

For most patients, chiropractic adjustments provide immediate relief. For some patients who have severe inflammation from a concern or have old scar tissue that needs to be released, there may be some soreness similar to after a workout or working in the yard.

Dr. Kuhn is very selective of the techniques he uses for each patient. He considers your safety, your age, your history of previous traumas, your cardiovascular state, autoimmunity, etc. along with your personal preferences to deliver you safe, effective and comfortable care.

While all forms of health care have risk, chiropractic is one of the safest forms of health care available. Compared to other forms of care such as surgery or medication chiropractic is very safe.

Chiropractors use safe and effective methods that use the mechanics of the spine, specific angles and techniques to "adjust" the spine. The good news is that not all adjustments create a popping sound. If you are uncomfortable with the sound, please tell Dr. Kuhn prior to your treatment and he will offer you an alternative method that is more appropriate for you.

The popping sound that is heard with some but not all techniques is much like when you "crack your knuckles." Current science suggests this is from carbon dioxide gas escaping from solution in the lubricating solution (called synovial fluid) when the joint is stretched.

The sound is much like the "pop" you hear when opening a bottle of pop. Within 30-40 minutes the gas returns into solution within the synovial fluid. The "pop" does not injure the joint, to the contrary the scientific evidence supports this method as a safe and effective method of care.

Absolutely not! While there may be similarities in protocols for similar conditions, everyone's needs and responses will be different based on their genetics, work, health history and lifestyle.

For many patients, YES!

However, because of Dr. Kuhn's advanced training and experience, some patients come to us after genetic or birth complications, severe injuries, years of neglect, degenerative changes, and other complicating factors. For these patients, there may be some residuals, meaning most patients see significant improvement.

You can be assured that Dr. Kuhn will not accept a case that he does not honestly believe he can help.

No, and please don't try. We unfortunately see patients who have injured themselves from trying.

No!

Absolutely! Because children can have injuries and other concerns involving the nervous system, chiropractic may be appropriate and advised. Most children find their care feels good and that visiting the chiropractor is fun.

To become a chiropractor, one must attend 4 years of undergraduate college with a degree in biology or related sciences; and then attend a chiropractic graduate chiropractic program that involves 4 years of education and 4200 hours of instruction including clinical training.

After completing their education, they sit both national and state board examinations. Once they have earned their certification from those boards and their licensure from the state they practice in, they become a doctor of chiropractic.

Additionally, some chiropractors do an additional 2-3 years of training, practical experience and pass stringent testing may become board certified in a specialty such as neurology, orthopedics, nutrition, and others. Dr. Kuhn holds board certifications in chiropractic neurology with an additional subspeciality in electro-diagnostics, in neurofeedback and has a Master of Science in Advanced Clinical Practice to better serve you.