Why Chiropractors Are Commonly Confused With Medical Doctors
Good chiropractic care begins with a good chiropractor. However, you may be inclined to refer to your chiropractor as a "doctor." It may surprise you to know that a chiropractor is NOT a doctor! They are professionals all the same, and deserve respect for the years that they have studied. Here is why you may have thought as others do, and why chiropractors are commonly confused with medical doctors:
They Have Advanced Training in Human Anatomy and Physiology
Like doctors, chiropractors have advanced training in human anatomy and physiology. They have spent a good portion of their time in these classes, learning a lot about muscles, tendons, bones, nerves, where these things are located, and what they do. They can carry on an excellent conversation about the human body that often gets them mistaken for medical doctors, but it is actually just the training they have received.
They Have Taken an Oath to "Do No Harm"
Chiropractors have also taken an oath to do no harm. Their intent is only to provide pain relief through chiropractic techniques. They have honed their techniques and skills just to be absolutely certain that they never harm anyone accidentally. You might find this fact particularly comforting when an adjustment seems especially, albeit temporarily, painful.
They Have Their Own Offices and Waiting Rooms
Chiropractors also have their own offices and waiting rooms. They book appointments like doctors, take x-rays like doctors, and even bill their patients like doctors. It is easy to see how you could think that a chiropractor really is a doctor since they share so very many similarities.
They "Prescribe" Treatments
While chiropractors will give you exercises and stretches to do, assistive devices to increase flexibility and strength, and even tell you that you need to do A, B, and C to "get better," you will notice that they do not write prescriptions for medications. They do not actually "prescribe" treatments either. Most of what a chiropractor instructs you to do is a suggestion. It may be a suggestion with a little urgent force behind it, but it is still a suggestion. The treatments outside of the office are entirely up to you.
They Often Dress Like a Doctor
Many chiropractors wear nice office clothes and maybe a lab coat like a doctor. Of course, because they are professionals, they should dress in nice office clothes. As for the white lab coat, that is a matter of choice and is more or less for carrying around instruments the chiropractors may need (e.g., reflex hammer, pens, etc.).
Contact an office like Davison Chiropractic for more information and assistance.