This is from Dr. Douglas Tomanelli in his patient newsletter:
HixsonSpineCentr@aol.com


Orthopedics or Chiropractic?

Have you ever wondered what the difference was between an orthopedic doctor 
and a chiropractic doctor. I often get this question asked in my office and there 
is a great deal of difference. We both get the same amount of diagnostic 
training in school.  Chiropractors get more neuroscience and a great deal of 
skeletal and spine biomechanics. Orthopedics are trained more in 
pharmaceuticals and surgery.

The Bantam Medical Dictionary defines orthopedics as the science or practice 
of correcting deformities caused by disease of or damage to the bones and 
joints of the skeleton. An orthopedic doctor has a very important role in society. 
When someone has a broken bone or a dislocation in a joint the orthopedic 
doctor would be the correct professional to call upon. In some situations of very 
bad arthritis an orthopedic doctor can replace prosthetic joints in the human 
skeleton. In most situations of joint pain, the orthopedic doctor will prescribe 
drugs to help deal with the pain but will not necessarily correct the cause of the 
pain. Some of these drugs are very harmful if used over a long period of time. 

The definition of chiropractic is: The science or practice of mobilizing joints of 
the spine that are misaligned or fixated due to a trauma or physical stress. If 
fixated or misaligned joints are not corrected, it causes the discs and joints to 
deteriorate and cause discs to herniate with general pain. The chiropractic 
doctor also has a very important role in society too. If someone has developed 
back, leg, neck, shoulder, or arm pain, headaches, scoliosis or carpal tunnel 
syndrome a chiropractic doctor would be the correct professional to call upon. 
In most situations the chiropractor can correct the cause of the problem instead 
of just treating the problem or pain. A chiropractor evaluates the body as a 
whole and not just where the pain is. A chiropractor will evaluate the 
biomechanics of the spine and skeleton in order to get a big picture of what is 
causing pain. Chiropractors by profession do not prescribe synthetic drugs to 
patients. They work with manually adjusting joints of the spine as well as the 
use of nutrition and supplements. 

So, lets talk about some case studies and you try to decide if you should go to 
the orthopedic or the chiropractor. 

1) A teenage boy was playing basketball and twisted his ankle and heard a 
"pop" and fell on his back grasping his leg.  Who should he see? If you 
guessed an orthopedist you are half right. Yes, he should get the ankle 
addressed and rehabilitated but he should also see a chiropractor to make 
sure he did not damage the spine in anyway. This will avoid any future 
problems. Trauma like this can cause back pain and leg pain in the future. The 
only problem is you won't feel the back problems for months sometimes years 
after the fall.

2) A middle age woman was driving up a hill and when she drove over the hill 
there was a garbage truck stopped in the road and she had to make a sudden 
stop. The car behind her could not stop in time to avoid her and hit her from 
behind at about 15mph. They both got out of the car and thought they were fine. 
Who should the woman see? 
If you guessed the chiropractor you guessed right. Although this was a low 
speed collision it was enough to cause soft tissue damage in the neck. Even 
an 8.5mph collision can generate 6 G-forces to the neck. The fact is that if you 
feel the slightest pain or stiffness in your neck you have sustained an injury. If 
this woman should go to the emergency room she would get standard x-rays to 
detect fractures. They are not trained to detect soft tissue injuries (ligaments, 
tendons, muscle). A chiropractor will take specialized x-rays that will confirm 
soft tissue damage and would start care immediately. Again this will help 
PREVENT problems in the future. Problems like severe headaches, neck, 
shoulder or arm pain often show up months sometimes years after a low 
speed accident. These problems again sometimes DO NOT SHOW UP UNTIL 
MONTHS LATER. You can receive this care at your auto insurance companies 
expense. Insurance pays 100% for medical bills and we file the paperwork for 
you. We would also appoint you legal help if needed. Another good point to 
remember, you don't have to go to the doctor right away in order for the 
insurance company to pay for your bills. It could be months and sometimes 
years and they still cover the bills.