Chiropractic care: More than back pain relief

Across the board on the North Fork, chiropractors say making an appointment at a chiropractic office isn’t just about getting relief from agonizing back pain, but instead, it’s about whole-body wellness.

“You go to a dentist for your teeth, you get an annual check-up, your eyes checked every year and you need to take care of the most important part of your nervous system — your spine,” said 32-year Riverhead chiropractor Richard Bogdanski, who has a practice, Riverhead Chiropractic, with his son, Brian.

“Your back is your spine and it is the most important part of your body,” said Bogdanski, explaining that chiropractors can resolve back, joint, head and neck pain, but they can also help alleviate stress, fatigue, allergies, digestive problems and assist with weight loss, using a holistic strategy that includes adjustments, electric stimulation, hot and cold therapy, nutrition and proper rest.

Chiropractors can also take away the need for drugs and surgery,” said Bogdanski. “We remove the interference from the nervous system and help you to heal naturally,” said Bogdanski. “ We will get your body working 100 percent.”

But while Bogdanski and his son treat patients from infants to senior citizens, including a 103-year-old, they still run across those who are skeptical of the benefits of seeing a chiropractor.

Bogdanski said he became a believer in the practice after experiencing knee pain as a 14-year-old.

“I went to many doctors, needed drugs, but then I went to a chiropractor and in three months, I was feeling better,” he said.

Two years later, Bogdanski decided that when he graduated high school, he would go to school to become a chiropractor.

David Robinson of Southold Chiropractic said he too comes across skeptics, but finds more and more patients calling him for an appointment.

“Chiropractors still only treat a small minority of the general public, but those numbers go up every year,” said Robinson, who has been practicing for 25 years.

To those who are unsure of the benefits of going to a chiropractor, Robinson said he tells them that chiropractic care is a proven discipline.

“There are studies that prove it is the gold standard for lower back pain,” he said, adding that he works to dispel myths, including one that it is painful to get adjusted.

“I tell them it doesn’t hurt and that they need to experience it to understand,” he said.

For those that are wary, Jeffery Nazar, a chiropractor at Aquebogue Health Clinic said he will often use a low-force technique for those who are scared of the cracking sounds.

“We break them in slowly and tell people to be open minded,” said Nazar, who he said he is finding that younger doctors are becoming more accepting of the work that chiropractors do.

They are starting to understand that chiropractors adjust the body so that it can heal itself.

“We can’t cure, but we can provide a healthy treatment that can help the body function better by taking pressure off the nerves,” he said.