Chiropractic Answers

​Is chiropractic care covered by insurance?
Yes. Chiropractic care is included in most health insurance plans, including major medical plans, workers' compensation, Medicare, and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans for federal employees, among others.

Does your office accept insurance?
Delany Chiropractic and Wellness Center is a participating PPO provider for BCBS, United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana and Medicare. It is best to check with your insurance company prior to arrival to confirm your policy details regarding chiropractic care.
Can kids receive chiropractic care?
Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children, very gentle.

What is the difference between chiropractic care and physical therapy?
Chiropractors have a more expansive diagnostic education, while physical therapists have a more therapeutic-based education. While chiropractors are qualified to provide rehabilitative exercise and modality treatments, their main form of treatment is spinal manipulation. Physical therapists treat patients by utilizing therapeutic exercise, modalities and activity modification.

Is it bad to crack your own neck/back?
There are a lot of tiny, yet essential, body parts involved in the anatomy of your spine, forcefully moving the neck or spine beyond its normal limits, can cause damage. Each time you manipulate your own joints, you are causing your ligaments to stretch like a rubber band. When you stretch a rubber band too many times, it loses its shape and can become unstable. This may cause the ligaments to no longer provide the structure and stability that the joints in your neck or back need to maintain proper alignment.

Massage Therapy Answers

Are your massage therapists licensed?
Yes. All of our massage therapists have met AMTA standards are licensed in the State of Illinois. Licensing requires massage therapists to have graduated from an Illinois approved massage program consisting of a minimum of 500 classroom hours and then passed the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination. They are also required to complete 24 credit hours of continuing education every 2 years.

How should I prepare for my massage?
  • Come to the massage dressed as you normally would be anywhere.
  • When you are preparing to lay down on the massage table, dress down to your own, personal comfort level, we will work around whatever you decide.
  • Women, keeping your underwear bottoms on is fine, but keeping your bra on, makes it difficult for us to work on your back. We can unhook the back of the bra if you prefer to leave your bra on.
  • Men who wear boxers, loose fitting ones are best.  Boxer briefs make it a little more difficult to work certain areas of the hips/thighs, but it is still manageable.
  • We will always drape/cover you with a sheet so you are never exposed.
  • Please, DO NOT start undressing before the therapist leaves the room, and always get under the sheet before the therapist comes back in.
  • Remove obstructive jewelry before getting on the table.  Necklaces, ‘dangly’ earrings, watches/bracelets etc. Rings on your fingers are fine.
  • For women (or long-haired men), having a hair-tie available is helpful.

Am I going to be sore after the massage?
You may feel rejuvenated, or a bit sore, depending on the particular therapy session. Any stiffness or pain experienced after a massage is a completely normal reaction to the removal of metabolic waste products in your muscles and should subside within 24-72 hours. After your massage, it is best to rest and relax as much as possible, take a warm Epsom salt bath, apply ice as instructed by the therapist and drink lots of water and/or herbal teas in order to help the body eliminate any waste products that have been released from the soft tissues. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol is also recommended.

Acupuncture Answers

What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most common and dependable medical therapies used in the world. It is safe and effective health care. Acupuncture practitioners use thin, sterile disposable needles inserted superficially into specific areas of the body in order to help the body's ability to heal itself. Acupuncture has been proven by an increasing body of scientific evidence to be not only exceptionally safe but statistically effective as well.

What conditions does acupuncture treat?
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report listing more than 100 conditions that have been shown to benefit from the use of acupuncture. Here is a link to the WHO Acupuncture Report (scroll to page 23). 

Do acupuncturists hold certain religious or spiritual beliefs?
No. Acupuncturists come from as many varied traditions of faith as your local banker, car mechanic or hair dresser. Acupuncture is based off of traditional medicine, not religion.

Do I have to believe in this for it to work?
No. All you have to do is show up for a few appointments in order to give yourself the chance to see positive changes.

Do the needles hurt?
You may feel a bit of a pinch when the needles are tapped in, but this should ease right away. If you feel a slight ache or heavy feeling near the needle, this is usually a good sign – a clue that the body is reacting in a productive way. As long as the feelings around the needled areas don't keep you from closing your eyes and napping for a little while, we say let them be.