What is a subluxation?

A subluxation is a misaligned vertebra that causes nerve impingement. Dr. Cate concentrates on locating these subluxations, and restoring the alignment and mobility of the spinal joint. This promotes normal function and pain relief.

What is an adjustment?

A spinal adjustment is a very gentle passive or active thrust of the spinal vertebra that often

involves a clicking sound when the vertebral segment is moved. The adjustment is actually

moving the vertebral segment that is causing nerve impingement. This is done with Dr. Cate’s

hands but also can be done by using a gentle upper cervical approach. An “activator” can also

be used. It is an instrument that “thumps” the joint into motion without twisting the neck or

back. Dr. Cate determines the best form of adjustments to use on a case-by-case basis.

Are chiropractors real doctors?

Obviously yes. The chiropractor does fall under the realm of a “physician”, not only on the

national level, but the state level as well. An M.D. of course is a medical doctor. A D.C. is a

doctor of chiropractic. A D.O is a doctor of osteopathy (similar to an MD with more of a

natural and/or wellness approach). Very few D.O’s actually offer any nutritional advice in their

practice and most don’t perform any type of manipulations like they used to in the 60’s”.

What is a slipped disc?

A slipped disc is more or less a herniated or ruptured disc. The disc is a shock absorbing pad

that sits between the vertebra. The spinal joint loses its proper alignment and mobility and

often the disc can torque right, left or straight back. This is what often causes back pain, but

can also cause radicular pain. (Leg pain and/or numbness;  arm and hand pain or numbness).

A bulging disc is a disc that has “slipped “only a little bit. Treatment is often a lot more

successful when chiropractic adjustments are initiated in the bulge phase of the disc.

Other common terms include a deranged disc, which is a herniated disc, a ruptured disc, 

prolapsed disc, torn disc, protruded disc, etc. They all virtually mean the same thing.

When a spinal segment involving a bad disc is not treated appropriately (spinal adjustments,

physical therapy, and medication), then the disc can often begin to degenerate. This results

in a thinning of the intervertebral disc and many times is referred to as “spinal

arthritis.”

Can chiropractors treat a slipped disc?

Absolutely! It’s important to realize that a disc does not just slip. A protruding disc is a

secondary condition that starts primarily from a spinal subluxation. Dr. Cate corrects spinal

subluxations by restoring the proper alignment and mobility of the spinal joints, when this is

done, the disc often reabsorbs. This has been proven time and time again using before

treatment and after treatment MRI’s.

Out of all the physicians in the United States, chiropractic physicians treat more protruding

discs than all other physicians combined.

There's an old school saying that, “If you have a slipped disc you should not see a

chiropractor." There is nothing further from the truth!

Dr. Cate receives hundreds of referrals a year from medical physicians, orthopedic surgeons,

and neurosurgeons for patients that have herniated discs. The Texas Back Institute compiled

data after studying thousands of patients diagnosed with herniated discs. They determined

that the most effective, long-lasting, conservative care was the use of Ansaids and spinal

manipulation. They recommend chiropractic care prior to considering surgery.

What are the symptoms of a slipped disc?

A common symptom can obviously be just neck and/or back pain, however the majority of

symptoms that prompt the concern for a herniated disc is neck, arm, and hand pain or

numbness. It can also include low back, leg, and foot pain or numbness. These symptoms that

present as pain going down the arm, hand, leg, and foot are called “dicogenic radiculitis”

or radicular pain.

Dr. Cate has treated thousands of patients with disc derangement with an associated radicular

component and has completely restored them to a pain-free environment. Patients with this

condition are often treated and released with follow-up visits three to four times a year to

make sure the problem doesn't come back. Unfortunately, if a disc herniates too far,

chiropractic care can be unsuccessful and surgical intervention may be necessary. A

discectomy (partial disc removal) and/or a spinal fusion may be indicated.

Dr. Cate has worked hand-in-hand with orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons in Tulsa and

the surrounding areas for over 25 years and will refer you to one if the situation is warranted.

What exactly is upper cervical technique?

Dr. Cate does practice upper cervical technique when needed. He taught upper cervical

technique from 1984-1986 in Texas. Upper cervical adjustments involve realigning the skull on

the atlas and the atlas on the axis (C1/C2). This involves the skull and the top two spinal

vertebra. Upper cervical is very effective if the patient has a misalignment involving these

upper segments but it is not very useful when a patient presents mid back or low back

problems. Dr. Cate only uses upper cervical on those patients that require it. A D.C. who uses

the upper cervical technique exclusively believes that if the atlas is aligned properly, every

vertebral joint below that will compensate and fall back in place on its own (if only life were

that simple).

Can chiropractic help children, and is it safe to adjust a child?

Yes, Dr. Cate does adjust children.  In fact, Dr. Cate has checked children as young as 2 days

old. Children are little people and they need adjustments too. Dr. Cate is great with kids and

adjusted his own kids as they grew up. Children love to be adjusted and it is very gentle.

Most of them find it fun. Often a child can fall and receive an early subluxation to the neck and

low back. A subluxation can be a choke hold on good health and a chiropractic adjustment is

the only form of treatment that can restore spinal function and reduce nerve interference. A

forceps delivery can cause a spinal subluxation to the upper neck and the infant should be

checked as soon as possible. There has never been a documented case in the history of

chiropractic where a spinal adjustment has injured a child. It is virtually unheard of for an

adjustment to injure an adult. Statistics show very clearly that you have more of a chance of

getting struck by lightning than getting injured by a chiropractic adjustment.

I heard that when you start chiropractic care you have to come back forever,

is that true?

Yes and no. The AMA stated a while back, that if you’re under the age of 30 you should see a

chiropractor once a year, and if you’re over the age of 30 you should see a chiropractor twice a

year for a preventative check up. Chiropractors can locate and correct spinal misalignments

before they create havoc on the nervous system. Dr. Cate will often see a patient 2 to 3 times

a week for a month or so when they first begin treatment and then he will begin tapering off

the treatment frequency as their pain subsides and they show improvement. Many of his

patients are seen 2 to 4 times a year for spinal maintenance after the initial series of

treatments has concluded.

Wellness is all about the prevention of disease. Pain is the last phase of a disease or injury

and it’s the first thing that leaves once you begin treatment. There are times when patients

will receivetreatment for a permanent injury to the neck or low back region and this will

generally require supportive care. Without the supportive care a patient's condition will

regress and the symptoms from the original injury will return. Once the patient has reached a

level where their pain is gone and they are improving, Dr. Cate will recommend that their visit

frequency be changed to "as needed.”

Consider this analogy. You purchase a car and you're told that if you buy the car you have

to change the oil and maintain it for as long as you own it to keep it running properly. The

same thing applies to your body including your spine. You have to maintain your spine so your

body runs effectively.

Maintaining your spine is up to you. Some patients are not interested in any type of wellness

care and Dr. Cate simply sees those patients “as needed.” Preventative spinal maintenance

visits often do not involve any form of physical therapy and/or x-rays. Often the visit is a

simple brief check-up with a general or specific chiropractic adjustment. From there, a

handshake, and a suggestion to return in 90 days for another check up is generally done. Dr.

Cate has many, many happy and satisified patients that maintain their spine with these

preventative visits. As a result, these patients enjoy a pain-free lifestyle.

How many years does it take to become a chiropractor?

The average length of school is three years of pre-med and then four more years at a

chiropractic college. There are 15 chiropractic colleges throughout the country. An

increasing number of medical schools are beginning to incorporate doctor of chiropractic

degrees along with the medical doctor degrees that are offered. This is smart, because the

classes are very similar for the first five-and-a-half years. The national board exams taken by

the doctors of chiropractic are very similar to the national board exams (part one and part two)

taken by a medical doctor.

My medical doctor said “Chiropractors” do help with the pain, but it’s only

temporary. Is this true?

That statement is false and contributes to many of the misunderstandings about chiropractic

care. Spinal manipulations, if done correctly, have long-lasting benefits not only for acute pain

but also chronic pain. Every major study done in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe over

the years has compiled the same data and it's led to the same results.

Chiropractic care = long-lasting benefits!

Ask yourself this question, "Does a prescription for a pill on your pallet” provide long-lasting or

temporary relief? Of course the answer is temporary relief. Unlike pills, chiropractic care

provides temporary relief when you first start treatment but as you continue your treatment

your symptoms improve, and with time, they go away completely. This is something that

medications just can't do. You have to keep taking them to eliminate the symptoms. With

chiropractic care, you also don't have to be concerned about a myriad of side effects like you

do with pills/medication.

Can chiropractic adjustments help headaches?

Absolutely! Research is beginning to show that approximately 60% of headaches are caused by

misalignments in the upper neck. Different forms of headaches can have a variety of names;

tension headache, cluster headache, migraine headache, sub occipital neuralgia, sinus

headache, etc.

A simple rule of thumb to follow is this:

If the patient's headache is located from the ears forward it’s usually sinus related. If the

patient’s headaches are from the ears backward, this is often a neck-related headache.

Headaches that are all over the head and/or on top of the head can be neck-related but can

also be of a vascular nature. Fortunately these types of headaches often respond well to

chiropractic adjustments. If the headaches start in the upper neck (base of your skull) travels

around the side of your head, over your ear and ends up in your eye this is very often the

result of a misalignment in the upper neck. Dr. Cate’s spinal adjustments work great for this

type of headache. Dr. Cate has received numerous referrals from primary care physicians for

patients who suffer from chronic recurring headaches.

Does nutrition play a role in headaches?

Yes, it very well can! Dr. Cate is also a nutritionist and he has discovered that many times

headaches have nothing to do with any spinal derangement and can be related to a food

allergy and/or a chemical allergy to something that you’re ingesting daily or weekly.

Dr. Cate treats the whole person when it comes to his patients.

Can Dr. Cate treat extremities?

Yes! Extremities refers to joints in the shoulder, elbow, wrist and thumb, and also hip, knee,

ankle or foot. Dr. Cate has completed several post-educational seminars and has continued his

schooling regarding spinal extremity abnormalities and proper treatment protocol,

which includes extremity adjusting.

Dr. Cate not only uses spinal adjustments, but he also uses myofacial release techniques to

restore proper joint function and remove pain and swelling. His practice offers state-of-the-art

physical therapy/rehabilitation that is used often on a patient's extremities, especially

shoulders and knees.

Dr. Cate can adjust feet and ankles too but he also recommends custom-fitted orthotics to

restore foot support and function.

Can a chiropractor refer a patient out for an MRI or CT scan?

Of course! CT scans are not utilized as much as they were back in the 70’s and 80’s. An MRI is

now the diagnostic image of choice and is much clearer than a CT scan. It often depends on

what particular disorder the physician is suspicious of as to whether a CT Scan or an MRI is

done.

An MRI is primarily used to determine how badly the disc(s) is herniated, what discs are

herniated and if there is nerve root or spinal cord compression. This often helps Dr. Cate

determine the appropriate form of treatment for the patient. Dr. Cate can also determine if a

surgical referral will be necessary. Dr. Cate refers out for approximately 15 to 20 MRI’s a

month. MRI’scan also show other forms of pathology that have nothing to do with spinal

misalignment or disc derangements. The great news is that most patients are able to be

helped and a surgical referral is not necessary.

How can chiropractic help whiplash injury from a car accident?

Whiplash is a laymans term that more or less describes the hyperextension, hyperflexion

motion of the neck when a patient is in a car that is rear-ended by another vehicle. The

“whipping” portion involvesthe neck snapping forward after an abrupt hyperextension of

the neck. This whipping action, unfortunately, tears ligaments in the neck.

A brief anatomy lesson...when there is a traumatic insult to a joint, the first line of defense is

the muscles. When muscles give way the next line of defense is the ligaments. Ligaments

connect bone to bone. Where two bones meet is called a joint. When someone has torn

ligaments it is called a "sprain". That means that the spinal joints themselves were shifted

above and beyond their normal position or range. In the spine, this is called a spinal

subluxation.

Research shows that if you have a damaged bumper from a rear-end collision there is a high

percentage chance that there are torn ligaments in your neck and upper back. This can occur

with or without immediate pain. It has now been determined that there can be a significant

ligamentous injury to the spine as a result of even a low-impact collision.

It seems to reason that if someone has received a whiplash-type injury involving the

ligaments and joints in the neck, chiropractic care is the most effective form of treatment for

that injured patient. Chiropractors treat more car accident injuries than any other type of

physician in the United States.  Dr. Cate feels that the best form of treatment is medical and

chiropractic care combined. He always works with the medical physician hand-in-hand when

treating a spinal-related injury such as “whiplash.” Prescription medication is often used in

these situations to help facilitate recovery by reducing pain, spasm, and swelling. Spinal

adjustments and physical therapy can promote faster healing. Medication provides relief care.

Chiropractic adjustments, at the hands of Dr. Cate, provides correctional care. Why not do

both?

How does Dr. Cate treat carpal tunnel syndrome?

First, it is important to determine if the patient has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome vs. a pinched

nerve in the neck, shoulder or elbow. The symptoms from any of these areas can be very

similar. Dr. Cate has discovered that approximately 50% of patients diagnosed with Carpal

Tunnel Syndrome are misdiagnosed. These patients typically suffer from “Double Crush

Syndrome”, which is a symptom similar to what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients experience.

However, "Double Crush Syndrome" is caused by a neck condition or injury.

Spinal manipulation is a must for the patient suffering from this. To diagnose Carpal Tunnel

Syndrome correctly, an E.M.G (nerve conduction study) is performed. Mild to moderate cases

have a good prognosis, with conservative care. Severe cases are not so lucky and usually

require surgery.

The Carpal Tunnel is formed by bones in the wrist. The median nerve, tendons, and blood

vessels pass through this opening. If one or more of the bones “collapse,” inflammation, nerve

pressure, and pain can result.

Treatments consist of the use of a “cock splint brace” to keep the wrist in a certain position,

wrist bone (tunnel) manipulation, ultrasound therapy, and taping (if needed). A vitamin B6

supplement before bed is also helpful. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome affects the middle finger to

the thumb  and the patient experiences numbness and tingling at night. If the whole hand is

numb, or the ring finger and little finger are involved, it is not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. That

most likely is a pinched nerve in the neck or elbow (Ulnar nerve entrapment).

Fun facts:

1.    Every U.S Olympic Athlete has access to chiropractic care.

2.      All 32 NFL (National Football League) teams provide their players and personnel with

       chiropractic services.

3.    Every member in Congress and the Senate, including our President, have direct access to

       chiropractic care in Washington D.C.

4.   There are more visits to the 3 chiropractors on the government staff of doctors than all other M.D. visits combined in Washington D.C.