Chiropractic care — an essential service

RAPID CITY S.D. – During this time of uncertainty amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, health officials have reduced the spread of the virus and flattened the curve by closing non-essential businesses. Whether or not a service is essential is dependent on each state, but certain recreational businesses are largely agreed upon as being unnecessary. This includes theaters, gyms, spas, shopping malls, and sporting venues.

Considering the list of non-essential services, one may be curious why Chiropractors are considered essential service providers.

According to Dr. Robert Kuyper of Alternative Health Care Center of the Black Hills, chiropractic care is essential in the healthcare system and is helping in the fight against COVID-19.

According to Dr. Kuyper, “The presence of musculoskeletal pain such as low back, headache, and neck pain is very prevalent. We don’t want people with musculoskeletal complaints going to urgent cares or hospitals and mixing a healthy population with a sick one.” Our healthcare system is set up to properly separate contagious patients from those who are not, and chiropractic care plays a role in this system. “Why chiropractors are essential is because of the role we play in the health field. Chiropractors take the musculoskeletal complaints, so patients don’t have to go to urgent cares or hospitals. This allows urgent cares and hospitals to focus on COVID-19,” says Dr. Kuyper.

Alternative Health Care is doing what they can to keep their clinic clean and safe for patients. According to Dr. Kuyper, “We’re following the CDC guidelines, and the rules set down by the South Dakota Chiropractic Board and the South Dakota Department of Health. First, we are doing a lot of what we have done before, cleaning everything and disinfecting our hands after working with a patient.” In addition, all the staff are wearing masks, and chairs in the waiting room have been set six feet apart. “We’re taking temperatures of everyone coming in. If someone has an elevated temperature we’re either sending them home or to a COVID-19 pre-screening facility,” says Dr. Kuyper.

One service that Dr. Robert Kuyper provides that not all chiropractors offer, is blood testing. Dr. Kuyper is a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) and a DABCI (Diplomatic American Board of Chiropractic Internists). This allows him to do lab testing to assess patients who believe they have had past exposure. This also lets Alternative Health Care Center take the extra precaution in testing their doctors and employees. “We have had our antibodies checked because we are around people all the time, we want to know if we’ve had exposure,” says Dr. Kuyper.

With the extra precautions being taken combined with the current need for chiropractic doctors, chiropractic care is an essential and safe service being provided at this time.

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