Chiropractic

What is Chiropractic?

According to The Association of Chiropractic Colleges, “Chiropractic is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs and surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.”Because chiropractic treatments are primarily applied to the spinal region, many individuals incorrectly assume that chiropractors treat only back and neck ailments. While we do quickly and effectively eliminate back and neck pain, it’s not the only goal. The objective is to restore and optimize human health.

As you may already know, the nervous system is the master controller of all living cells, tissues, and organs; orchestrating and coordinating all cellular functions. The spinal column encases the nervous system (spinal cord and nerve roots) and is responsible for its protection.

Because of this intimate relationship, biomechanical and structural problems in the spinal column can irritate parts of the enclosed nervous system. This irritation can result from macro stressors such as inflammation from tissue injury, accidents, falls, babies learning how to crawl and walk, to a micro stressor such as crossing the legs, carrying heavy purses or wallets in the back pocket and sitting at a desk all day.  In any case, the functioning of the nervous system is negatively influenced as is the functioning of the cells, tissues, and organs which are supplied by the affected nerve(s).

The resulting ailment(s) depends on the cells, tissues, and organs affected as well as the extent of nervous system compromise. Because these spinal misalignments irritate the nervous system and compromise the body’s healing ability, correcting spinal abnormalities can lead to a number of favorable results in patients suffering from various health conditions that seem to not be related to the spine.

What is an adjustment?

Chiropractors are primarily concerned with locating and treating vertebral subluxations (misalignments or the vertebrae of the spine). In basic terms, the spinal adjustment refers to the process in which the doctor of chiropractic skillfully applies controlled force into one or more “subluxated” vertebrae of the spine anywhere from the base of your head and neck to your tail bone. The adjustment is usually delivered using the hands or through the use of a specialized mechanical tool. It can also be coupled with myofascial release techniques to address muscle imbalances that are often present with subluxations.

What Do Spinal Adjustments Do?

Getting adjusted helps correct vertebral subluxations. Correcting subluxations reduces pain and inflammation, reduces muscle spasm and tension, normalizes spinal biomechanics and more importantly, can remove nerve irritation and interference which can improve overall health and wellness of the individual. Chiropractic adjustments are the only way to eliminate vertebral subluxations and only the chiropractor is trained to detect subluxations and deliver the chiropractic spinal adjustment to correct subluxations.

Joints in the extremities can also become misaligned and fixated. Chiropractic adjustive techniques can restore and enhance extremity joint functioning which can increase the life of the joint and keep wear and tear to a minimum. This is of special interest to athletes who generally demand optimal joint performance from highly stressed joints. Getting adjusted provides an immediate increase in joint range of motion and also supplies the joint with nutrients, as motion is the only way to bring nutrients into the joint cartilage and flush wastes products out

Chiropractic can help with…

• Neck and Back Pain
• Sciatic Pain
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Colic In Babies
• Headaches
• Arthritis
• Numbness
• Digestive Imbalances
• Heartburn
• Hypertension
• Enhanced Tissue Healing

• Well-Being and Relaxation
• Increased Balance and Coordination
• Spinal and Extremity Pain Relief
• Headache Relief
• Increased Mobility and Range of Motion
• Decreased Stiffness and Muscular Spasms
• Arthritic Joint Pain Relief
• Increased Joint Health
• Reduced Degeneration and Risk of Injury
• Decreased Tissue Inflammation
• Increased Performance and Energy

And so much more!

Why we take X-rays

If damage appears to be present throughout your exam, the doctor will recommend that spinal X-rays are taken. This is another tool used to detect subluxation within the spine and enables the doctor to create a treatment plan to specifically correct the misalignments at the correct angles. This also allows the doctor to rule out any type of pathology that could be contributing to your symptoms.

What is Spinal Correction?

Spinal correction is obtained using Spinal adjustments, Spinal stabilizing exercises, various therapies aimed at relaxing and balancing muscles and equipment geared specifically at correcting the misalignments within your spine. The biggest thing to remember is that it takes time. Your spine didn’t get to the state it’s in overnight and the correction will not be accomplished overnight either. It would be impossible and extremely painful to fully correct your spine in one adjustment, so just like braces do your teeth, we will move the spine a little bit at a time until full correction is achieved.

Is Chiropractic safe?

Absolutely! In fact, this journal speaks to the safety and efficacy of chiropractic care.

Can Pregnant women and kids be adjusted?

Yes! The joy of pregnancy can sometimes be overshadowed by the pain and discomfort of mom’s changing body.

Chiropractic is phenomenal for that!

Imagine going through your pregnancy with nerves being compressed causing you pain, discomfort, and sciatica. Those same nerves are what’s supplying your growing baby and allowing them to grow and develop correctly or preventing the same. Now imagine a pregnancy where there is no compression to your nerves because your spine is fully aligned, it grows and adapts extremely well to your growing baby. No compressed nerves mean no sciatica and no interference to the signals going to your baby.

Check out this article on Chiropractic and prenatal and pediatric care.