What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a healthcare profession focused on diagnosing, treating, and preventing musculoskeletal disorders, particularly those related to the spine, through non-invasive techniques such as spinal manipulation and manual therapy. It aims to restore proper alignment, mobility, and function of the body to alleviate pain, improve overall health, and promote natural healing.
What a Chiropractor Does
Today’s doctor of chiropractic examines, diagnoses, and treats complaints of the neuromusculoskeletal system. This could range from neck or back pain to ankle pain or headaches. Their main goal is to locate muscles and joints that are not moving properly and restoring proper movement to decrease pain.
Chiropractic and the Nervous System
Billions of nerve fibers are bundled inside your spinal cord, an extension of your brain, which passes through your spinal column. Nerves branch off from your spinal cord through openings between the vertebrae to connect you to the world. Without them you wouldn’t be able to see, hear, touch, taste, smell, or feel.
Nerves Keep You Alive and Healthy
Nerve signals also help regulate your body’s activities including breathing, heart rate, digestion, changes in temperature, and varying types of stress. If your nerves are “pinched” or interfered with, the flow of messages over them can be disrupted and your body can be affected. When these nerves become irritated, you may start to experience pain, “pins and needles”, burning, numbness, and even muscle weakness.
How Do Nerves Get Impinged or Pinched
Your skeletal system, especially your spinal column protects your spinal cord and other nerves. If your spine is not moving properly it may “pinch” or stretch the nerves they are supposed to protect. Nerves can also become entrapped as they pass through muscles that can become tight and sore from overuse or poor posture.
What is causing my pain?
In life, there are many things we do repetitively, whether it’s during work, playing sports, or relaxing at home. We are designed to move in a variety of different ways, yet many of us do not move as much as we should. When we don’t use certain muscles, and our joints stay in one position for extended periods of time, adhesions form. Adhesions are like scar tissue and can cause the joints and muscles to move improperly. Once movement is impacted, muscles must work harder than usual and may become sore. This leads to muscle irritation, then muscle inflammation, often resulting in the onset of pain. Ignoring your pain and continuing to move improperly predisposes the body to issues such as sprains and strains, spinal degeneration, or disc herniations.
The Chiropractic Adjustment
A chiropractic adjustment is a very quick, controlled, and specific force applied to a joint that is not moving properly. Chiropractors are trained to locate and restore joint movement by utilizing a variety of adjustments. During an adjustment, it’s common to hear a pop or clicking noise, which is just gas being released from the joint.
Typically, patients will feel relief following their first chiropractic adjustment. However, depending on their condition, it may take multiple visits to adequately restore enough motion to a restricted area to relieve pain.
Rehab/Stretching
As pain decreases following chiropractic adjustments, patients are often instructed on how to perform rehabilitative exercises and stretches to help reduce pain and restore proper movement and posture to the spine. These exercises are frequently recommended as home care activities to decrease the need for long-term care plans in the office and to stabilize previously weak regions, allowing patients to return to their active lifestyle without a regression of symptoms.