Just like other types of medical treatment, chiropractic works in multiple ways to help fix the root cause of a variety of issues. Rather than just treating the symptoms, chiropractic attacks the condition at its source, helping to correct issues that cause pain, inflammation, and even immune system issues in the body. How exactly do chiropractic adjustments work?
What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Chiropractic adjustment methods vary depending on the patient, condition, and individual chiropractor. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Chiropractic adjustment is a procedure in which trained specialists (chiropractors) use their hands or a small instrument to apply a controlled, sudden force to a spinal joint. The goal of this procedure, also known as spinal manipulation, is to improve spinal motion and improve your body's physical function.” The ultimate goal of chiropractic is to treat misalignment in the spine or other bones or joints.
Common conditions treated by chiropractic are:
- Arthritis
- Lower back pain
- Neck pain
- Migraines and frequent headaches
- Sciatica
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tennis / Golf elbow
- Other joint and ligament issues
What Causes Misalignment?
Misalignment essentially means that one of the body’s systems is—you guessed it—out of alignment. Since the spine and nervous system are all connected to one another, along with all the other systems of the body, if one gets out of place, it can set into motion a whole slew of issues.
Think about a time when you had nerve pain in your shoulder. That nerve pain may have been caused by a rib that popped out of place and out of alignment that started sitting on the nerve. It could also be caused by other bones being misaligned and causing inflammation in the areas around them. It’s not always clear what’s causing pain until X-Rays and an examination are done by a chiropractor. Once the cause is determined, we can start the process of gently moving the systems back into place.
Because the soft tissue and discs between your joints allow flexibility so you can move easily and do things like walk, run, dance, and sit, it creates the potential for everything to move out of alignment. Some causes of misalignment include:
- Accidents or other injuries
- Poor posture
- Repetitive motions or intense labor
- Genetics
- General everyday life
While conventional medicine tends to treat these conditions by treating the symptoms with pain medication, muscle relaxers, and sometimes physical therapy, chiropractic treats the body holistically (looks at the body as a whole rather than many separate systems). Everything works together, so when one part is off, the whole system is out of whack.
How Do Chiropractic Adjustments Work?
A chiropractic adjustment literally works by pushing the joints back into the correct position. Of course, it isn’t always that simple because if inflammation is taking over the area or the joints are especially stiff, things won’t move into place quite so perfectly. The condition also makes a difference because not all are that simple to fix by just pushing into place.
Everyone gets adjusted a little differently based on their condition, size, age, health history, what the X-Rays show, and more. It might require more or less pressure or even utilizing tools rather than adjusting by hand.
Since adjustment methods vary, just about anyone can get chiropractic adjustment, as long as the chiropractor knows all past history, has X-Rays, and has performed an exam to know just what type of adjustment will help (and not hurt). It should be noted that sometimes adjustments should not be done on patients, and a chiropractor may not adjust certain parts of a patient’s body if recent surgery has been performed, if there is too much inflammation in the area, or if other circumstances dictate extra care. In these situations, a chiropractor may take other steps to help with the pain, including E-stim or ultrasound therapies. Consult your chiropractor for an X-Ray and examination to ensure you are able to get a chiropractic adjustment.
Once the body has been put back into alignment (which may take days, weeks, or sometimes longer), regular maintenance is important. The body won’t hold this new alignment all the time right away, so ensuring that you keep proper alignment will allow your body to remember what it feels like not to be misaligned and eventually start staying that way.
Duncan Chiropractic Can Help with Pain Relief and Misalignment
Located in Strongsville, Ohio, Duncan Chiropractic helps ease pain and treat the root cause of the misalignment in the body. We treat bodies holistically and understand that every body is different and requires unique care. This is why we have no set number of visits we recommend and no pre-purchased programs. We recommend number of adjustments, types of adjustments (and other treatments), and maintenance plans based on examinations, X-Rays, and personal health history.
Call us today to schedule your free consultation to determine if chiropractic care is right for you.