Chiropractic is a natural approach to health care which assists the body in its natural healing ability. It is based on the principle that your nerves control every cell, tissue and organ in your body. Messages are sent to and from your brain through your spinal cord and spinal nerves. These messages tell your heart to beat, your lunges to breathe, your legs to walk, your body to sleep. The moving bones of your spinal column help to surround and protect the spinal cord and its nerves.
Anything from bending, twisting, lifting, turning, slips and falls or heavy exertion can cause the bones of the spine to irritate or kink the spinal cord or spinal nerves. This interference, or misalignment, can cause the message of the brain to be slowed down to the rest of the body resulting in numbness, tingling, fatigue or pain not only in the back, but in other parts of the body to where the nerves travel.
As a chiropractor, I will gently move the bones back into place and remove the irritation on the spinal cord and spinal nerves so your nervous system and body can go back to functioning normally. This “adjustment” can help minimize or remove your aches and pains that you might be ignoring or treating differently with minimal results.
A properly aligned spine also allows your immune system to work at optimal levels so your body can fight off illness or injury naturally without the use of drugs or painkillers.
Chiropractic finds the cause of your problems and corrects them rather than masking the symptoms. This helps reassure you that your body is healing and you can continue with a happy, active and comfortable lifestyle.
I DON'T HAVE ANY PAIN SO I DON'T NEED AN ADJUSTMENT RIGHT NOW
As mentioned before, the spine is meant to move in many directions causing wear and tear on the bones and nerves. Chiropractic adjustments are like tune ups for your car. You get your car checked out regularly to monitor regular wear and tear so you can catch 'minor' problems now and fix them before they become 'major' problems later and cost a lot more to take care of.
When you get your spine checked out before you feel 'major' aches and pains, you give yourself the chance to catch 'minor' problems and take care of them now before they become major and cost more to take care of in the future. Taking care of minor aches and pains now is cost efficient because it does not involve the use of drugs or surgery, but rather lets the body's natural healing ability to continue working. Don't wait for that minor discomfort to become a major pain. Get your spine checked out now and prevent major aches and pains from occurring in the future.
ARE CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS SAFE?
Absolutely! Chiropractic care is safe for people of all ages ranging from newborns to seniors, and even pregnant women because the adjustments are gentle and vary greatly to suit the individual receiving the care. With the wide array of adjusting techniques out there, you can be sure to get the safest method available.
Doctors of chiropractic go through several years of school as well as hands on training to learn a variety of techniques to make sure they can choose the safest one for each individual patient. Additionally, chiropractors are required to pass a rigorous series of national board exams before they can sit for their licensing exam. Once they receive their license, they are required to take re-licensing seminars every year to help keep them up to speed on the current research and treatment techniques so they can continue to provide safe and gentle treatments for everyone.
DO THE ADJUSTMENTS HURT?
An adjustment usually does not hurt. If you are in severe pain, the adjustment can feel uncomfortable in the beginning of your care. If you experience pain or are feeling apprehensive during the adjustment, be sure to let your chiropractor know so he or she can modify the treatment for you. The adjustment itself can be uncomfortable or painful if you are unable to maintain a state of relaxation during the treatment. However, in less severe cases and once your pain has subsided, an adjustment does not hurt.
CAN YOU ONLY ADJUST THE SPINE?
No. Chiropractic adjustments can be applied to just about any joint in the body, including the ribs, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, hips, knees, ankles, and toes. All of your nerves exit the spine and continue to branch out throughout the entire body. Just like in the spine, the joints in the extremities can become misaligned and cause the surrounding muscles to become stiff or put pressure onto the surrounding nerves to produce discomfort. Some examples of conditions in the extremities treated by chiropractic include: impingement syndrome of the shoulder; carpal tunnel of the wrist; sprained ankles; hip pain; tennis elbow.
I HEARD IF I GO TO THE CHIROPRACTOR ONCE, I HAVE TO GO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!
When you begin an exercise program, you don't acquire the health benefits from one session. Also you don't maintain those benefits for life after just one session. When you begin an exercise program, you start out with many sessions and maintain that routine for quite some time. You may do it to lose weight, get stronger, feel better or address health issues such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Once you reach your goals with exercise, you probably slow down with your intensity but choose to continue with a regular frequency to maintain your improved level of health so you don't regress.
Continuing with regular chiropractic care follows the same principle of regular exercise. You get adjusted more frequently in the beginning of care to restore proper function of the spine and nervous system. Once your body reaches a state of functioning at its maximum level of wellness, you will experience less pain and discomfort. At this point, you will decrease the frequency of your chiropractic care to monthly maintainance treatments to make sure everything continues to work properly. This is considered lifetime care because for the remaining years of your life, if you want to maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle, you have to continue with healthy lifestyle habits for the rest of your life.
