Chiropractic care
Chiropractic care focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders, with an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustments of the spine. Chiropractic focuses on a holistic or “natural” way of healing the body.
Chiropractic care focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders, with an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustments of the spine. Chiropractic focuses on a holistic or “natural” way of healing the body.
Chiropractic care focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders, with an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustments of the spine. Chiropractic focuses on a holistic or “natural” way of healing the body. Don’t get me wrong, I believe medicine is an absolutely essential component of healthcare but often times our neuromusculoskeletal issues can be treated naturally through proper movement and nutrition. I focus on analyzing the biomechanics of your body and making improvements based on a functional diagnosis. Chiropractic care looks to focus on the why of your problems rather than the what. I want to fix the cause of your problem primarily and treat your symptoms secondarily. This is accomplished in our office through spinal adjustments, soft tissue trigger point release, acupuncture/dry needling, passive modalities, nutrition plans, and rehabilitative exercises.
Stemming from the brain we have a spinal cord with nerves that extend to all of the tissues in our bodies. These nerves send signals to and from our brains all day telling us how our body feels and how to move. When the joints of our spine are moving well this signal is sent from the brain to the body and from the body to the brain with no problems. However, often times our spine is “restricted” or not moving well in certain areas. Whenever we have joints in the spinal column that are restricted it triggers pain receptors called “nociceptors” to send a signal of pain to the brain. Also when a particular joint is restricted we compensate by recruiting additional joints and additional muscles to achieve our desired movement. This can lead to muscles that feel tight and joints that lack stability causing even more dysfunction. So to correct this problem we adjust the spine in restricted areas to improve joint motion and in-turn override these pain signals by activating movement receptors called “mechanoreceptors”. The adjustment works to improve the biomechanics of your spine and it changes the neurology behind the pain you feel. If that’s hard for you to understand just think about the last time you bumped your head..the first thing you probably did was rub it to make it feel better right? What you did was activated mechanoreceptors to override nociceptors without knowing it. An adjustment to a restricted area is a similar concept but on a much more complex scale.
The first thing I tell my patients is that I cannot guarantee you your spinal alignment will ever change, and more than likely there will only be a minor change in the alignment of your spine. I can help to prevent further “mis-alignment” and what I place more focus on is the function of your spine. Due to long periods of sustained postures we tend to have joints in our spine that are overworked (moving well, needing stability) and some areas that are underworked (not moving well, needing mobility). As a chiropractor I adjust the areas of your spine that are lacking proper mobility and prescribe exercises to stabilize joints that need stability. Many times this will correct the cause of your problem and lead to longer lasting results. When we improve our spinal function many things can then take place: pain is gone, postures are better, performance is improved, and we reach closer towards optimal health.
When I adjust an area of the spine that is restricted there is often an audible “pop” or “crack” associated with the adjustment. When joints are restricted a small amount of nitrogen gas gets captured within the joint. When we adjust two adjacent vertebra the joint gaps for a split-second and this gas is released producing the “pop” you hear. Adjusting the neck often causes instant relief for headaches and neck stiffness. Once in a blue moon I will have a patient that says their neck was a little sore the day after but I would compare the soreness to what you might feel after working out a muscle for the first time in awhile. If you are one that doesn’t prefer to get your neck adjusted we can perform active soft tissue release therapy to the muscles of the neck and prescribe exercises to provide a similar desired result. I’ve adjusted a 5 year old boy and a 75 year old woman’s neck and have had great results with a very low risk of any adverse effects.
No. Each patient’s treatment plan is different and tailored to their specific goals and needs. I tend to tell my patients that after 5-6 visits you should feel significantly better than when you first came in and at the very least be moving in the right direction. Some patients find relief of symptoms even after the very first adjustment. However, It’s important to realize that “pain is often the last thing to come and the first thing to go.” For instance you had a dysfunction in the low back long before you felt pain from opening the oven to get your turkey. Also when you come into the office and we relieve your symptoms it doesn’t mean that you should discontinue care because there could still be an underlying dysfunction present. My goal is to get you OUT of the office as soon as possible. I believe the shorter time it takes me to get you better, the better it is for both of us because then you are more likely to refer a friend. That being said I personally have my spine checked and adjusted at least once per week. Maintenance care can help to prevent further problems from developing. Also once you realize the benefits of having a higher functioning spine you’ll want to come back in for care, it sales itself. Whether its once/week/month or twice per year each patient is different. I compare regular chiropractic visits to regular visits to the dentist…If you have your teeth checked regularly shouldn’t you have your spine that is correlated to all bodily functions checked regularly as well?
The problem with adjusting your own back/spine repeatedly is that more often then not you are adjusting areas that don’t need to be adjusted. This may lead to a brief moment of relief but it will only lead to further dysfunction and pain in the long run. When you come into the office I will analyze the movement of your joints and only adjust the areas that are restricted. Not even the best chiropractors in the world can adjust their own spines in the correct areas.