What is Chiropractic?

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Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.

 

What is a Doctor of Chiropractic?

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Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) – often referred to as chiropractors – practice a hands-on, drug-free approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling. 

 

DCs may assess patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, applied kinesiology and other diagnostic interventions to determine the most appropriate treatments such as chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue therapy, as well as lifestyle, nutritional and exercise recommendations.

 

Like their MD colleagues, doctors of chiropractic are subject to the boundaries established in state practice acts and are regulated by state licensing boards. Further, their education in four-year doctoral graduate school programs is nationally accredited through an agency that operates under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education. After graduation, they must pass national board exams before obtaining a license to practice, and then must maintain their license annually by earning continuing education (CE) credits through state-approved CE programs.  

 

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What is Chiropractic Adjustment?

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One of the most common and well known therapeutic procedures performed by Doctors of Chiropractic is a "chiropractic adjustment". The purpose of adjustment is to restore joint mobility and proper nerve flow by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become hypomobile – or restricted in their movement – this is called a subluxation.  There are both vertebral and extra-spinal (extremity) subluxations.

 

Chiropractic adjustment rarely causes discomfort. However, patients may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching following treatment (as with some forms of exercise) that usually resolves within 12 to 48 hours. Compared to other common treatments for pain, such as over-the-counter and prescription pain medications, chiropractic's conservative approach offers a safe and effective option. 

 

 

What is a Subluxation?

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The vertebral subluxation is the term applied to a vertebra which has lost its normal position and/or motion in relation to neighboring vertebrae. Vertebrae which do not function properly within the spinal framework generate mechanical stress. This accelerates the wear and tear on the surrounding spinal muscles, ligaments, discs, joint and other spinal tissues. Pain, palpatory tenderness, inflammation, decreased spinal mobility, and muscle spasm and hypertonicity will eventually follow.

Additionally, because of the direct mechanical and physiological relationship between the spinal column and the spinal nerve roots, vertebral subluxations as well as other spinal abnormalities have the potential to impair proper nerve functioning. Once nerve functioning is compromised, communication within the body becomes less effective jeopardizing the overall health and wellness of the individual.

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No part of your body escapes the dominance of your nervous system. Subluxations can cause poor health or function, even in areas far removed from the spine and spinal cord itself. Even the slightest malfunction of your spine may alter the regular transmission of nerve impulses, preventing that portion of your body from responding optimally.

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What Causes a Subluxation?

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Subluxations have a great number of different causes all of which the average individual is exposed to daily. These causes can be described in terms of structural, chemical, and emotional causes. 

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• Structural causes include acute trauma to the body, repetitive motions, bad postural habits, improper workstation habits and design, and weak or imbalanced musculature.

 

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• Chemical causes include poor dietary and nutritional practices, drug use and abuse, and the ingestion of chemical toxins in the foods we eat, air we breath, and water we drink. Chemicals which are harmful to the body decrease the body's ability to function optimally and reduce the ability to successfully adapt to and withstand internal and external stresses - making us more susceptible to subluxations and the consequences of these subluxations.

 

• Emotional causes refer to stress. Excessive stress or inadequate stress management skills can deplete the body of the ability to sustain normal functions. The impact of emotional stress on physical health is well documented in the medical research and can have devastating effects on the immune system, making the body susceptible to injury and disease.