About Chiropractic Care

what is chiropractic care?

Chiropractic physicians practice natural, drug-less, non-invasive health care and rely on the body's ability to self-heal. Sounds ideal, but just how does it work?

We look at the whole picture. Like other health-care providers, we follow a standard routine to gain information about the patient. We consult, review the case history, conduct a physical examination, and we may request laboratory analyses and/or x-rays. Unlike other health-care providers, however, chiropractic physicians also conduct a careful analysis of the patient's structure and pay particular attention to the spine. We also ask you about your life- Do you eat well? Exercise at all? How do you deal with stress? Do you have children? What do you do for work?

We seek the origin of the problem.  Using this information, a diagnosis is made. Included in the diagnosis is the probable reason for your pain or discomfort. It is important to note that chiropractors seek the origin of the illness in order to eliminate it-we do not simply treat the symptoms.  If your roof is leaking, do you simply catch the drips in a bucket for years on end, or do you repair the roof to prevent it from leaking? Similarly, if the migraine headache you've had all week is being caused by misaligned vertebra and an irritated nerve, do you continue to take pain killers indefinitely, or do you realign the vertebra to prevent the pain?

We fix the origin of the problem.  Chiropractors have a term for misalignments: subluxations. A vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that protect the spinal cord. It's a leak in the roof. Or a kink in the wiring of your nervous system.  The severity of the subluxation can vary, and there are a number of potential contributing factors that can be physical, emotional, mental, or chemical. The subluxation can be caused by any number of incidents, from birth trauma to an auto accident to simple repetition or over-use. Once we start to figure out where the problem is coming from, that's where we start to address it.

what are chiropractic adjustments?

What truly differentiates doctors of chiropractic from any other healthcare professionals is the fact that chiropractors are the only professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat what are called spinal subluxations.  The word "subluxation" comes from the Latin words meaning "somewhat or slight" (sub) and "to dislocate" (luxare).  So the term 'vertebral subluxation' literally means a slight dislocation or misalignment of the bones in the spine. 

When a subluxation occurs, a chiropractor can correct the misaligned bone and allow it to return to its proper position. This procedure is appropriately called an adjustment, and the adjustment enables the body to heal. The chiropractic adjustment is a quick thrust applied to a vertebra for the purpose of correcting its position, movement or both. 

Adjustments are often accompanied by an audible release of gas that sounds like a "crack."  The sound sometimes shocks people a little bit the first couple times they get adjusted, but the sensation is usually relieving.  Occasionally, minor  discomfort is experienced, especially if the surrounding muscles  are in spasm or the patient tenses up during the chiropractic  procedure.  There are times when the audible "cracking" does not occur.   This is often due to either significant  muscle tightness or that the patient may be having a hard time relaxing during their adjustments.  However, the chiropractic adjustment is still important.  The leak is fixed. The wiring is fixed. Information is flowing again. To keep the wiring fixed and the information flowing, several adjustments over a course of time may be necessary, in addition to massage, physical therapy, stretching exercises, or strengthening exercises. In the chiropractic world, keeping the problem fixed and preventing its re-occurrence is just as important as the initial remedy.

We’ve recorded some video explanations to help you better understand chiropractic adjustments.