How Does Chiropractic Work?

Have you ever wondered, “How does chiropractic work”? Chiropractic adjustments are scientifically based, which accounts for their high success rate. Today, chiropractic care is a $15 billion industry in the United States. It is likely to grow even more as more individuals discover the benefits of expert spinal manipulation for relieving pain. Below, you’ll find how chiropractic adjustments work and why they are so uniformly successful at relieving pain.

How does the spine become misaligned?

There are quite a few ways your spine can become misaligned, and most of them do not involve any physical trauma to the back. Here are the most common ways that spinal misalignment occurs:

• a genetic deformity such as scoliosis
• repetitive motions performed over an extended period
• poor posture, either while sleeping or when sitting or standing
• muscle contractions that force vertebrae out of proper alignment
• some kind of external accident impacting the back, e.g. an automobile accident, a sports injury, or a bad slip and fall.

What constitutes a misalignment?

From the brain and spinal cord, the central nervous system branches out to all parts of the body. If the spine is misaligned, the body can be negatively affected. A spinal misalignment may show up as pain in the legs, the hands, the neck, or almost anywhere else. A spinal misalignment occurs whenever any of the previously mentioned factors push the spine from its normal position.

This misalignment will generally put pressure on nerves in the area. The pressure then becomes felt by a patient as pain because the nerves sense extra pressure that is not typically there. Nerves can become ‘pinched’ if they experience too much pressure. In that case, the patient might feel a tingling sensation or numbness in a specific area. Someone who has sciatica is usually well aware of this occurrence since pressure on the sciatic nerve can be felt as pain in the buttocks, legs, feet, and elsewhere.

How does a spinal adjustment work?

An experienced chiropractor will reposition the affected joint to correct spinal misalignment. The specific type of adjustment made will be different for every patient because it will always depend on the circumstances of a patient’s spine and the degree of misalignment. When a patient has lived with a spinal misalignment for a long time, their spine tends to try and return to the misaligned position. That’s why it is often necessary for a patient to undergo multiple treatment sessions.

Even though the spinal adjustment restores proper alignment right on the spot, the spine may revert to the former misaligned configuration. If this occurs, your chiropractor will recognize it and will adjust you in successive sessions until the correct alignment is achieved and stays in place.

If you suffer from chronic pain you might benefit from chiropractic treatment. Give us a call or fill out our online for a FREE new patient consultation.