What Is

Chiropractic?

Throughout your life you will see all sorts of doctors for all sorts of ailments. When there is a problem with your back you can go and see a doctor of chiropractic as the first stage to healing what is wrong. But, what is chiropractic care?

You may have heard many things about chiropractic care over the years. It is a branch of the medical profession that deals with the spine and vertebrae of the back. It is believed that many of the pains that we have in our back are due to problems with alignment in this area.

Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but the spine and its vertebral housing are major parts of your body. What if you looked at one of those goofy skeletons on Halloween and the backbone was missing? It wouldn’t look like a skeleton – only a pile of disconnected bones. The vertebrae are there for support, and the spine to supply the nerves that connect to the organs and tissues of your body.

In chiropractic care, manual manipulation of the spine and the vertebrae is done without surgical intervention. Chiropractic physicians believe that many of the ailments of the body arise from misalignment of the spine and framework of the body. With careful manipulation through an understanding of the anatomy, the spine can be realigned and pain alleviated.

Those in chiropractic care see people for a number of reasons. The first and foremost reason is back pain, but there are other ailments they can help with: frequent headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, joint pain and some conditions that are not related to the bones like asthma and allergies.

The main philosophy behind chiropractic medicine is that the body is always seeking to reach a point of balance. In biology class they use the term “homeostasis.” One system can affect another if there is something wrong with it. Since the nerves of the body originate on the spinal cord, if a nerve leading to the stomach is pinched, the function of the stomach can become faulty. Solving the spinal problem can solve the stomach problem.

Chiropractors are professionals who are trained for what they do. They learn to diagnose and properly care for patients with skeletal and spinal issues that can be resolved without surgery. Manipulating the spine is a precise and delicate maneuver and shouldn’t be done without knowledge of the area.

Proper alignment of the body is not something that you probably think about often, but chiropractic professionals do. Their job is to see if the cause of your pain or discomfort arises from this area and if it can be fixed without the need for entering the body. Millions of people have been helped by chiropractic healing.

Since chiropractors care for your body structure overall, not just the back, if your muscles are feeling out of sync, chiropractic may be the just the adjustment your body and game needs. We can help you find out the cause of your pain and treat it. If your not in pain and are looking to prevent an injury from happening, we can help develop a routine that avoids it in the first place.

Is Chiropractic Safe?

Chiropractors can be found in every major city. Their job is to check and see if the source of your pain arises from improper alignment of the vertebrae or problems with the spinal cord. Some wonder if such manipulation is actually safe to do.

Chiropractic healing has gotten a bad rap over the years. Some feel that they are just playing around and doing more harm than good.

Chiropractic is a healthcare branch that totally concentrates on finding the natural balance in your body through non-surgical manipulation. From their training, they can use various tools to assess your problem and whether or not they can help you. Chiropractic professionals use scans, x-rays, your symptoms and an exam to determine the root cause of your discomfort and fix the problem.

This is not a wonder drug. Any chiropractor that tells you they can fix your problem in one visit is taking you for a ride. Manipulation of the spine and vertebrae is a process that involves more than one step as well as maintenance to keep your spine aligned properly.

When bones are out of position, it takes gentle manipulation to bring them back where they are supposed to be. Gentle pressure from hands, body exercises, machines and certain positions are all used to relieve pain.

Spinal manipulation is a delicate procedure. Some people are scared of it because they think they will become paralyzed from it. When working with the spine there is always a danger of issues arising. Even with surgery, there are no guarantees that something won’t happen. Doctors explain this to you before you agree to the surgical procedure. Chiropractic is no different, but a skilled professional can help you without paralyzing you in the process. It is scarier to have someone walk on your back at home to stop back pain.

To be sure that you are getting a qualified professional, check his or her credentials. Are they licensed? Where did they go to school? Chiropractic colleges have rigorous coursework and train their students in the same basic courses as in medical school. The main concentration is on how the body works (biomechanics), how to use diagnostic tools (x-rays) and how to carefully manipulate the spine and vertebrae. Don’t be afraid to ask about training before allowing someone to manipulate your body.

Ask for a rundown of how they will manipulate your spine back into alignment if it is the recommended course of treatment. Ask if there will be any pain or discomfort. With gentle manipulation of the spine there should not be any lasting pain. That is why you have come. Tell your chiropractor if anything they are doing is hurting you.

Chiropractic care and spinal manipulation are safe to use. Find a reputable chiropractor, learn about their techniques for care and give them a try to see if they can help you to feel better.

What Is a Vertebral Subluxation?

The body is a sometimes delicate but highly durable machine. It is not uncommon for the body to correct itself when something goes wrong. Sometimes, problems with the body can arise from the spinal cord. Different techniques are used to rectify this, including vertebral subluxation.

So, what does subluxation mean? When your spine is doing something it shouldn’t that is termed a subluxation. A subluxation can be caused by the vertebrae shifting and trapping a nerve in the process.

That trapped nerve runs to an organ or a tissue that is then affected on the end. Malfunctions in the organ can be varied and the organ itself can look fine. To further complicate matters, that organ’s impairment can affect the rest of the body as well.

To correct the problem of the misaligned vertebrae the bones have to be manipulated back into position. The vertebrae are no doubt causing back pain but internal problems as well. It is important to fix the spinal alignment so that the body can get back to normal function.

Anything can bring about a vertebral subluxation. You might be thinking about a car accident or something catastrophic like that, but it can be something quite simple that does it. Let’s say that you fall out of bed one morning or get knocked down during a touch football game. All of these things can affect the spine. For mothers, having a baby can be a root cause of vertebral subluxation.

There is one cause that we don’t think about. Your teachers in school probably tried to get you to sit up straight in your chair and pay attention. Poor posture is the cause of some subluxations. Slouching in the chair, sitting with your body at odd angles or lying on an unsupportive mattress can lead to problems with the spine.

Also, vertebral subluxations typically have no symptoms. You might be saying that you have pain in your back or somewhere else. It’s just like being hungry. By the time your stomach begins to growl, your stomach has already been empty for some time. When you feel the pain of the subluxation it could have been going on for months. The pain is an escalation of the event that caused it in the first place.

But, people who have vertebral subluxations can present with a number of complaints including but not limited to numbness in an extremity, pain in a joint, neck pain, weakness, tingling and headaches. Other conditions that people see chiropractic for like asthma or menstrual discomfort can be connected as well.

Subluxations are misalignments of the spine caused by a number of situations. They can be dealt with by chiropractic to put you back on the road to body harmony.