Q & A

Chiropractic helps to remove postural imbalances and structural misalignments that can accumulate in our bodies over time. Chiropractic works by restoring your own inborn ability to be healthy. For your body to remain healthy, your nervous system must function well. For your nervous system to function well it must be free of interference. By restoring spinal function with chiropractic adjustments, nerve interference by misaligned vertebrae is removed, thus allowing optimal nervous system function and improved health.

Seeing a chiropractor is not only for back pain and neck pain. Chiropractic care is an excellent way to keep your body at its peak performance through nutrition, adjustment and overall wellness. In addition, chiropractic care has been known to help a wide range of conditions from fibromyalgia to diabetes.

When a vertebrae becomes misaligned or moves out of its normal position, this is referred to in the chiropractic profession as a subluxation. Subluxations can be caused by a wide range of issues ranging from a minor slip or bump to a car accident or any sudden trauma. When a vertebrae is subluxated, it begins to put pressure on nerves, blood vessels, and everything around it. This pressure interrupts the natural pathways that messages sent from the brain need to be clear in order to be completed properly.

Chiropractic is an overall way of looking at the human body. It's based on the idea that the body is self-sustaining and self-healing. The body is essentially controlled by the brain through its connection via the spinal cord and the vast networks of nerves. When this system is not functioning at its peak, the overall performance of the human body is lacking.

In the chiropractic world, drugs and medicine are not utilized as a form of treating a patient. While supplementation and nutrition are almost always a part of the bigger picture, drugs and prescriptions can be viewed as band-aids to treat symptoms rather than treating the real problem.

Adjustments, or manipulation as they're sometimes referred to, involve the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective is to realign vertebrae that have moved out of place. When vertebrae are out of place, it has an overall systemic effect from muscular to the central nervous system.

An adjustment is often a pressure from the chiropractor utilizing the hands or an instrument to move a vertebrae back into place. This happens with a quick movement and is often without discomfort. You may hear a noise that sounds like you're cracking your knuckles — referred to as joint cavitation. It is the release of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen from the joint.

Your first visit to the chiropractor will really be about getting to know the chiropractor and discussing your history, current condition, and goals. There will be a physical examination and potentially X-rays. From there, you and your chiropractor will come up with a personalized plan of action.

Chiropractic is based on the idea of removing imbalances — both structural and postural — in an effort to allow our body to heal itself. Chiropractors have the ability and skill to remove interruptions or misalignments and allow the body to perform as it was meant to.

If you've ever been in a car accident, played a sport, fell down, or just bumped into something too hard, it's very possible that you are not functioning at your best due to a misalignment. Allowing a chiropractor to get you back on track both chemically and structurally will bring your body back to the proper state it should be in to perform at its peak.