The one treatment that is ubiquitous in the chiropractic field is the chiropractic adjustment. You know, the pop. The crack. The crunch. It’s the one thing most chiropractic patients expect to receive.
But outside of the audible pop and subsequent pain relief, what exactly is a chiropractic adjustment (aka spinal manipulation) and how does it work?
Altogether the spine is composed of 33 bones. While some of these bones have fused together by adulthood, a healthy adult spine still has 7 vertebral bones in the neck, 12 in the mid back, and 5 in the lumbar spine. At the interface of these bones we have multiple joints at each level. The global motions that our spine should be capable of performing (think the bending forward a spine does during a toe touch, or the twisting movement that occurs while reaching to grab a seat belt) occur via the distributed movement of the joints in our spine.
In other words, when you touch your toes, there should be a little bit of movement at each of the joints in your spine that collectively creates the spinal motion needed for you to touch your toes.
When one joint doesn’t move adequately (which can occur for a variety of reasons such as prolonged time in a single posture/position, previous injury, etc.), the neighboring joints above and below will be asked to take on more of the movement burden. More often than not, it is at these overworked spinal segments where we often develop pain, and over time these are often the sites of arthritic/degenerative change as the body begins to lay down bone in an effort to stabilize the overworked and excessively moving segment.
A chiropractic adjustment is a safe way to increase movement at the restricted/unmoving spinal joint segment by introducing a quick force that can get the segment moving again.
While this can sometimes result in momentary discomfort, more often than not this new movement creates a cascade of neurological and chemical changes that can result in temporary (or even sometimes permanent) improvements in pain and motion.
Much like how it feels good to finally get out and move around after a 10 hour road trip somewhere, getting the stuck joints in your spine moving again can be quite pain relieving.
While we believe spinal manipulation is a powerful tool to have in the toolbelt, we also firmly believe that it is not a stand alone treatment. If we get that joint moving again and you go back to the same habits that got it stuck in the first place, you’ll likely only see temporary relief. That’s why we recommend adjustments in conjunction with an integrated treatment plan involving home exercises and stretches so you can keep that segment moving and keep your spine healthy!
Are you suffering with neck and/or back pain? A chiropractic adjustment might be just what you need! Click here to schedule a visit!
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