A lot of people are skeptical about chiropractors because they don’t understand the medical aspects or the pain-causing conditions that chiropractic care can help with. So the question is, how exactly does chiropractic treatment help to relieve pain? Let’s take a more in-depth look into what happens when you get an adjustment.
Understanding The Spine
The spinal cord is a long bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region (low back) of the vertebral column. These nerves are what control and give sensation to every cell, tissue and organ (ie. the heart) in the body and is vital for your health. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system (CNS), and the spinal cord is the most important structure transmitting the communication between the body and the brain. Without this important connection, the body is unable to function and communicate at 100%.
A healthy spine consists of 24 movable bones called vertebrae that will maintain full range of motion and be positioned in a specific alignment to allow the spinal nerves to communicate freely with the brain and the body. If one or more of these 24 vertebrae become misaligned away from their normal positioning, then pressure is being applied to these important nerves that are supposed to be communicating with ease to the brain and back to body. If the structures of your spine are stressed and begin to decay and breakdown, so does the communication across the nerves. These stresses are experienced every day throughout ones life. For example, poor posture, texting, sitting, running, jumping, excess stress, diet, driving, auto accidents, traumas etc. These breakdowns in spinal health are known as subluxations and can occur with or without pain. This means that many people are losing function and health and they don’t even know it.
Chiropractors & Preventative Maintenance
So, why see a chiropractor? First off, you always need to make sure to find the right chiropractor for you. Secondly, spinal decay can occur without us even knowing it. Once the process has begun, it is accelerated when being put under the normal stresses of life. Think of it like your teeth. You are told by your dentist to brush and floss your teeth every day to prevent spinal decay and cavities. But, do you brush because your teeth hurt? No! You brush to prevent your teeth from hurting and decaying. Same concept applies to spinal decay. Both are preventable through regular care and maintenance when problems are found early, but can cause further damage if left alone. So, the best time to have a spinal checkup would be before a problem has set in.
People of all ages come see the chiropractor. They have a spine don’t they? The main goal of corrective chiropractic care is to restore alignment to your spine and reestablish communication across your nerves. A chiropractor is thoroughly trained to find the underlying root cause of your problem and get your body back to optimal health.
