What is a Chiropractic Adjustment?

If you’ve had friends or relatives who were patients of a local chiropractor, you may have wondered yourself – what is a chiropractic adjustment? Are there any tools involved, or are these adjustments done by hand? The real skill of a chiropractor is in having an extensive knowledge of the human body which includes all anatomy and physiology. Chiropractors are specifically trained in the spine. All of the muscles and ligaments which are connected to the spine, and most importantly what it’s protecting, the spinal cord and nerves exiting. That knowledge is combined with specific, scientific adjustments to the spine and vertebrae which are out of alignment to relieve stress on the spinal cord and nerves.

Physical effects

There are two main physical effects that spinal adjustments have on the body, those being increased nervous system function and increased joint function. Whenever joints are out of alignment, they will probably not have the full range of motion they should have. These misalignments are caused by sudden stresses (car accidents, sports injuries, falls, etc) or stress that happens over time like poor posture or repetitive movements. A spinal adjustment from a chiropractor addresses this lack of motion with a specific adjustment to the area, which restores alignment and thus restores range of motion as well.

Most importantly, when a joint lacks full range of motion and is misaligned, it puts extra stress on the nerves and spinal cord in that area. This impacts the way the body communicates with the brain and lowers the energy like a dimmer switch on a wall. When the energy from the brain isn’t reaching the organ(s), it doesn’t function at its highest potential or capacity. This has an impact on organ function and our overall health. A specific chiropractic adjustment aims to restore proper function of the vertebral joint to increase nervous system function.

Effects on medical conditions

When the spine is misaligned, whether an individual bone (vertebrae) or whole section (spinal curve) some kind of restorative action needs to be taken. Chiropractic adjustments are often the very best approach to take because the aim of chiropractic care is to find the underlying cause of a health problem, rather than simply treating its symptoms. One of the most commonly known benefits derived from chiropractic adjustments is a reduction of stress and inflammation on the spine, which is brought about like this:

• when there is stress put on the spine, shifts or misalignments can occur which injure or damages the area
• Inflammation and swelling will generally occur at the site where a misalignment has occurred
• when inflammation is not managed, it can cause even more damage, pain, and irritation to the area which is misaligned
• when spinal adjustments are delivered, stress is relieved and inflammation is automatically reduced

The most important benefit that chiropractic adjustments have is relieving pressure on nerves and the nervous system. All communication with the brain is carried out by the nervous system of the body, and whenever anything exerts pressure on certain nerves or tension on the spinal cord, that flow of information is disrupted. When chiropractic adjustments are made to the spine, that relieves pressure on the nervous system. This in turn not only reduces the pain or discomfort that the individual felt, BUT it also restores the good communication between the nerves and the brain!

That means every part of the body which the nerve reaches – all the cells, tissues, organs, and muscles – will then have normal function restored to them, and the body can once again have whole-body health. This means a better ability to handle stress, increased energy levels, improved mental clarity, improved organ function, faster reaction time, decreased susceptibility to sickness, and much more. These are two of the most important impacts that chiropractic adjustments can have on the body, but they are by no means the only ones.

If you have any questions about chiropractic, chiropractic adjustments, health, and well-being, or longevity, feel free to contact us at (425) 614-0680! We would love to answer your question and how chiropractic can help you!