The centerpiece of your chiropractic care is the chiropractic adjustment. At first glance, adjustments appear quite similar visit to visit. But there’s more to this routine procedure than meets the eye. There’s a lot going on as we track the many subtle changes your body is making.
Here are some of the nuances associated with your chiropractic adjustments.
Intention
Intention makes chiropractic adjustments different from general spinal manipulations. Our intent is not to treat your pain. That’s the practice of medicine. Instead, chiropractic adjustments help restore joint function and reduce nervous system interference. As function improves, your body has no need to express symptoms.
Technique
We choose from a variety of adjusting techniques to optimi[z]e clinical results and patient comfort. Your adjustments are unlike those received by others in our practice. We tailor your care to your size, age, unique spinal pattern and the progress we detect on each visit.
Precision
Before each thrust, tap or touch to your spine, we form a mental picture of your particular spinal issue. We compare that with our understanding of the optimal spinal structure and function. This gives us the data we need to determine how much energy to use. Plus, the exact direction in which it should be applied. This combination of art and science makes every adjustment just a little different.
Specificity
Sometimes the primary subluxation is in the upper spine, but your symptom is showing up in the lower spine. This secondary subluxation is merely a compensation reaction. The low back pain is simply a symptom of a symptom. Our experience with countless patients makes sure your adjustments produce the greatest benefit.
Timing
The timing of your adjustments is not left to chance. Each of us has countless patterns that control our sleep, hunger and the release of hormones and neuropeptides. We consciously time your adjustments based on your respiration cycle and muscle tone.
Frequency
Your care plan is designed to produce the best results in the shortest amount of time. Visits that are too far apart often fail to produce the momentum necessary for healing. When visits are too close together we may find that your body is still processing the previous adjustment. Our goal is to discover the sweet spot based on the feedback from your body.
Outcome
The all-natural result for which chiropractic is famous doesn’t follow a straight line. During the first week or two of care there are three possible outcomes. Some show relatively quick improvement. Those who have suffered recent trauma may find a temporary worsening before improving. Others report steady improvement as each visit builds on the ones before. Everyone responds differently.
We chiropractors think the adjustment is pretty special. Besides sharing the principles of chiropractic, the adjustment is the most important thing we do.
Do you know someone who should be getting adjusted?