The Active Ingredients of a Chiropractic Adjustment - Part 1

What is a chiropractic adjustment… what does it do… why do I need a chiropractic adjustment… when do I need a chiropractic adjustment… how does it work… “what’s the big deal anyway – I can crack my back on my own”. Hopefully, the last question is not one you need me to answer, but the others I believe are valid questions and ones that you should certainly know the answer to.
Before I get into it, let me just say that I will be dedicating the next several issues to helping you all better understand what I know to be true when it comes to the big question.. what is an adjustment and how does it work? This will not be an easy task, but I believe it will benefit all of you significantly!
First, let’s try and tackle the issue of what a chiropractic adjustment really is: Anyone can crack their neck, back, knuckles or whatever joint you wish to consider. This is called a manipulation - not an adjustment. An adjustment is any procedure that is done with the intent of correcting or improving some aspect of the human body. A manipulation is arbitrary or without intention. An adjustment has a very specific goal in mind. What is the goal to achieve with an adjustment you ask? Let’s cover what I call the 4 basic biomechanical goals of an adjustment:

To increase range of motion = A good adjustment will attack the root cause of reduced range of motion and flexibility. A manipulation will move the joints without concern for which ones are moving well and which ones are not. An adjustment will focus on restoring movement to those stiff joints that are contributing to the cause of a problem, and more importantly will focus on maintaining normal joint movement once it has been restored.

To minimize stress accumulation = A good adjustment will focus on areas that tend to accumulate stress from daily activities. An adjustment causes a reflexive response that will inhibit or minimize stress and tension in the muscle, nerve and joint. This has been well documented in medical research. Often times you can feel this affect if you are paying attention to your body, and sometimes you won’t. Regardless, this relaxation response occurs all of the time with every adjustment.

To reduce scar tissue = A good adjustment as described above will attack restricted joints. Often times, the aging process when left unchecked will lead to scar tissue formation in muscles, ligaments, tendons, discs, joint tissue and even nerve tissue. A good adjustment will target scar tissue and “break it up”, and more importantly keep it from reforming in the future.

To improve neuro-muscular coordination = All movement hinges on good communication between nerves, muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc. Abnormal posture is a great example of this communication system being down or disrupted. A good adjustment will help reestablish normal communication and coordinating efforts between body parts thereby allowing them to function better in relation to one another, i.e. improved postural stability, better range of motion, improved gait (walking), faster reflexes, etc.
These are just a few of the benefits that are considered “active ingredients” in each and every adjustment that you receive here at Maximized Health Chiropractic. When you use chiropractic care properly your body will benefit greatly in the 4 categories listed above… the health benefits of which are enormous! Next issue we will cover a few other aspects that I am sure you will find interest in. Remember, the more you know – the more you will grow and benefit from what transpires during your chiropractic appointments.

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

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