Chiropractic care is a treatment whereby a trained practitioner uses their hands to help relieve problems that a patient is experiencing with their musculoskeletal system – their bones, muscles, and joints. Although still considered a form of alternative medicine, visiting a chiropractor is now as easy and as common as going to see your doctor.
There are many different elements to chiropractic care, with chiropractic adjustments being the basis that underpins this type of treatment. Other treatments that chiropractors may offer in addition to chiropractic adjustments include:
– Heat and ice
– Relaxation/meditation techniques
– Dietary supplements
– Sleep support
– Physical therapy exercises
What is a chiropractic adjustment and what is involved?
A chiropractic adjustment, also sometimes known as a manipulation, is the most common treatment offered by chiropractors. The technique involves your chiropractor applying gentle or firm force to parts of the body in order to manipulate the vertebrae in the spine. The aim of a chiropractic adjustment is to reduce the abnormal separation of the articular surfaces of a joint – known as subluxations.
There are a variety of different manipulative techniques that can be used to achieve the release that occurs as a result of reduced subluxations. Sometimes low-level, slow movements are needed, whilst in other instances, short, sharp thrusts are the best method for the adjustment.
What issues can chiropractic adjustments help with?
Chiropractic adjustments are most commonly associated with helping to treat problems with the musculoskeletal system. This includes:
– Back pain
– Neck pain
– Stiffness
– Car accident injuries
– Herniated disc
– Sciatica
– Sports injuries
Chiropractic care can also help you to improve your posture, which could help prevent you from suffering from back pain and other issues in the future.
How often should I get a chiropractic adjustment?
Chiropractic care is deeply personal to each patient since it is tailored specifically around their different needs. This makes it impossible to give a ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to this question. The best person to make this recommendation is your chiropractor, who understands you, the issues that you are having (if any) and the way that your body responds to treatment. We say ‘if any’ because you don’t necessarily need to have any symptoms of a problem to benefit from chiropractic treatment. If you work in a job that involves a lot of physical movement, or you spend hours each day sitting at a desk, routine appointments with a chiropractor could enable them to catch minor adjustments before they have time to develop enough to cause you problems. Routine chiropractic adjustments are usually recommended every 3 months, or less often depending on the degree to which you are affected.
If you have had ongoing issues, chances are that you are already on a chiropractic treatment program, and your chiropractor will be able to advise you if this will need adjustment for your long-term health plan and goals.
If you’d like more information about chiropractic adjustments, or if you would like to schedule an appointment so that our expert team can evaluate your requirements, please contact our offices.