Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?

Chiropractic AdjustmentChiropractic adjustments are used to align a patient’s spinal column when vertebrae are out of place or misaligned, which often can cause pain ranging from minor discomfort, to chronic pain that doesn’t seem to go away, to severe pain that limits lifestyle. Such spinal malalignment can also contribute to diseases of every system in the body. The spinal cord is connected to the nervous system, which is connected to every function of the human body. For this reason, a misaligned spine can cause more than just pain, but can be a contributing factor in disease as well.

Chiropractic adjustments are medical procedures that are performed by licensed healthcare providers who are trained in the proper manipulation of the spine by the application of gentle and controlled force to various areas of the spinal column. This adjustment works to correct misalignments of the spine, thereby improving physical function. Spine care physicians in Livingston provide pain relief through chiropractic to thousands of patients daily. Here’s more information on how chiropractic adjustments work.

The field of chiropractic was founded in the late 1800s by Daniel David Palmer on the belief that the structures of the human body do not work separately, but work together with the capacity to heal. Chiropractic treatment promotes that self-healing through spinal correction, thus allowing the body to heal itself.

During the examination, as with any medical treatment, a chiropractor will ask necessary questions in order to learn about a patient’s healthcare history before performing an examination. A chiropractor will then perform the exam with specific attention paid to the back, neck, and spinal column. Additional exams, tests, or x-rays may be necessary before a prescribed treatment is made by the chiropractor.

During an adjustment, the chiropractor will position a patient in various positions on a chiropractic table in order to treat specific areas that are affected by malalignment. During some adjustments, patients will be asked to lie in a facedown position while the chiropractor manipulates the spine manually, applying quick and controlled force to affected joints and pushing them beyond range of motion. This is what realigns vertebrae that are out of place and causing pain and other health problems. A chiropractor may further reposition a patient in order to perform multiple adjustments, if necessary.

When all necessary alignments and adjustments have been made in a single visit in order to facilitate optimal treatment, additional treatments may be recommended. As chiropractic adjustments are working to realign a misaligned spine, it may be necessary to further treat affected areas, at which time a chiropractor will recommend one or a combination of treatments. These treatments can include massage; stretching exercises and other forms of physical therapy; electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS; and ice or heat therapy. A chiropractor may also recommend lifestyle changes including diet and weight loss that can assist in healing.

Some patients require a series of chiropractic adjustments in order to obtain optimal results. Chiropractic adjustments can be extremely effective in alleviating chronic pain, and for this reason chiropractic treatments can be done on a regular basis. It is recommended that patients of chiropractic treatments follow all recommendations prescribed by chiropractic healthcare providers in order to achieve the best results. Preventive measures may need to be taken in order to avoid further misalignments. These can include adjustments to sedentary lifestyle, poor posture, and sitting all day without periodically getting up to move around, especially if the patient is using a chair that is not designed to be ergonomically correct. It is also important to perform the exercises prescribed by a chiropractic healthcare provider in order to strengthen muscles, especially in affected areas, as well as to facilitate flexibility which can aid in blood flow and healing.

Spine care physicians in Livingston are healthcare professionals whose patients benefit from expert chiropractic adjustments in order to alleviate the pain and sicknesses that accompany spinal misalignment. As with all medical procedures, spinal adjustments are a safe method of improving pain and overall health only when they are performed by licensed chiropractic specialists who are trained in this healthcare specialty. If you are suffering from back pain, neck pain, pinched nerve, or any other medical condition that could benefit or be relieved from spinal adjustments, contact a top chiropractor in Livingston for more information on how chiropractic can help you live a productive and pain-free life.

Leave a comment