About Chiropractic

Chiropractic is the largest natural primary health care profession in the world. It is the art, science, and philosophy of realigning vertebrae (bones) that are out of alignment in the spine to restore function in the nervous system (nerves).

The human body is controlled by nerves. Everything (circulation, breathing, locomotion, etc.) is under the direction of this unbelievably complicated system. If the impulses of this network are transmitted normally to and from the brain without interference, the body will be at its optimum and able to combat disease.

If this communication and impulses are stopped or interfered with, the area dependent upon them will malfunction and/or become sick and diseased. When a vertebra in your spine becomes misaligned (subluxated), this can cause nerve interference.

Chiropractic is the only profession that utilizes gentle spinal manipulation to align the bones and remove nerve interference so that the body heal itself. Chiropractors focus on the spine and the nervous system to correct problems throughout the body. In my practice, I prefer to focus on musculoskeletal (muscle, bone spine, tendon, etc.), neck/lower back and nerve pain, although there can be other problems and are relieved due to chiropractic treatment. This may be due to pressure removed from the nerve by movement of the bone off the of the nerve. Most chiropractors believe this to be so.

The nervous system is the area of the body that controls and coordinates all the functions of your organs. It is connected to every organ, tissue, and cell in your entire body. When you feel hot or cold, feel a feather running across your arm, feel someone pinching your cheek, it is the nervous system working. When you take a drink, it is the nervous system that allows you to move your arm up and down and gives you the ability to taste what you are drinking. The organs could not function without the nervous system.

The nervous system is controlled by the brain. The brain tells your nerves how to function. The brain communicates with the spinal nerves through the spinal cord. The nerves pass through the vertebra, or spinal bones through a little hole. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for the functioning of the organs. This system communicates by nerves that run on top of the spinal column and join with nerves that go to the various organs (and glands). If the nerve gets interfered with in any way (i.e. subluxation, muscle spasm on the nerve, severing nerve), the organ, tissue or cell most likely will have a decreased function.

The lack of function may be imperceptible to the conscious or mind. Or you may experience a symptom such as numbing, tingling, or pain. When the nervous system is interfered with, it reduces the body’s natural healing process. Removing the interference to the nervous system is the job of the chiropractor. By removing this blockage, not only does the pain usually subside, but functions such as range of motion of your neck, lower back and pelvis improve. Decreased headaches, migraines, cervical tension headache, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs and muscle cramping are relieved. This process is called an adjustment. Problems such as asthma, menstrual cramps or irritable bowel disorder, colic, etc., when related to or affected by spinal interference, may be improved with spinal manipulation.

This is the heart of chiropractic, the art of adjustment. The doctor applies a gentle force to the spine that unlocks the vertebrae (bone) that is out of alignment. Once the vertebrae are in alignment, the body can restore its’ normal nerve function. Your doctor of chiropractic has gone through years of chiropractic training, after undergraduate studies, to learn human anatomy, physiology, and radiology in depth. All for the sole purpose of learning how, when, why, and where to apply that gentle force called chiropractic adjustment, and to help you, the patient, prevent your joint dysfunction (subluxation) from recurring.