How does a chiropractic adjustment work by EIH

Crofton’s Unrivaled Chiropractic Adjustments

Leading Provider of Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic adjustments are a common approach to health care that’s been around for more than a century. Studies have shown it to be an effective alternative for many health complications. Effective Integrative Healthcare is the leading chiropractic professionals in the Millersville or Crofton, MD area. While there are many different specialties in chiropractic care, one commonality among them is the use of chiropractic adjustments or spinal manipulations to relieve the patient. If you want to experience the benefits of chiropractic adjustments, don’t hesitate to schedule your consultation today.

What is a Chiropractic Adjustment?

A chiropractic adjustment, also known as spinal manipulation or joint manipulation, is a treatment provided by a chiropractor in which they realign the spinal column or restore proper joint motion. This procedure is usually done by hand, but specific techniques require an activator, a high-velocity low amplitude-controlled force, or thrust applied to the misaligned or stuck vertebra to promote spinal alignment. Chiropractic adjustments have evolved to include the neck, back, spine, and misaligned extremity joints. Our highly trained team utilizes various chiropractic techniques to help target specific areas of the body to provide relief.

What is a Misalignment?

If you’ve ever seen an anatomy textbook, a skeleton in your science classroom, or reviewed the anatomical models in your doctor’s office, you might have had the impression that the various systems of your body, such as skeletal, muscular, nervous, digestive, are all separate from one another. Actually, your entire body is connected. Everything has a relationship with your spine and your central nervous system. Your spine is made up of vertebrae, which, if rotated or misaligned, can pressure your nerves, leading to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness throughout your body. Here are some reasons your spine can become misaligned:

Car accidents or other injuries
Muscle contraction
Poor posture either while awake or sleeping
Repetitive motions
Medical issues such as Scoliosis

How Does a Chiropractor Know Where to Adjust?

Our team uses various techniques to determine where to adjust a patient’s spine. We start by discussing a patient’s medical history, their symptoms and performing a complete physical examination. We can run diagnostic tests such as palpation, posture analysis, range of motion, leg length measurement and analysis, gain, and x-rays to understand the patient’s spine better. This will allow us to identify any areas of concern that need chiropractic adjustments. All this information is compiled in the patient’s medical record and used to create a personalized treatment plan to help restore motion and decrease.

How Does a Chiropractic Adjust Work?

A chiropractic adjustment works by your chiropractor applying a high force and low amplitude thrust to a stuck or misaligned spinal joint or vertebra. These are sometimes referred to as vertebral subluxation. This motion is designed to restore spinal function and movement while reducing inflammation and nerve irritation. Our goal with chiropractic adjustments is to decrease pain and any associated local muscle spasm. Most adjustments produce a popping sound called joint cavitation, caused by a pressure change in the joint capsule and a release of nitrogen gas. It’s not uncommon for patients to feel immediate pain relief and improvement in their overall mobility. Chiropractors use different techniques to adjust, including the Gonstead, Diversified, Thompson, Activator, and Chiropractic Biophysics. The end goal of each adjustment is to correct spinal and cerebral misalignment, reduce pain and discomfort, and restore movement to our patient.

How Does a Chiropractor Perform an Adjustment?

As briefly mentioned, chiropractic adjustments are usually performed via hand, but specific techniques require using tools like the activator. Both treatment modalities are designed to create a controlled force or thrust to correct the stuck vertebra. This manipulation improves spinal motion joint alignment, decreases nerve irritation inflammation, and reduces associated pain. Your chiropractor will apply a quick and short force to the joint or misaligned vertebra, which will help release muscle tension and allow the affected area to return to its proper place.

How Do I Keep My Chiropractic Adjustment in Place?

After your first couple of chiropractic adjustments, your body may not be used to its newly aligned posture and range of motion. Some of your old postural habits may have been present for years, but it will take time to form new posture and movement habits. During the early stages of chiropractic treatments, your spinal muscles and nervous system may slowly pull your vertebrae back into misalignment. This is a common occurrence, but there are some ways to ensure the adjustment holds in place. We recommend that our patients walk following an adjustment for about five to ten minutes to reinforce the new movement patterns. Following your visit, you may be given a series of exercises to do at home, which is designed to help strengthen your spine to help the adjustment last longer. It’s almost essential to address chronic postural problems as they may pull the adjustment out of place faster. We’ve put together a list of some ways to help keep your chiropractic adjustment in place:

Remember Your Posture – Returning to poor posture habits easily contribute to spinal misalignments, tight muscles, and other symptoms. It may feel better following the adjustment it may feel better, but it won’t last long if you hunch over your laptop or phone. When using your phone, we recommend holding it at eye level, if possible, as looking down puts enormous strain on your neck and can permanently damage your spine.
Invest in Ergonomic Furniture – It may be impossible to avoid slouching if your chair or desk forces your body into an awkward and uncomfortable position. Ergonomic furniture, chairs in particular, help keep your spine correctly aligned, support your lower back, and help distribute weight evenly.
Take Regular Breaks – Improving your posture and investing in better furniture can support your spine, but pain can still happen if you spend long hours at your desk. Adding frequent breaks to your schedule is highly recommended to prevent pain and discomfort. These breaks can include short walks or stretches before returning to your desk.
Drink Plenty of Water – Water can help your body eliminate toxins released following an adjustment. It’s highly recommended to increase your water intake for a few days following your treatment is hugely beneficial. Not only can water keep you hydrated, but it acts as a joint lubricant, which can help keep your joints become more flexible.
Get Plenty of Sleep – Without a doubt, sleeping plays a vital role in the body’s healing process. While asleep, your body repairs muscle tissues and produces hormones that reduce inflammation. We recommend getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night.

What Are the Chiropractic Adjustment Benefits?

It’s estimated that roughly 70 million adults suffer from some form of chronic pain. Low back pain is the second most common reason adults in the United States see a physician. Chiropractic care is a safe, holistic approach to pain relief that doesn’t require the use of medications for pain relief. In this blog, we’ve outlined a chiropractic adjustment, how it’s performed, and ways to ensure your treatment lasts. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best benefits of routine chiropractic adjustments. If you have any questions regarding this list, don’t hesitate to ask:

Relieves Neck Pain – Neck pain is a common issue, especially for those who sit for most of the day or if you frequently bend your neck to use your phone. Our chiropractic adjustment may help ease your neck pain by realigning your spine and reducing the tension in your neck muscles.
Reduce Reliance On Opioids – Individuals who suffer from chronic pain are often given opioid pain relievers to help manage and reduce their pain. Undergoing chiropractic adjustments may lower your need for these medications.
Reduce Back Pain – Routine chiropractic treatments are a great alternative to surgeries or injections that treat back pain.
More Affordable Treatment Options – Chiropractic care is more affordable than conventional treatments such as medications or surgeries. A recent study found that patients who received chiropractic adjustments underwent shorter treatment than those who had traditional medical treatments.

Experience Chiropractic Adjustments for Yourself

Unfortunately, spinal misalignments are more common than most patients realize. You may be suffering from one while reading this. If you have uncomfortable symptoms such as pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, spasms, or difficulty turning your head, we highly recommend coming in for a consultation. Effective Integrative Healthcare is dedicated to treating the root of the problem, which allows you to get relief faster. Don’t hesitate to call us to learn more about our chiropractic adjustments or schedule your own. Our team looks forward to helping you get a better quality of life.