Most people have heard of chiropractors and know that they treat people who suffer from neck and back pain. In addition, almost everyone has at least heard of a chiropractic adjustment. However, I am always surprised to find that many do not know what an adjustment is or how it can help with neck and back pain.
What is an Adjustment?
Simply put, the adjustment is the process in which a chiropractor properly aligns the spine. Chiropractors are trained to find areas of the spine that have become misaligned, and then put them back into the correct position.
In most cases, there are sounds associated with an adjustment. It is common to hear “pops” or “cracks” as the adjustment is being performed.
Don’t be afraid, this sound does not mean that anything has been broken in your spine. The sound is the result of a pressure change that occurs in the joints of the spine when the adjustment occurs. This sound is actually a gas being released from the joint.
There are a number of different techniques that can be used to perform the adjustment. If you are afraid of hearing this sound, let your doctor know. At Apex Chiropractic, there are a number of ways we can adjust you without the “popping” sound.
What Does the Adjustment Help With?
When a vertebra shifts out of its normal position, it can put pressure on nerves that exit from either side of the spine. This is commonly referred to as a pinched nerve. If a misalignment is causing nerve pressure in either your neck or back, it can lead to pain in either of these areas. If your neck or back pain is the result of a misalignment of the spine, an adjustment should be able to help with your pain.
Since the nerves that start in the neck extend down the arms, and the nerves in the lower back extend down the legs, nerve pressure can also lead to symptoms in the extremities. In addition to pain, these misalignments can also lead to tingling, numbness or weakness in the arms and legs.
How Many Adjustments Will I Need?
Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer to this question. The number of adjustments you will need will depend on what the doctor finds in the examination and x-rays of your spine. Factors that can impact the number of adjustments are the length of time you have been dealing with the problem, the severity of the pain level, whether there are any radiating symptoms and if there is any degeneration present in the spine.
Your goals for treatment, whether you just want to get out of pain as fast as possible or you want the problem to be corrected as much as it can be, will also affect the number of adjustments.