The chiropractic adjustment
The adjustment. The word that is synonymous with chiropractic around the world. But what does it actually mean? Why do we talk about giving you an adjustment rather than a treatment? Let’s address some of the myths behind this term and help you understand exactly what it means.
First, let’s get into more detail about how your body works.
Lying central in your back is your spine, which is made up of 33 bones called vertebrae. At the top of the spine is your cranium which wraps around your brain, and at the bottom of the spine is your pelvis and coccyx (tailbone). Running through the centre of the spine is the spinal cord, which is like a super-highway between your brain and body. The spinal cord is the central axis of the whole of your nervous system, allowing control and coordination of all bodily functions.
Your body is incredibly intelligent. Every second of the day, it is communicating with itself via the nervous system. The body talks to the brain and the brain talks back to the body. Is the immune system under attack? Is digestion flowing normally? Is there pain somewhere? All these things are being constantly regulated and addressed without us even realizing it.
So if we consider the importance of the nervous system, it perhaps becomes clear why it’s protector: the spine, is so vitally important. What would happen if one of those vertebrae was subtly misaligned or the pelvis tilted to one side? There would be a stress on the nervous system. The function of the spinal cord or the nerves of the nervous system could be compromised and interfered with. This could have a whole myriad of effects on other systems of the body. Would the immune system, digestive system and hormonal systems still work as optimally if something was getting in their way of communicating with the brain?
Our body works hard to correct minor misalignments such as these on a daily basis, and mostly manages the job very well without any help. But sometimes, certain vertebrae remain in a compromised position, subtly impacting on the function of the nervous system. Our body also tries hard to resolve these issues without us knowing about it, so we may not even feel any pain. This is what we call a temporary compensation. The moment we do feel pain is usually the moment when the issue has been present for some time, and the compensatory mechanisms can’t cope any more.
This is when many people come to see a chiropractor for the first time…
As chiropractors, we are trained to assess your body for vertebral restrictions and to see where nervous system function has been compromised. Through skilled palpation and specific testing, we can locate any regions of poor movement and give these areas an adjustment to restore proper motion and function. The word adjustment basically refers to the manual therapy that we give to your body. It is a safe, natural, non-invasive procedure that helps to retore and improve health. Learning the art of adjusting is a skill that takes years of study and practice. Chiropractors are the only health care professionals trained to deliver the specific chiropractic adjustment, and work hard to refine the subtlety of this skill, which is why an adjustment given by an experienced practitioner should not be painful.
An adjustment can be given in a number of ways. Specific corrections or ‘spinal manipulations’ are one of the main techniques used by chiropractors and involve a quick and precise push to the restricted vertebrae with the hands. This movement corrects the spinal dysfunction, reduces muscle spasm, normalizes spinal biomechanics, and removes irritation or interference to the nervous system. Chiropractors can also adjust any other part of the body, using other techniques such as deep massage to the digestive system, gentle manipulation of the cranial bones, mobilization of the extremities, and specific movements of the spine and pelvis.
At Continuum Chiropractic, we have over 10 years’ experience in adjusting spines, both young and old. We have dedicated years to refining the art of our adjustments and are confident in the specific and individual care that we can provide. We believe strongly in adjusting your body rather than giving you a treatment. There is a subtle difference. With an adjustment, we free up your body and nervous system to function as optimally as it can, allowing your body to do its amazing job. In doing so, we are simply the facilitators for the expression of your body’s intelligence.
