WARNING: this post might be a little boring, especially if you are a boring person that doesn’t like to read and just decides your life choices through online videos and memes.
Yes, chiropractic can do amazing things. No, this is not going to be a long list of ALL the things chiropractic is good at addressing. But that would be a big list (see a small example here). This post is focused on some cool things a chiropractic adjustment achieves, and why you should try this safe and effective treatment.
WHO IS A CHIROPRACTOR?
Me.
Dr. Jeff Favero, D.C. Nice to meet you.
Imagine an attractive doctor wearing a white lab coat striking a classic pose with a cheesy smile next to the model of a human spine. Ok, now imagine me, a goofy 5’11” blonde-haired American with glasses and a button up shirt, that should have shaved this morning but decided to ride his bike to work instead.
Yeah, yeah – so what is a chiropractor? A chiropractor is a doctor that focuses on the body as a whole to maintain or improve your health and well-being. Simple enough? They do this by applying chiropractic “adjustments” to the joints of the spine and extremities (arms and legs). This is where you picture all those Hollywood scenes of bad guys twisting people’s necks and that fantastic “CRRRAAACK!” sound effect that confirms – yep, that dude’s dead for sure.
In actuality, chiropractic adjustments are safe and specific to what your spine needs in order to move like it should. Each chiropractor spends years fine-tuning the way their hands move so they can perform this treatment properly. After finishing their undergraduate studies, they invest four more years at an accredited doctorate school to earn their D.C. or “doctor of chiropractic” degree.
So there is a lot going on that helps them decide where to place their contact hands, which direction to move them, and how much force will be necessary. This is not only safe, but is also medically therapeutic and beneficial. The whole treatment is about improving health and helping your body function correctly.
WHAT IS A CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT?
Chiropractors (also called “chiropractic physicians”) examine the joints of the body and surrounding tissues to determine if they are moving and functioning properly. There is a LOT that can go wrong in your body, and sometimes this means you are tight, sore, or in constant pain. You might also be quite moody, but don’t worry, we are good at helping turn that frown upside down.
When your chiropractor finds areas of subluxation or misalignment, they generally use their hands to press or move the joints in the right direction. The movement is done very quickly and with just the right amount of force so your joint moves only “so far”. This way the bones are moved rapidly before muscles can tighten up to resist. It is common to have some soreness in the area later that day or the next morning, and sometimes there is brief pain during the adjustment. (Stay tuned, because this also does something fantastic for the muscles themselves.)
WHAT ELSE DOES IT DO?
Besides restoring proper movement to the area, an adjustment stimulates the nervous system to bring about relief to painful areas and improve nerve function. Sometimes this is noticed as feeling looser or less heavy, other times it is more specific such as a reduced headache, less acid reflux symptoms, or decreased numbness into the hands.
In a recent post about the “magic of chiropractic” I described how it also has an amazing effect on muscles by creating reflex inhibition. Here are my words:
It might be obvious that I believe the chiropractic adjustment is such a big deal, but let me explain how it can also help with pain that is not directly over the spine. There are some fancy words about this: high velocity dynamic thrust, myotactic stretch reflex, autogenic inhibition, Golgi tendon apparatus threshold. I’m not going to get all technical and explain those terms, but here is the way I like to describe the whole process.
A spinal adjustment provides a quick tension on the muscle and helps it finally relax and start working right. There is nothing else that can address the muscle in this exact way. The adjustment will gently stretch the muscle fibers and the nerves will notice the change and react to it.
So…give us a call! 801.784.6306. Or you can click here to schedule an appointment at Favero Chiropractic in North Ogden, Utah and experience chiropractic for yourself.