Why Chiropractic Works
Chiropractic has been around for over 126 years so it obviously works, but Why? In this blog, I am goin to explain in simple terms exactly Why Chiropractic Works. My explanation is going to be from my 21 years of clinical practice perspective and my own research. During these 21 years of clinical practice, I have seen first hand that chiropractic indeed works.
First however, I will explain what chiropractic is and what it is not. Chiropractic is not physical therapy, it is not emergency medical care, it is not acupuncture, massage, Rolfing, ASTEM, homeopathy or energy work. It is also, not pain management or a form or natural “medical” care. And above all, Chiropractic is not the treatment or prevention of any specific disease.
So what is Chiropractic? Chiropractic has one goal, and that goal is to detect, locate, and remove “stress” within the spine and nervous system. This stress can be mechanical, emotional, or chemical. So in simple terms if a Chiropractor is able to deduce “stress” on the nervous system, which is the master control of the body, then you can see very quickly that this is why chiropractic works. However, for our purposes today I am only going to focus on the mechanical or physical stress portion.
Mechanical stress is primarily what we address in our office. At Reed Chiropractic in Tempe we evaluate for mechanical stress in the spine. We evaluate and identify each and every patient in the following ways.
- Check for areas of the spine that have lost their normal Ranges of Motion
- Look for areas of the spine that are showing signs of mechanical stress using X-Rays
- Asses areas of muscle and fascial tension, imbalances, or spasms
- Identify areas swelling or joint edema
- Palpate and feel for areas of local pain and tenderness
If you have ever been to a chiropractor you may have her the term “Subluxation” or “Misalignment” in reference as to what a chiropractor adjusts. The term Subluxation best describes all the different physiological processes that happen with a joint is not moving within its normal range. The term chiropractic misalignment is a term that simply mean that a joint it out of alignment. I prefer the first term better but it is hard for people to understand and difficult to say. I personally don’t use or like the term misalignment to describe why chiropractic works because it is not really what we look for or treat.
To me the term “misalignment” makes it seem that a bone moves out of place and then a Chiropractor pops it back into place. But if you look at the anatomy of the body you can see that this is just not possible. I think this term was used early on out of lack of knowledge and a way to easily communicate with patients. However, I this this is lazy and dishonest to keep using this term.
The way that I describe what and why chiropractic works is by using the terms restricted motion, joint dyskinesis or simply a joint fixation. Whether a joint has been injured or just lost its normal motion from chronic postural adaptation it will basically form a splint. It is this lack of motion that will cause a host of negative consequences in the spine and more directly on the nervous system. And in terms of why chiropractic works it make much more sense. A chiropractor locates any and all joints that are not moving correctly and restores the motion back into the joint through a series of specific chiropractic adjustments.
Each person and joint is different, so the frequency of adjustments can vary greatly. But in general, when a joint is injured it will start to splint immediately. So the sooner we can restore the motion the better, the joint usually will take 4-6 weeks to heal so the better the motion is during this healing time the less long term scar tissue formation and better motion will be maintained. Unfortunately, most patients will wait months or years to seek out treatment so the joints are basically frozen or scared down.
Now that you can see that motion is the key to what the goal of a chiropractor is, you can see that chiropractic care is not a one time cure all. This is why in my opinion that the misalignment model is not accurate. If you have an injury sure the vertebra can get misaligned but it is the loss of motion that is the problem, not the alignment. If you think about it further if it was just about the alignment we could give someone an adjustment and push the vertebrae a direction but the second the patient moved the vertebra would be in a different alignment.
The direction of misalignment is important but it is the loss of motion in a specific direction that is the key. My job is to locate the direction or multiple directions that a vertebral joint is not moving and restore that motion. And if I can do this successfully, the body is able to heal properly and any symptoms or disease processes that were manifested due to this lack of motion will have the ability to heal naturally. As a chiropractor I understand why chiropractic works and simply restore motion through a series of adjustment and then get out of the way. I honor that the power that made the body can heal the body.
If you would like to have your spine checked schedule a exam today. We will assess any loss of motion and evaluate you using digital x-rays. We will look and identify any areas of stress in your spine and discuss our treatment options.
Reed Chiropractic
250 W. Baseline Rd. #107
Tempe, AZ 85283
