A chiropractic adjustment is used to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become restricted in their movement as a result of a tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event or through repetitive stresses. In either case, injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain, and diminished function. Adjustment of the affected joint and tissues restores mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness, allowing the tissues to heal.
Art of Chiropractic
Chiropractic is the art of detecting these Vertebral Subluxation Complexes, which produce nerve interference, and correcting them. This is done with no drugs or surgery. Chiropractic uses a hands-on method called an adjustment. A chiropractic adjustment is the use of a specific amount of force in a precise direction applied to the vertebra in the spine that is causing nerve interference. Adjustments help to return the bone to it’s normal position, thus relieving tension and pressure from the nerves.
Chiropractic adjustments are extremely safe and effective. Other health professions have become aware of the extreme health benefit of an adjustment to the spine over the years and have tried to duplicate it. You may hear this referred to as manipulation or a gross movement of the spine. Although this at times can provide the patient with some minor relief, it will not put the bone back into the exact position it should be.
At Miller Clark Chiropractic, we will take an extremely detailed case history pertaining to your symptoms, as well as doing specific orthopedic and neurologic tests to recreate the symptoms the patient may present with. We will then perform what is known as palpation, where they will put the vertebrae(s) in question through a series of movements to find which direction the vertebrae is lacking motion. Lastly, when clinically indicated, we will take x-rays to get an exact blueprint of that patients own unique spinal column. After correlating all this information, your doctor will decide what area and vertebrae’s need to be adjusted and with how much force.
Philosophy
Chiropractic is also a philosophy. It is a way at looking at health. Chiropractors realize that doctors or drugs don’t heal people; only the body can heal itself. A properly functioning body will have the ability to heal itself to a greater extent. All the drugs and antibiotics in the world will not heal a cut on the finger of a dead person; yet for a properly functioning body, a cut on the finger is easily healed. When bones in the spine (or other various joints in the body) misalign and rub, choke, or pinch nerves, this impairs the body to function at 100% capacity.
The Vertebral Subluxation Complex is the underlying cause of many health problems, and the adjustment is the treatment of choice. Instead of treating and masking these symptoms like many other types of doctors attempt to do, chiropractors focus on detection and elimination of nerve interference. As an example, if the gas light on your dashboard in your car lights up telling you need more gas, would you mask the symptom by covering it up with black tape. Does this solve the problem? Or would you stop and get more gas and correct the underlying problem. You would definitely get the gas, a “no-brainer” isn’t it? So why don’t more people look at their health that way?
As a chiropractor, we are interested in getting to the cause of loss of health and Correcting this cause. We understand that there are instances that the body’s own innate defense system can be overwhelmed and require a different approach, but in a great deal of instances the body needs no help to heal itself, just no interference
How do I know if I have a Vertebral Subluxation Complex?
The only way to truly know if you have a Vertebral Subluxation Complex is to have a trained chiropractor evaluate your spine. A chiropractor uses several methods to detect subluxations to be sure that you have one before we treat you. First, using the latest in technology, Miller Clark Chiropractic checks the spine for nerve interference through a case history and a series of tests, and shows you exactly what we have found. Next your spine will be checked by hand to feel for a bone that isn’t properly aligned. This skill takes years of practice to master. Finally, x-rays are typically taken and used for diagnosis.