Your health and comfort should be your top priority. If you suffer from chronic neck or back pain, you may struggle to find enjoyment in life. Pain can come from a variety of sources. For some, it boils down to desk jobs and poor posture. In other cases, pain may be caused by a condition like fibromyalgia. Here is what you need to know about what chiropractic adjustments are and how it works.
Spinal Manipulation Basics
When it comes to spinal manipulation, practitioners will use their hands or a medical device to apply a controlled force to the joint of your spine. This force may vary from person to person but it will cause the joint to move more than it would by itself. Chiropractors often perform spinal manipulations and they can perform them on adults and children at a variety of ages and states of health.
For most patients, they use chiropractic adjustments for a specific condition. Some of these conditions include:
- Sciatica
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
Others may use it as preventative care, for improved energy or to help with immune function. There are a variety of reasons that a person may choose to visit the chiropractor’s office. Most of these reasons involve pain relief or some form of relaxation and pain maintenance. For some patients, there may be temporary stiffness and soreness. Some patients may even report worse pain that gradually gets better. Complications in chiropractic care are rare.
Chiropractic Adjustment Expectations
When a patient arrives at a chiropractor’s office, he or she will undergo an interview and examination. This is where the chiropractor will either diagnose or confirm any diagnosis that you may have. During the manipulation, you will normally lay face down on a table and the practitioner will apply force. Most of the time, chiropractic adjustments are for the spine. However, you may also receive adjustments to the wrist, knees, feet, and pelvis. Often, you will hear cracking and popping sounds. Do not mistake this as success or failure if you do not hear many cracks. This happens because of the gasses in the joint’s lubricating fluid and has nothing to do with the adjustment or realignment.
If you suffer from neck or back pain, there is a good chance that chiropractic care can help you alleviate that pain. For more information and to find out if chiropractic care can help your situation, contact a chiropractor, like a chiropractor in Wheaton, MD, today. You can set up an appointment and your initial exam.
Thanks to AmeriWell Clinics for their insight into what happens during a chiropractic adjustment.