While most people visit chiropractors due to some type of pain, chiropractic care is so much more than pain relief. Many times, pain is present for a known reason. Spraining an ankle, falling down stairs, or scraping a knee can damage tissue leading to pain. Oftentimes, however, pain seems to come out of nowhere. That is when we as practitioners have to determine not only from where the pain is stemming, but also why it started in the first place and how to prevent return of pain once it has subsided. That is what can make our jobs as chiropractors so interesting and enjoyable.
The main form of treatment in chiropractic is the adjustment. In general, chiropractic adjustments aim to mobilize joints that are not moving properly. In addition, there may be places where the joint is unstable and moves more than it should. That is where strengthening comes into play. A rule of thumb is as follows: If a joint doesn’t move, mobilize it. If a joint moves too much, stabilize it.
I tell patients often that while it is normally their goal to get out of pain, it is my goal to improve function, which normally comes with a decrease of pain. A few ways in which this can be done are with nutritional counseling, postural corrections, ideas for stress reduction, exercise programs, and of course, adjustments.
The spinal cord is a central part of the nervous system. It controls almost all actions of the body. The vertebral column (the spine) is what encompasses and protects the spinal cord. From the spinal cord stems peripheral nerves that innervate all the tissues of the body including the skin, muscles, organs, etc. When the spine is either not moving properly or has what chiropractors call subluxations, irritation of those joints cause inflammation and ultimately can alter function of the nerves that pass through it. This malfunction can affect any of the types of tissue that that particular nerve innervates.
Whether we as chiropractors like to admit it or not, most patients come to us not because they want to be healthier, but simply because they are in pain. Then when the pain is gone, many patients will not return for care until the pain returns. With that being said, the ultimate goals of chiropractors are to optimize health by improving functioning of the body, alleviate pain, and education people on how to improve their health and life. Call Harlow Chiropractic today to discuss ways that we can help you improve your function and reach your health goals.
