What is Chiropractic?
According to The Assocation
of Chiropractic Colleges, "Chiropractic is a
health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative
power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs
and surgery. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the
relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and
function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how
that relationship affects the preservation and restoration
of health."
The Goal of Chiropractic
Because chiropractic treatments are primarily
applied to the spinal region, many individuals incorrectly
assume that chiropractors treat only back and nect ailments.
while we do quickly and effectively eliminate back and
neck pain, it's not the only goal. The objective is to
restore and optimize human health. In fact, according
to a statement from The Assocation of Chiropractic
Colleges, "The purpose of chiropractic is to
optimize health."
How Chiropractic Works
You may be wondering... how
can the same chiropractic treatment which effectively
treats my back pain also optimize my health? The answer
can be found by looking into the relationship between
the spine and the nervous system.
As you may already know,
the nervous system is the master controller of all living
cells, tissues and organs; orchestrating and coordinating
all cellular functions. The spinal column encases the
nervous system (spinal cord and nerve roots) and is responsible
for its protection.
Because of this intimate
relationship, biomechanical and structural problems in
the spinal column can irritate parts of the enclosed nervous
system. This irritation can result from noxious inflammatory
biochemicals released during tissue injury or may result
from direct mechnical pressure. In either case, the functioning
of the nervous system is negatively influenced as is the
functioning of the cells, tissues and organs which are
supplied by the affected nerve(s).
The resulting ailment(s)
depends on the cells, tissues and organs effected as well
as the extent of nervous system compromise.
In short, because the
body's innate recuperative powers are affected by and
integrated through the nervous system, correcting spinal
abnormalities which irritate the nervous system can lead
to a number of favorable results in patients suffering
from various seemingly non-spinal health conditions.
What Chiropractors Do
Practically speaking, chiropractors
are primarily concerned with locating and treating vertebral
subluxations.
A vertebral subluxation
is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological
articular (joint) changes that compromise neural integrity
and may influence organ system function and general health.
Using a number of unique
and highly refined skills, the chiropractor checks the
patient's spine for any misalignments, fixations or other
normalities (vertebral subluxations). If subluxations
or other abnormalities are detected, the chiropractor
will generally apply a gentle force in a corrective manner
to the affected spinal area.
Chiropractors use many
specialized techniques to identify and treat these spinal
abnormalities and optimize overall health. In addition
to spinal adjustive techniques, soft tissue techniques
such as massage, dietary and nutritional counseling, physical
therapies and lifestyle modification programs are commonly
employed.
How Chiropractic Differs
There is a signficant and very
important difference between the way chiropractors and
medical doctors approach health ailments.
When evaluating and treating
patients, chiropractors take a holistic approach which
includes identifying and correcting the cause(s) of the
patient's health ailment. In contrast, the medical approach
tends to focus more on the treating the symptoms of the
condition rather than focusing primarily on the actual
cause(s).
Chiropractors believe
that correcting the cause of the problem provides significant
long-term benefits over only treating the symptoms.
The Benefits of Chiropractic
Short-term and regular chiropractic
care have a number of benefits including:
- Spinal and extremity pain relief
- Headache relief
- Increased mobility and range of motion
- Decreased stiffness and muscular spasms
- Arthritic joint health
- Increased joint health
- Increased performance and energy
- Increased sense of well being and relaxation
- Increased balance and coordination
- Reduced degeneration and risk of injury
- Enhanced tissue healing
- Decreased tissue inflamation
