What You Should Know About Chiropractic

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When it comes to chiropractic care there are many opinions about whether it is beneficial or a “placebo”. However, if we look at the evidence-based treatment chiropractors provide, there is a clear answer: everyone should be receiving chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is scientifically proven to be a safe and effective holistic treatment.

While chiropractors can provide various types of treatment (such as acupuncture, physical therapies, etc.), we will focus on what chiropractors are known best for: the spinal adjustment. 

A spinal adjustment will most likely not be the only modality used at a chiropractic appointment. Patients can expect other treatment options to be utilized with a spinal adjustment, as well as therapeutic exercises to perform at home.

What does a chiropractor do? Current research supports a chiropractor can identify spinal segmental motor control abnormalities (AKA subluxation or vertebral column dysfunction) and can provide adjustments to allow for self-correcting central nervous system responses (Haavik et al., 2021).

A spinal dysfunction involves a vertebra that is restricted or hypomobile, which creates a snowball effect of even more dysfunction (Lund et al, 1991). A spinal dysfunction will first present with abnormal movement patterns to compensate for the restricted joint; this is due to the nervous system recognizing dysfunction and altering normal patterns to prevent injury. If the joint is not mobilized then the original compensation from the nervous system will become harmful. In short: a spinal dysfunction alters the movement of a joint, which in turn alters how the nervous system perceives information about where the body is in space. Therefore, chiropractic adjustments, are important for maintaining function and reducing the time the body must compensate. This process is not as simple as it may seem.

A spinal dysfunction alters how the nervous system perceives the internal and external environment. This disrupts proprioceptors (receptors that give information to the brain about where the body is in space) and results in abnormal changes in motor control of the spine and extremities, leading to: pain, inflammation, injury, illness, arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, and many other poor conditions (Haavik et al, 2021; Meier et al, 2018).