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1.What is an Adjustment or Manipulation - Back to Top
In order to answer this question a brief summary of joint anatomy and physiology is required. All of the joints of the body contain many of the same characteristics: they have ligaments and soft tissue that binds them, they have muscle which moves them, they have cartilage which separates them, and they have nerves which monitor and control the position and motion of the joint.
Under normal conditions joints move freely. Joints exhibit active motion produced by our deliberate muscle control and they exhibit passive motion, motion beyond the range of our muscle control. This is normal joint range of motion. Under these normal conditions of unimpeded joint motion, the nerves in and around the joint sense motion and relay this information to the spinal cord and the brain. If the motion is altered or reduced, these nerves can relay inaccurate or insufficient information about the joints motion.
If this occurs, as is often the case in sudden injury or overuse of the spine, pain occurs. When the pain increases the nerves create reflexes which cause the muscles in the area surrounding the joint to contract. This is a "Guarding Reflex" which helps the body immobilize the area. This is an important concept; motion produced by the joints serves to "Block" the continued pain signals. This is similar to why it feels good to rub your toe after you stub it.
An Adjustment, or more accurately a manipulation, is a means of bringing the joint to the end of its passive range of motion. The manipulation slightly opens the joint which in turn normalizes joint motion and stimulated motion sensitive nerves which Block pain and muscle spasm. In summary a manipulation has the following benefits: range of motion increases, muscles relax, painful chemicals within the joint are moved away from the joint, motion sensitive nerves are stimulated blocking pain and muscle guarding and the mechanical characteristics of the joint are improved by decreasing the muscular guarding of the joint. The manipulation should not be painful and is performed with only as much force as is required. Unlike "karate movies" manipulation does not involve sudden twisting of the neck. It is a subtle, gentle and controlled procedure. Manipulation can be performed on nearly every joint in the body.
Also see: Spine-Health.com- All about chiropractic treatments
2.Why should I be treated by a Chiropractor? - Back to Top
A Doctor of Chiropractic is uniquely qualified to perform manipulation, by virtue of many hours of clinical and professional training. The Chiropractor is a doctor concerned with the joints, their surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves. A Chiropractor is also concerned with the body's overall health. Healthy life styles create a healthy body, which in turn helps you heal better following pain or injury. Chiropractors are trained in nutrition, exercise, physiotherapy techniques and preeminently, manipulation.
3.How did I get hurt, all I did was......? Back to Top
I hear this quite a bit. A big strong football player bends over to tie his shoe one morning and "BOOM", he hurts his back. Again, going back to anatomy and physiology, we can find the answer. Tissues of the body are always under stress. Sometimes these stresses are huge like in a car accident or playing football. Other times these stresses are merely the everyday forces or gravity, physical work or even driving. All of these stresses, sudden large force or frequent little forces produce injury to the tissues. When tissue is injured or torn, the body produces inflammation. This is the swelling, redness, stiffness and pain you see and feel after an injury. Often, injury occurs in small increments, too small to produce enough inflammation to create pain, but the tissue is weakened from the injury. Then all it takes is a sneeze, a bend to tie a shoe or one last golf swing to produce enough damage and inflammation to be painful. When healing from an injury this is important, as often pain will go away quickly, but the tissue is still weakened and vulnerable to re-injury. The key here is that It Takes Longer for tissue to heal than it does for pain to go away.
4. What Else do Chiropractors Do? - - -Back to Top
Chiropractors are trained in many areas of health including, nutrition, exercise, physiotherapy and of course mobilization and manipulation of the bodies joints. For maximum healing and function to occur, all aspects of the joint system should be considered. This includes the joint proper, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nervous system, blood supply and general systemic health. Treatments may include, heat, ice, ultrasound, exercise, various forms of traction, nutrition advice, mobilization, manipulation and ergo-nomic and posture advice.
Exercises may include specific regional stretching and strengthening and / or Functional Stabilization Exercise, designed to enhance the functional strength and adaptive control of the spine. Think of stabilization exercises as a means of teaching the back to contract and relax as quickly and and efficiently as possible. These of exercises help protect the spine from unexpected or sudden loads.
5. What Happens During Treatment? - - - Back to Top
Your treatment is determined by the area and type of injury or problem. You may be warmed with hot steam packs to relax muscles and increase circulation prior to any mobilization or manipulation. Ultrasound may be used to further warm deep tissues and speed metabolism. During the manipulative procedure, the doctor will gently bring the joint to be treated to its end range of passive motion. This does not hurt. It is a natural range of motion. At this point the doctor quickly moves the joint just past the end range. This action opens the joint slightly. A "crack" or "pop" is often hurt. This not harmful! Contrary to popular misconception, this motion and sound are not harmful, it is helpful when the joints are not moving freely. The sound is made by the release of carbon dioxide which is compressed in the synovial fluid. As the joint is slightly opened up, the joints interior volume is increased, which decreases the pressure on the synovial fluid. This allows the carbon dioxide to be released making the popping sound, not unlike opening a can of soda or champagne bottle. The manipulation frees joint motion, stimulates motion sensitive nerves which block pain and it normalizes the mechanics of the joint. After the treatment you will generally notice and increase in joint range of motion and decreased muscle tightness. Occasionally there may be a localized increase in pain, this is normal as the joint has been stretched to its once normal range. You may be advised to ice the joint after the procedure.
6. Which Is the Best Bed?- - - Back to Top
This
is an area ripe with opinion, conjecture and habit. It
has been said for many decades by mattress manufactures
that firm beds are the best for support. It is a tempting
notion, in light of the fact that in the orient, bedding
is often the floor and mat. However, new technology and
materials have lead to the development of sleeping
surfaces which truly allow the body to rest in a more
neutral position. In this position the hips and shoulders
are allowed to "sink" in to relieve pressure
from these areas. At the same time, this position allows
the spine to be placed in a more straight and aligned
position. So the answer is: a moderately firm bed is
generally best. Firm, waveless waterbeds have the further
advantage of being internally heated, a big benefit for
people with arthritic joint pain. New materials have been
developed with the ability to shape to the body. These
visco-elastic materials make excellent sleep surfaces. I
recommend Tempurpedic brand products and firm waterbeds.
Tempurpedic is one of the pioneering firms in sleep
surfaces and has recently received recognition from NASA
for its development of shock absorbing materials used in
space flight and the public dissemination of these
materials.
Pillows are another common problem. Often people get used
to a pillow and use it for many years, even if the pillow
is not properly supporting the head. A good pillow should
support the NECK in a neutral position. It should be
comfortable not painful to use. However, any new pillow
will take several days to get used to.
How Many Times Do I Need to Be Treated? Do I Need to be Treated Forever?- Back to Top
This is a common question. A Chiropractor should treat each person as an individual. A young, otherwise healthy person with a recent injury, may require only several treatments to achieve excellent healing and improved function. However, an individual with many or more serious injuries or chronic pain may require more treatment. There should ALWAYS be definite goals in mind and the treatment plan developed by your chiropractor should define these goals and discuss them with you. If you are seen for a recent injury, you may benifit greatly from a regular follow up treatment at intervals after your initial phase of treatment is over. Again, someone like Evil Kineval may require more follow up treatment than you or I would.
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