Chiropractic FAQ

What is a subluxation?
A subluxation is a vertebra or region of your spine which has lost the proper alignment with the bones above or bones below, sufficient enough to produce nerve pressure and interfere with the function of the central nerve system.

The word "subluxation" comes from the Latin words meaning "to dislocate" (luxate) and "somewhat or slightly" (sub). A subluxation refers to a slight dislocation (misalignment) or biomechanical malfunction of the vertebrae (bones of the spine). These disturbances may irritate nerve roots and blood vessels which branch off from the spinal cord between each of the vertebrae. This irritation may cause pain and dysfunction in muscle, lymphatic and organ tissue as well as imbalance in the normal body processes.

What causes Subluxation?
There are obvious causes of subluxations, such as sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, etc. However, less obvious and far more common causes of subluxations relate to the cumulative effects of our bad habits, including poor posture, unhealthy sleeping positions, and positions in the work place. Research is showing that the most common first spinal trauma, and therefore the first cause of subluxation, is the birth process and delivery, particularly when any form of medical intervention is necessary.

Why do I need more than one adjustment?
In cases of corrective care, normalizing the problem subluxation causes requires a series of specific, gentle adjustments to the spine in order to train the nerve system and structures back toward a healthier position and function. The body's tissues have a memory. Because subluxations typically develop and worsen over time, this unhealthy soft-tissue memory must be reprogrammed in order to get lasting positive results.

How long do I have to get adjusted?
As long as you want to experience benefits! Just as with working-out, regardless of an individual's fitness level, he/she must continue to put in the time and effort to achieve and maintain fitness goals. When an individual quits working-out, results gained are easily lost! The same is true with chiropractic care, and, for that matter, anything in our lives that have value. The benefits of chiropractic care are yours for as long as it is a part of your life.

Does an adjustment have to make a noise to be effective?
No, it is a common misconception that your joints must make a noise to be properly adjusted. However, more often than not, when your vertebrae are adjusted, the smooth joint surfaces become separated, creating and then releasing a small vacuum, making a noise. This is the sound made when you crack your knuckles. It’s much like opening a bottle of champagne or removing a suction cup.

The sound is interesting, but it isn’t a guide to the quality or value of the adjustment. Your chiropractor is concerned with the position of your vertebrae, not with the noise that may or may not occur.

Once you get used to the noises -- if there are any -- you may associate them with "good" adjustments. However, be aware that in time, these noises may lessen or disappear completely. When this happens, it doesn't mean the adjustment has stopped "working." It only means that normal flexibility is returning to the affected vertebrae.

How should I feel after an adjustment?
We find that 80% of symptomatic patients feel much better after an adjustment.
10% feel nothing at all. 10% feel worse.

What if I experienced some discomfort or unusual symptoms after an adjustment?
A small minority of people may experience discomfort, pain, or awkward symptoms after an adjustment. These responses are typically short-lived, occur primarily when the vertebra was significantly subluxated (out of place) prior to being adjusted. There are a few possible causes of such responses:

- Some people experience a detoxification of the body after an adjustment. When poisons leave the system, there may be discomfort such as headache, sniffles, a slight fever, drowsiness, or lethargy.

- Muscles will realign in coordination with the spine after an adjustment. Often, these are muscles that haven’t worked properly for years, and may have been weakened. This condition is temporary and will disappear after the muscles have strengthened themselves.

- Sometimes, nerves that were impinged for years are now “coming back to life,” and becoming more sensitive again. Unlike the majority of drugs, chiropractic adjustments aren’t designed just to “make you feel good,” but to “make you FEEL.” Improved sensitivity and awareness are necessary and desirable! Old injury pains may be reawakened in order for the healing to occur.

When should I take my child to a chiropractor?
When you want to give your child a head start in good health, and all the benefits of a conservative, drugless approach to health care, you should take your child to a chiropractor. It is important to have a chiropractic exam during the first year of a child’s life, as spinal trauma can occur during birth, as well as from tumbles while learning to sit up or walk.

Your child’s spine grows almost 50% in length during the first year. This is equivalent to a six-footer growing to nine feet in just 12 months! It’s this kind of tremendous growth and developmental changes which make a complete chiropractic examination so important in the early stages of a child’s life.

If a problem is ever detected, the earlier it is corrected, the less likelihood there is of it becoming a chronic or more serious problem later in life. We believe it’s much more important to prevent disease and dysfunction than wait until symptoms occur. How old, or how young do you have to actually benefit from chiropractic care? Amazingly, the extreme populations seem to get the greatest benefit from chiropractic! The very young respond so well because their issues are typically not chronic. The elderly love chiropractic care, as so many are thrilled to be healthier without taking more pills.

How can chiropractic care help an older child who is not ‘sick’?
Chiropractors do not treat diseases – they help to correct spinal misalignments that can interfere with normal health processes in the body. Through regular adjustments, counseling on proper nutrition, exercise, and posture, a chiropractor can help you raise a child who is structurally and functionally sound.

Is it bad to “crack” your neck or back a lot?
This question is often asked of chiropractors because people associate the cracking or popping of one’s neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing! If a person has a desire to pop his neck or back, it is usually because part of the spine is fixated or jammed causing another part to move too much and pop a lot, sometimes by itself. It’s the jammed or fixated part that must be properly adjusted by a chiropractor so that the rest of the spinal column will stop being so movable and noisy.

When you crack or pop your neck, you are relieving tension for a little while, but not giving yourself an adjustment. After a while, the urge to pop or crack reappears because the cause of the spinal tension has NOT been corrected. If tension keeps building up in the joints because of spinal imbalance, it may not be the popping or cracking that’s so bad for you, but the spinal stress and imbalance causing it.

Is Chiropractic Addictive?
No! What we often see is that people who are subluxation-free are more aware of how their bodies should think and feel, and what their bodies need to be healthy. When subluxated, they feel different, experience a lesser quality of life and perception, and this becomes unacceptable to them. Just as daily habits of brushing your teeth, choosing to eat well, and exercising regularly would not be considered addictive, chiropractic care is part of a healthy lifestyle and is a proactive health care choice.