This is a very specific manoeuvre determined by a very specific test. The test indicates the direction, force, and angle of spinal adjustment. This is how you the spine must be approached.
The intention of a chiropractic adjustment is to affect or correct the alignment, motion and/or function of a vertebral joint. Specifically, adjustments are intended to correct “vertebral subluxations“, a non-scientific term given to the signs and symptoms that are said by chiropractors to result from abnormal alignment of vertebrae.] In 2005, the chiropractic “subluxation” was defined by the World Health Organization as “a lesion or dysfunction in a joint or motion segment in which alignment, movement integrity and/or physiological function are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact. It is essentially a functional entity, which may influence biomechanical and neural integrity.” This differs from the medical definition of subluxation as a significant structural displacement, which can be seen with static imaging techniques such as X-rays.
The International Chiropractor’s Association states that the “chiropractic spinal adjustment is unique and singular to the chiropractic profession”, and that it “is characterized by a specific thrust applied to the vertebra utilizing parts of the vertebra and contiguous structures as levers to directionally correct articular malposition. Adjustment shall be differentiated from spinal manipulation in that the adjustment can only be applied to a vertebral malposition with the express intent to improve or correct the subluxation, whereas any joint, subluxated or not, may be manipulated to mobilize the joint or to put the joint through its range of motion. Chiropractic is a specialized field in the healing arts, and by prior rights, the spinal adjustment is distinct and singular to the chiropractic profession.”
How Does a Chiropractic Adjustment Work?
What happens during a chiropractic adjustment that corrects the misalignment?
It’s rather simple: a chiropractor literally pushes the joints back into the correct position.
Although chiropractic adjustments are given to every patient, no two people get the exact same adjustment. Each treatment is customized; your chiropractor might use more or less pressure or make an adjustment in a slightly different position than s/he uses for the next patient.
However, because the discs are flexible, your joints might try to return to the misalignment, especially if they were in that position for a long time. If you lived with the pain of a car accident for years, your muscles might be used to holding the joints in that particular position and they may try to pull it back.
This is why your chiropractor wants you to keep coming back, by the way. Over time, your body will become reacquainted with its proper position/alignment and will be able to hold your joints in the correct position much more easily.
Spinal misalignments are a lot more common (and harmful) than you might realize. In fact, there’s a good chance that you have a joint misalignment right now without realizing it!
If you have been living with uncomfortable symptoms like pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or spasms, schedule an appointment.
Unlike traditional medicine, chiropractic care doesn’t rely on pain medication or surgery, and it aims to correct the source of your discomfort, rather than just masking symptoms.
