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There are many misconceptions about what constitutes a chiropractic
adjustment and misunderstandings about how chiropractic adjustments
work. But those who have experienced the benefits of good chiropractic
care know with certainty that it does work. The most common
misconception is that an adjustment involves the use of a spinal
manipulation, typically with many cracks and pops, which is utilized to
put bones back in place in order to treat a slipped disc or to treat
back pain. While chiropractic treatment deals with the motion of joints
of the spine, the concept of a bone out of place is an incorrect
understanding of chiropractic theory. Chiropractic
adjustments correct subluxations. A subluxation is a functional
abnormality consisting of reduced joint movement within its normal
range of motion. A helpful analogy of this concept is a door stuck in
the door frame. It is not out of place, but it is not moving well. As a
result of the decreased motion in a joint, there are numerous
neurological signaling devices called mechanoreceptors located in the
nearby muscles, tendons, connective tissue, and joint capsules which
are not activated and do not send their special information into the
nervous system. Most of the bodys mechanoreceptors are associated with
the spinal joints and the muscles and tendons which support the spine.
Collectively, the input into the central nervous system from all these
mechanoreceptors helps to determine the overall responses and output
from the nervous system. If the input is less than ideal, so is the
output. In other words, garbage in, garbage out. We know that the nervous system controls everything
in the body, from muscle activity and tone, to hormone balance, to
intestinal function, to immune responses. When the incoming information
is incorrect, the subsequent outgoing information may be incorrect
also. This helps to explain why chiropractic adjustments may be helpful
for many things other than simply back pain. Since the nervous system
controls all the various bodily functions, restoring normal receptor
input into the nervous system can alter and restore the output from the
nervous system. This means that chiropractic adjustments may benefit a
diverse range of systems including muscle and joint pain, heart rate
and blood pressure, gastrointestinal function, immune responses and
allergy, and hormone balance. Therefore, the ultimate goal of
chiropractic adjustments is to restore normal neurological functions in
the affected joints and therefore in the entire nervous system. |