Full Spinal Adjustment

The chiropractic spinal adjustment is, of course, the centerpiece of a patient’s visit to the chiropractic office. This is the background for the need for spinal adjustment:

The brain and spinal cord are the central nervous system. The brain is the originator of all thought and all processes, both voluntary and involuntary. The message to the body leaves the brain and travels down the spinal cord. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column, a series of bones (vertebrae) that make up the “back bone.”

In order for the nerves to leave the protection of the vertebral column and get to the rest of the body (the periphery), they leave in groups called nerve trunks that exit the spine through holes that are created by a notch in the bone above and a notch in the bone below. When the spine is in ideal position, those holes are plenty open to allow the nerves to pass through with no problem. However when one of the bones becomes misaligned, or “out of place,” the nerves are interfered with by the pressure created by the hole becoming slightly smaller. This is known as a subluxation. When a subluxation exists, the signal from the brain cannot freely get to its destination. The nerve is “pinched” and cannot totally express the signal from the brain.

The chiropractic spinal adjustment corrects this misalignment and allows the nerve to respond normally once again. Some of the typical conditions a spinal adjustment can treat are:

headache

migraine

neck pain and stiffness

mid back pain and stiffness

low back pain and stiffness

pain down the bullock and leg

dizzyness

blurred vision

nausia

numbness in the hands and arms

numbness in the thigh, leg or foot

pain down the arm and into the hand

constipation

acid reflux (heartburn)

earache (especially in children)

colic

bedwetting in certain cases

The reason I used the phrase “full spine adjustments” is that many office do not adjust the whole spine in every visit. I believe in maintenance and as such adjust the full spine every time. Even if the neck is the only area that hurts, I believe the whole spine should be adjusted so as to take every opportunity to see that the whole spine stays as flexible and youthful as possible.

I believe that maintenance is vital to keeping our bodies viable and strong. An occasional adjustment is a “lube & oil.” Chiropractic treatments can keep arthritis to a minimum as we go through our lives. This is how:

A condition of inflammation in the body, over a period of ten to fifteen years, causes the body to lay down calcium. If that inflammation is in the joints, and the body deposits calcium there, that’s arthritis! Getting adjusted occasionally over your lifetime can help keep those arthritic joints to a minimum. You will appreciate that when you are in your 70’s and 80’s.

With all this in mind, full spine adjusting makes sense.