Chiropractic Adjustment

An adjustment is a specific, shallow, high velocity force that we apply through a restricted joint. Over the history of chiropractic there has been a lot of controversy around what exactly is accomplished through an adjustment. The conventional model says that the bones in your spine can be out of alignment and push on the nerves exiting from the spinal cord leading to pain and dysfunction down the line. This is what we call the bone-out-of-place (BOOP) model and it is really not supported by the research.  

A more accurate way of thinking about it is that the joints in your body (whether that be in your spine, arms, or legs) become restricted or “stuck.” When this happens this can cause inflammation, limit movement, and interrupt the normal information going from these joints to the brain. This can lead to muscle tightness and a change in movement patterns which only makes the problem worse.

For us, the goal of an adjustment is to take a joint that isn’t moving the way it should and help it to remember how. This won’t last forever though which is why it is so important to give you specific exercises to solidify the effect of the adjustment and ensure that you are not reliant on the chiropractor to keep you healthy and pain-free.