Frequently Asked Questions

Chiropractic addresses vertebral subluxations, which occur when the bones in your spine (vertebrae) move out of alignment. These positional changes can create pressure on the nerves that branch off the spinal cord, causing inflammation and irritation. This in turn interferes with the function of these nerves. Chiropractors are the only professionals who are specifically and arduously trained to detect and correct subluxations, thus restoring optimal function of the nervous system.This video offers a quick and dynamic overview of exactly how subluxations affect the nervous system, and how chiropractic care can lead to better health and healing overall.

Many people associate subluxations with pain, specifically back pain or neck pain. However, pain is often one of the last symptoms of a subluxation to appear--and occasionally one that never materializes. Inflammation and nerve irritation can cause dysfunction in literally any bodily system. As a result, many patients not only find relief from common ailments such as headaches, back pain, neck pain, and joint discomfort, but from more systemic complaints like fatigue or insomnia. Others may feel quite well, but do not realize that long-term vertebral subluxations are subtly impacting their current health and endangering their future well-being.

If you have a spine, you probably have subluxations. Some of our most basic human experiences, going all the way back to the birth process, are likely to shift the bones in the spine into less-than-ideal positions. If these alignment problems are never corrected through chiropractic care, they will never get better on their own. In fact, most will advance over time. Only after progressive mechanical changes have occurred, producing malfunction in the nervous system, do actual “symptoms” appear. Therefore, similar to periodic dental examinations, chiropractic spinal examinations are an absolute must from infancy on.

Don’t be fooled by the notion that vertebrae just “pop in” or “pop out” of place. The purpose of a correction program is to make the structural changes necessary to reduce the subluxation complex and nerve irritation, strengthen spinal weaknesses and imbalances, and correct any reversible damage or degeneration that has occurred.

When you receive an adjustment, there is normally a feeling of movement in the joints of your spine. You may also hear a “click”. The clicking comes from separation of the joint surfaces, and this separation causes a bubble to be formed in the joint fluid. When the tension on the bubble reaches a certain point, the bubble will pop, producing the sound you hear. This is the same principle as a glass lifted off the surface of a wet tabletop. Rest assured that nothing is being ground or cracked; in actuality, it is the opposite, or the separation of the joints, causing the popping phenomenon. As you have been instructed following your first adjustment, please use the correct terminology of chiropractic adjustment (never “popping”, “cracking”, etc.)

When administered by a trained and licensed chiropractor, spinal adjustments are safe and effective for people of all ages. Chiropractors use a variety of specialized techniques to tailor their approach to each patient's specific needs. Even newborn babies can be safely and gently adjusted, using about the same amount of light pressure that you would use to test the ripeness of a tomato. To learn more about the benefits and safety of chiropractic care for children, visit our Kids & Chiropractic page.

To make an actual lasting structural and mechanical change takes time. Your entire spine must adapt and compensate for the movement created by a spinal adjustment. In some cases, patients may experience some minor discomfort. This is due to the movement created in the spinal joints by the adjustment where there has been relatively little movement for some time. One helpful way to mitigate this discomfort is to employ massage therapy in tandem with your chiropractic care.