Nearly everyone experiences neck or back pain to some degree sometime during their life. Chronic joint immobility can progress to pain and inflammation. Recognizing a joint problem and treating it with a chiropractic adjustment before it becomes a degenerative condition obviously makes good sense. But can I adjust my own spine for better spine health?
What is a chiropractic adjustment?
A chiropractic adjustment, the hallmark of chiropractic care, is an integral part of the treatment of joint problems, in the spine as well as the other joints. What exactly is a chiropractic adjustment or manipulation? It is the use of a specific force in a precise direction applied to a fixated or misaligned joint. Chiropractic adjustments gradually return the bones to a more properly aligned position with improved motion. This can, in turn, remove interference to nerves and help surrounding, supportive tissues relax. This contributes to pain relief, often within a very short time, and the improvement in joint motion decreases the chances of ongoing joint degeneration.
There are various ways a doctor performs a chiropractic adjustment to the spine or joints. Usually the doctor’s hands or a specially designed instrument is used to deliver the adjustment. Some adjustments are quick, while others involve a slower technique. After years of training and experience, each doctor at Cole Pain Therapy Group has selected a variety of methods and become skilled in their delivery. The technique used is tailored to the patient’s age, size, and unique problem.
Can I Adjust My Own Spine?
Since a chiropractic manipulation is a specific force applied in a specific direction to a specific joint, it is impossible to effectively adjust one’s own spine. Yes, twisting the neck or back in certain ways can create “popping” sounds like that made with a chiropractic adjustment. But this type of misguided self-care is usually counterproductive, often making an already unstable area even more mobile. A course of chiropractic adjustments treats the right joints, in the right direction, at the right frequency of treatment. Twisting your own spine to make loose joints pop actually worsens the balance of spine motion and provides only temporary relief at best.
For more information about chiropractic treatment, check these articles we have written and review patient information provided by the American Chiropractic Association.
