What does a Chiropractic Adjustment Do?

 A very common question that is asked when going to a chiropractor is what does the adjustment or manipulation do to help my spine or other joint have less pain. This can be a confusing concept so I wanted to explain it in a simple way in order to help you understand what an adjustment or manipulation can do for you to help with your pain.

A chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is one of the tools the chiropractors at Accident and Sports Injury Clinic use to help our patients have less pain and increased movement. An adjustment is when we apply a force to your joint in order to get motion to your joint. This can also be known as a manipulation. Adjustments come in different forms (check out our previous blog post) but are characterized by getting movement in the joints and there can sometimes be heard an audible crack or a cavitation. The crack is not necessary for a successful adjustment (even though we like it) but just means that there was movement in the joint allowing for bubble formation in the joint. 

After an adjustments is performed the following are the benefits of an adjustment

1. Increased mobility-Increased mobility of a joint is one of the more obvious benefits of the adjustments. This is one of the main purpose of the adjustment. This is seen due to increased range of motion after the adjustment or manipulation is performed.

2. Decrease of muscle spasm or muscle tension-Decreased muscle spasm or tension happens due to 2 mechanism. The first is due to movement applied during the adjustment we are stretching the muscles of the joint including sensory muscles which are smaller connecting from vertebrae to vertebrae. When the adjustment or manipulation is performed the smaller sensory muscles and bigger muscles are stretched which then causes the nerve endings in the muscles to relax and decrease tension. The 2nd mechanism which be explained with pain as it is very similar

3. Reduce pain-This is perhaps the biggest reason a person goes to the chiropractor, seeking pain relief.  Pain relief comes in a very interesting method after the adjustment is performed. When the adjustment is done there is movement in the joint. This signals to the brain through proprioceptive ​nerve endings that there was movement in the joint. The brain then sends back to area through the nerves to decrease the pain and also to the muscles in the areas to decrease tension.

Now that you know what an adjustment can do for you consider adding chiropractic adjustments or spinal manipulation to your treatment plan. It can really help you get back to doing what you love.