What Do Chiropractors Do | What Does a Chiropractic Adjustment Do
Most people find that living a healthy life is a big part of living a happy life. When you suffer from ailments or chronic pain, your quality of life is often reduced. Treating common ailments and issues is often done through a variety of methods. One such popular method is having a chiropractic adjustment performed. This is often recommended over taking large amounts of heavy prescription drugs, or in conjunction with other treatment methods. But what is a chiropractic adjustment? And what are they good for?
What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Your body is made up of bones, muscles, nerves, and other living materials. All of this matter works together to create a functioning being. When one of the aspects of your body is malfunctioning or isn’t working at the rate it’s supposed to, the rest of your body will suffer as well. Many people suffer from things like joint pains, back pain, headaches, and more. Sometimes, these ailments take over your life and make doing simple daily tasks more difficult than ever. Many people will seek a chiropractic adjustment to treat ailments like this.
A chiropractic adjustment is essentially when a chiropractor, like Fort Lauderdale Chiropractor Dr. Ranieri, will skillfully apply sudden force or pressure on points of your body. This force will align points of your spine and will also alleviate pressure in certain zones as well. This controlled sudden force is usually applied to a spinal joint, as your spinal column affects many aspects of your body. During the adjustment, your chiropractor may use their hands or a small instrument. A chiropractic adjustment is always outside the body and should never become internal or break the skin. A chiropractic adjustment helps improve a variety of issues, all by the use of sudden force and trained movements. Read about our 4 Signs You Need a Chiropractic Adjustment.
What Do Adjustments Treat?
A chiropractor is a trained professional that is able to do adjustments which are suited to treat a wide variety of ailments and body issues. These adjustments are an option for treating common ailments such as lower back pains, relieving headaches & migraines, and neck pain. Those are the most common reasons why people seek a chiropractic adjustment.
A chiropractic adjustment may also treat things such as:
- Nerve pain or issues
- Joint pains and issues
- DDD (degenerative disk disease)
- Spondylosis or spinal osteoarthritis
- Natural/athletic aches and pains
- Sciatica
- Shoulder pain
- Sports injuries
- Arthritis-related issues
And much more!
What Exactly Is a Chiropractor?
To have a chiropractic adjustment completed, you’ll need a chiropractor, but what is a chiropractor? A chiropractor is a trained professional that is educated and licensed to deliver chiropractic care. A chiropractor is a health professional and they have received adequate schooling and training to give care related to a patient’s neuromusculoskeletal system.
What Is Neuromusculoskeletal?
The neuromusculoskeletal system is a person’s bones, nerves, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
These professionals have schooling and licensing requirements to meet just like any other healthcare professional.
In Florida, Chiropractic Applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Successfully complete the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners certification examination in Parts I, II, III, and IV, and the physiotherapy examination, in addition to the Florida Laws and Rules Examination*, with a score approved by the board.
However, it is important to note that while chiropractors graduate from graduate-level health/medical courses, they are not medical doctors. Therefore, they are not qualified to diagnose, treat, or cure anything outside of their training. This training is focused on the neuromuscular and neuromusculoskeletal systems.
What Does a Chiropractor Do?
A chiropractor is trained to diagnose and treat a variety of ailments and issues related to the neuromusculoskeletal system. These ailments may include, but are not limited to: headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, nerve issues, arthritis pain, and more.
When you come in for your chiropractic appointment, your chiropractor will begin by collecting some information from you. The chiropractor will get your medical history, and they’ll ask you some questions about what has been troubling you. The professional may also do a short physical exam. Sometimes, your chiropractor will need to work with your primary care provider, and they may also need to run extra tests, such as x-rays or even blood tests to help support their diagnosis.
Once your chiropractor has a good grip on your issues and your diagnosis, they will work with you to develop a chiropractic treatment plan that works well for everyone involved. This will include in-person chiropractic treatments as well as some possible at-home treatments as well, such as creams, baths, and exercises. Your in-person visits will consist of a variety of movements and techniques using things like pressure, stretching, pulling, pressing, and massage, with or without chiropractic tools.
It should be noted that there are certain times where chiropractic care should be avoided without discussing it with a chiropractor. Some of those times include: following a major spinal injury, or if you suffer with a severely slipped or herniated disk. One should always check with their PCP to ensure that chiropractic care is safe and recommended for them. It’s also worth noting that your chiropractor will also do their own assessment to ensure that your body is able to withstand treatment.
Should full adjustment be deemed unsafe for you, your chiropractor may still have treatments available to you. Chiropractic care ranges in technique and force, and is often adjusted to suit the medical and personal needs of each patient. This allows for a greater depth of treatment, which is perfect for those who may not qualify for standard chiropractic care. Your chiropractor will work to assess which treatments are not only likely to be effective, but also which treatments are safe for you as well.
Overall, a chiropractor works with you and sometimes even your PCP to closely manage your health. A chiropractor will diagnose and treat ailments using chiropractic adjustments and techniques. If followed correctly, these treatments may greatly improve the issues that one suffers from.
What Does a Chiropractic Adjustment Do?
A chiropractic adjustment is made up of a variety of maneuvers and techniques to help relieve neuromusculoskeletal issues. These movements are usually a variety of different applications using a form of force applied quickly to move the joint or spinal column in a way it normally doesn’t. During a chiropractic adjustment, the patient may hear cracking or popping, and may have some sensation of tingling or mild pain.
These adjustments work by using pressure, pulling, stretching, force, and other techniques to alleviate pressure, and adjust alignments. These adjustments work by improving the spinal motion and the body’s physical function. No matter which techniques that your chiropractor uses, they all have the same intentions of manipulating the spinal joints to help improve issues and ailments.
Chiropractors provide a service and fill a gap that traditional medical doctors cannot. While standard medicine is great for many treatments and is essential to modern health and living, chiropractic medicine also has its place. Chiropractic adjustments are a great option when looking to treat many different ailments. Chiropractic care can be used on its own, or in conjunction with other treatments, whether from a standard doctor or not. These treatments are safe and have even been proven to be effective at treating a wide variety of disorders. For many, chiropractic adjustments provide a safe avenue to a happy and healthy life.