Chiropractic Adjustment

About Chiropractic Adjustment

The goal of a chiropractice adjustment, otherwise known as spinal manipulation, is to correct subluxations found along the spine.  The chiropractor will place pressure with his/her palms to the areas that are not aligned properly.  This quick and forceful motion will place the subluxations back into their proper positioning.  The role of the chiropractice treatment is to open the vertebrae so it can function more freely.  When muscles connect to the vertebrae, they tend to pull the back bone out of alignment which causes pain.  There are many different ways to do a spinal adjustment and each chiropractor tends to do it differently than the other.  Some may ask their patients to sit up, while others will ask them to lie down.  Some chiropractors may use stationary tables and others will use movable tables, it just depends on the chiropractor. 

Will it hurt?   

Most spinal manipulations use gentle force and light pressure; therefore the procedure is painless.  Patients will generally hear a popping sound, but that doesn’t mean it is painful.  The ‘pop’ noise is just tiny pockets of gas releasing, which is completely normal for every patient.  Patients who are tense may feel a slight discomfort, but overall the session should be completely free of pain.  As treatment continues over several weeks, the ‘popping’ noise may decrease.  This doesn’t mean that the treatment is no longer effective, but instead that the treatment is working and returning the vertebrae back to normal.