What Is An Adjustment?

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Some basic truths about the chiropractic adjustment

Spinal adjustments, spinal manipulations, cracky backy -whatever you want to call it – are all doing the same thing: talking to your nervous system.  Adjustments feel great but the education and intention behind them is far more important than what is actually going on in your tissue. 

What you see: HVLA thrust at a joint in its end range of motion.

What you hear is called cavitation.

The popping noise is simply a gas bubble forming in the fluid surrounding your joints. The force and resulting sound may have you thinking that we’re moving bones around, (and fixing you) but we are actually just providing stimulation to your nervous system. 

If the positive effects are very short-term, what is the point of an adjustment?

The most important thing is that the adjustment will allow you to move easier, which gives you time to create strength and stability in the area. By having this short term relief, you will be able to see your body’s capabilities. This sends a different message to your brain; telling it you can move through this range of motion and access this range all on your own. Can you get that short term relief without an adjustment? 10000000% yes. You just need to find the ways that work best for your body and mind! 

But can’t chiro’s find the exact location that NEEDS to be adjusted?!?

First off, and this is an important note to remember, nobody needs an adjustment. It is a nice pain-relieving tool, but it is not changing your bone structure or fixing anything. Chiropractors do not fix you, because you are not broken. Additionally, while some might have you believe that adjustments are very specific, evidence actually shows that we are not specific in our adjustments and the method of adjustment is irrelevant. The evidence also shows that they don’t need to be specific to have an effect!

So, if adjustments aren’t realigning me, then what in the world is happening?

Adjustments provide neurological input and stimulation to the nervous system. They talk to your nervous system and deliver sensory messages. This allows for a possible short term increase in range of motion and pain relief. 

But you swear you’ve seen  “changes in alignment” after an adjustment… 

After an adjustment, your body is moving differently due to the recent nervous system stimulation. This can show up as a shift in a leg length or an untilted head. It is important to realize these ‘alignment changes’ are short term and you can get to that point without the adjustment. 

Another reason for this change is something called Practitioner Implicit Bias. This is the unconscious bias that affects our actions in a way contrary to our intentions.  An example of this is when Chiropractors re-check your leg length and have that AHA moment that they are the “same length” now. In reality, they are not trying to scam you. They genuinely believe and see that change, but it is really just their implicit bias. 

Are all Chiropractors just lying to get money?

Most chiro’s do not intentionally scam you, but subconsciously, they may. To prevent yourself from getting scammed, look for a provider that educates you about your body, provides resources for mindset shifts, and promotes overall movement. Pain is not always mechanical or physical, it is also not always a bad thing. Don’t get manipulated by the scam providers 😉

Now you may be asking: why even go to a chiropractor? 

Believe it or not, chiropractors have a very thorough education on the human body, including the brain-body connection. I repeat, we can not realign your bones (you can’t realign something that never went out of alignment), but we can guide you in a direction to shift your mindset and educate you on your body’s capabilities. We can help people process through their struggles differently than they would on their own. By talking to the nervous system, we help the system achieve a place it may not have gotten to in a very long time, allowing you to gain that strength and stability your body is craving. One amazing thing that chiropractors are extensively trained at is ruling out red flags. We spend more time with you than a PCP will and can get to know you on a more personal level. This gives us the ability to truly get to the cause of your issues and reassure you that nothing is wrong with you, or find a plan if something serious is going on. We are here to listen, redirect, educate and support you through the pains of life. 

So, is adjusting safe? 

For most people, yes, but proper informed consent should ALWAYS be given. You should be aware of any risks that may accompany an adjustment prior to receiving one. Chiropractors spend a lot of time in school learning about red flags and reasons not to adjust someone (contraindications). Unfortunately, there is good and bad in every profession. Many chiropractors are not practicing within their scope, and are doing contraindicated adjustments. Adjusting Hypermobile Necks would fall into the contraindicated category. Please ensure you have been given proper informed consent before any form of spinal manipulation.

All information from this post is based on the current evidence supported in the following studies 

2 thoughts on “What Is An Adjustment?”

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