Why an adjustment?
The most common reason to need a chiropractor is that there is a trauma to the joint or tissues surrounding it. Trauma which can be caused by anything from falling down, to running to far, to standing or sitting too long at work. With that trauma, your body locks the injured joints and muscles down and brings inflammation to the area. It is the body's natural response to keep you from being able to move and injure that area any further. That inflammation and restriction in motion causes pain in the area, and a disruption in the nerves and tissues.
You might start to notice other areas of your body that are hurting now separate from where the pain began! These are known as compensation injuries. Because the area you injured isn't functioning properly now, the joints and muscles near it have to pick up the slack to keep you moving. With that extra load comes extra stress, and often pain.
The Adjustment
The chiropractor finds those areas of dysfunction where the joint isn't working properly and gets them moving again! Using his hands he applies a fast and light thrust to the joint to restore normal motion. This sometimes causes a "pop" sound when some air leaves the joint, much like cracking your knuckles.
This adjustment helps to relax the muscles surrounding the joint, reduce the inflammation, and get the nerves working correctly again! All of this is to get the different parts of your body working together, evenly distribute the load, and do the jobs they are supposed to do.
The most common reason to need a chiropractor is that there is a trauma to the joint or tissues surrounding it. Trauma which can be caused by anything from falling down, to running to far, to standing or sitting too long at work. With that trauma, your body locks the injured joints and muscles down and brings inflammation to the area. It is the body's natural response to keep you from being able to move and injure that area any further. That inflammation and restriction in motion causes pain in the area, and a disruption in the nerves and tissues.
You might start to notice other areas of your body that are hurting now separate from where the pain began! These are known as compensation injuries. Because the area you injured isn't functioning properly now, the joints and muscles near it have to pick up the slack to keep you moving. With that extra load comes extra stress, and often pain.
The Adjustment
The chiropractor finds those areas of dysfunction where the joint isn't working properly and gets them moving again! Using his hands he applies a fast and light thrust to the joint to restore normal motion. This sometimes causes a "pop" sound when some air leaves the joint, much like cracking your knuckles.
This adjustment helps to relax the muscles surrounding the joint, reduce the inflammation, and get the nerves working correctly again! All of this is to get the different parts of your body working together, evenly distribute the load, and do the jobs they are supposed to do.