What is Chiropractic?

Many people think of Chiropractic as a division of health care that provides relief of back and neck pain without the use of medication or surgery.  While this is true, the scope of chiropractic covers much more.  Let's begin with a definition of Chiropractic.  Chiropractic is a branch of health care that focuses on aligning the spine so that the nervous system can function to the best of its ability, maintaining a healthy state in the body.  The basic premise of chiropractic is very simple.  The human body has an innate, or inborn, ability to heal itself when sick.  However, if the brain can not properly communicate with the rest of the body, the body will not be able to reach its full potential of healing.  The Chiropractor's job is to keep the spine aligned so that the brain can communicate properly with the rest of the body.  When this happens a person can function in a state of maximum health.  So how does the brain communicate with the rest of the body?

Your brain resides at the top of the spinal column and sends a signal to the body through at he spinal cord.  This cord is protected by the vertebrae of the spine.  After a signal from the brain goes through the spinal cord it is transmitted to an organ in the body by way of a nerve that branches off the spinal cord.  Perhaps the message from the brain is going to the lungs.  Then it leaves the spinal cord through a nerve that starts in the mid back.  If the message is going to the intestine it travels through a nerve that leaves the chord in the low back, and so on.  Every nerve that goes to every muscle, gland and organ in the body leaves the spinal chord at various areas in the back.  If the signal from the brain is transmitted through the spine properly, the body will function at its highest potential.  When the body is functioning to the best of its ability without interference in the nervous system, a person is able to maintain a state of wellness.  But what happens if the brain can not send the correct signals to the rest of the body?

Often the vertebrae in your spine, that protect the spinal cord, move out of place.  When this happens, swelling occurs around the nerve that must carry the message from the brain to a particular organ.  If swelling occurs, the nerve is not able to transmit the proper signal to various parts of the body.  A vertebrae out of place, causing swelling and improper nerve transmission is called a vertebrae subluxation.  Subluxations of the spine cause improper signals to be sent from the brain through nerves to the rest of the body.  When this happens the body can not function to the best of its ability and it often becomes sick.  For example, if a vertebrae in your mid back was out of place and swelling occurred around a nerve in that area, you might feel pain and tightness.  But what if that nerve was going to your lungs and the swelling around the nerve was not allowing the brain to send the message that was needed.  Could you experience a problem in your respiratory system?  The answer is yes.  What if your spinal problem was in the lower back and there was swelling around the nerve that traveled to the intestine?  Could you experience digestive trouble?  Yes, absolutely.  Obviously, in order to function to the best of your ability and maintain a state of health and wellness, it is necessary for the vertebrae in your spine to be properly aligned.  Hence the importance of chiropractic care.

A Chiropractor is the only doctor trained in aligning the vertebrae of the spine.  Chiropractors are highly trained individuals with years of clinical experience.  Chiropractors use their hands and sometimes instruments to deliver a very specific movement to an area of the spine that is subluxated in order to restore proper alignment.  This is called a spinal adjustment.  When a Chiropractor performs an adjustment to the neck, mid back, or low back, on a vertebrae misaligned, the vertebrae moves back into place and swelling around the nerve subsides.  When the swelling decreases, the signal from the brain can properly travel through the nerve to the part of the body with which it is communicating.  Thus the body can function at its highest potential and maintain its innate, or inborn ability to heal itself.  Unlocking this innate potential is the most important thing Chiropractors can provide for their patients.  Simply stated, a Chiropractor's job is to find the misaligned vertebrae and put it back into place, allowing the brain the properly communicate with the rest of the body, and thus allowing a person to function in a state of health and wellness.