Get well and stay well with regular chiropractic care
For some, Chiropractic has been a part of their life since they were born. Their parents had them checked when they were a baby/child, and they maintained their regular adjustments (just like their regular dentist teeth cleaning) because it was part of their healthy lifestyle… they didn’t consider any different.
For others, Chiropractic is brand new! They have started to learn the amazing health benefits that can be achieved by having a properly aligned spine and fully functioning nervous system, but they still might have questions… it’s perfectly normal.
In order to help out, here are 3 questions/MISCONCEPTIONS when it comes to what you can expect with your Chiropractic care. (If you have any other questions, please leave us a comment in the section below and we will do our best to answer it for you.)
1. My pain is now gone, so I guess I don’t need to be adjusted anymore?
No. In all of the nerves that you have in your body, only 10% of them are responsible for feeling pain, so what about the proper functioning of the other 90%? The belief that we are healthy if we are pain-free or symptom-free is wrong. There are many conditions that produce NO PAIN or symptoms unless you are in the end-stages of the disease or dying (i.e. heart disease, cancer – by the way, these two alone kill 5 out of 6 people in Canada!) What if you eat “bad” chicken? You will probably spend the next 12 hours in the washroom, and feel very SICK, but the reality is that you are having a HEALTHY response; your body is getting rid of the toxins as quickly as it can. Yes, one of the components of your care is to get you out of pain or to help with any symptoms that you may be experiencing, but the ultimate goal is to improve function of the brain-body connection. By doing this, your body can function the way it’s supposed to, whether it’s fighting off cancer cells or sending you to the washroom, but you will be TRULY healthy!
2. I didn’t feel very “different” after my adjustment. Is it doing anything?
Trust us, yes! Healing takes time, it’s a process. As long as you follow our planned adjustment schedule and you follow through on the postural exercises that you are supposed to be doing at home, we are expecting good results. Every adjustment builds on the last one, that’s why it’s so crucial that you maintain your adjustment schedule. We utilize special Chiropractic tables and instruments that are specifically designed to minimize any “pressure” that you may feel during your adjustments. If you would see some of the old Chiropractic tables that were used in the 1890’s, you would probably have a “bug-eyed” look on your face. The adjustments are not designed to be rough. They are designed to be specific. Even though you might wonder if the light force used is doing something, because sometimes we believe bigger is better, or more forceful is better in the case, it’s not necessary. Some people notice immediate changes after an adjustment, others not so much. That’s ok. Everybody is different… from their initial concerns, to the initial status of their spine, to how their body reacts. Again, just follow the course laid out and change will come!
3. Can I only do the spinal rehabilitation exercises and skip my adjustments?
No. The adjustments are designed to restore proper function and mobility to the joints in the spine. If your spine is subluxated (misaligned), it will create a cascade reaction of compensations in your body – inflammation, decreased mobility, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, proprioception issues (your body is not getting the proper messages to your brain of where it is in time/space), over-exaggerated pain response, etc.. Your spinal rehabilitation exercises are designed to address the soft tissues (ligaments and muscles) surrounding your spine. With months to years of misalignments in the spine, they need to be retrained to their original, normal structure. If we don’t address this component, we can adjust you, and we will see changes, but we wouldn’t be addressing all the CAUSES. Remember, it’s not just getting rid of the pain or the symptom that is important; it’s about correcting the cause of the problem. So you see, the adjustments and the spinal rehabilitation exercises work hand in hand. One does not replace the other.
We hope this helped to clear up any questions you might have. Again, if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. The more you understand the “why” behind your care, the better results you will have.