Chiropractic is a healthcare profession concerned with the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disorders of your muscles, bones and joints and the effect they can have on your nervous system, spine, general health and well-being.
A common misconception about chiropractic is that it is only used for treating back and neck pain. Although these are common complaints in a chiropractic office, the principle can be applied to all the joints of the body from head to toe.
Chiropractic treatment mainly involves safe, often gentle, specific adjustments, done by hand, to free joints of the spine or other areas of the body that are not moving properly.
Most often, this requires a short thrust to a joint that can result in an audible ‘crack’ or ‘pop’ as the joint is released. This can bring immediate relief of pain and other symptoms. The ‘crack’ or ‘pop’ is simply the sound of bubbles popping in the fluid of the joint as the pressure is released.
Chiropractic treatment helps to correct the postural imbalance created by every day activities, peoples ‘bad habits’, or specific traumas. The treatment is typically pain-free, and usually requires a short thrust to the affected area. Your chiropractor will also use soft tissue techniques to treat the surrounding musculature, if your individual case requires.
People usually require a course of treatment to resolve their symptoms, and the number of treatments is dependent on the length of time they have had their problem.