An adjustment given in a Chiropractic office is different than a "manipulation" given in by a physical therapist, medical doctor or osteopath. What makes it unique is both the analysis to determine where and when to adjust different areas of the spine and the benefits you can expect to receive.
Structure
One aspect of a chiropractic adjustment involves your structure. Your body is an intricately designed system. The vertebrae serve to protect the spinal cord and nerves as they exit the spine, and provide structure for movement. Your entire upper body from the waist up is supported by the spine.
When you experience stress in your life, which could be physical, chemical or mental/emotional in nature, it can cause misalignments of the spine and put pressure on the nerve system. This is called a vertebral subluxation. Over time the function of the involved nerves is damaged and your body cannot communicate with itself effectively. This leads to stress inside the body, or dis-ease. If a pain nerve is involved you may have an awareness of this tension, but often it goes unnoticed for days, weeks, months, or even years. The longer vertebral subluxations are allowed to exist the more impact they can have on your life and health.
Function - Proper Communication
Information travels through your body over nerve pathways. If the nerve is un-interfered with and the messages are sent clearly you have the greatest chance of a well functioning body and vibrant life experience.
When spinal nerves become compromised their ability to transfer information from the body to the brain and brain to the body becomes limited. You begin to function less efficiently. As one system of your body becomes compromised, other systems must work harder. Over time it can lead to loss of energy, poor sleep, general irritability, or other symptomatic expressions. Or you may have no awareness of it at all. This is one of the major reasons it is important to have your spine and nerve system checked by a chiropractor so subluxations can be discovered and corrected even if they do not produce obvious symptoms.
Causes of Spinal Misalignments
3 T'sTraumas - (Physical)Thoughts - (Emotional)Toxins - (Chemical)An overload of any of these stressors has a major impact on central nervous system function via spinal misalignment. Most obvious is physical trauma. Jars, jolts and other impacts - even microtraumas such as poor posture and positioning - affect spinal alignment, and therefore directly impact nerve sysetem function. Stressful thoughts and emotions have a direct relationship with body physiology as well. they create an overstimulated nerve system, tensing muscles and misaligning the spine, thereby impairing nerve system function. Toxic overload, in the form of poor foods, drinks and medicines also affects normal body function, with a consequent neuro-muscular reaction, resulting in spinal misalignment and nerve system impairment.
Spina misalignment causes distress to the central nervous system and can therefore affect normal nerve activity and function. Spinal misalignments also cause a decrease in normal spinal movement, and this, too, has great impact on nerve system function. This decrease in normal spinal movement affects proprioceptive activity in the nerve system, which is necessary for communication between the spine and brain and allows a variety of neurological functions to be accomplished. If spinal motion is impaired, brain function will also be compromised.
Community
The "Big Idea" behind a Chiropractic adjustment goes even beyond nerve function. What Chiropractors have known through experience for decades and research is now showing is that chiropractic adjustments affect well being.
Each time you receive a chiropractic adjustment it has a positive effect on your brain function and balance. Specific corrections to the spine help clam an overexcited brain, and stimulate an under-excited one. As you begin to think more clearly, it becomes easier to make positive changes in your life. Other research shows that people under regular chiropractic care spontaneously begin to shift their life towards health. They are able to quit smoking, eat better, exercise more, have more patience with their spouse, partner and children.
Having good internal communication can make other areas of your life more effective as well. As you are an expression of the Divine, the healthier you become the more able you are to do the work you were meant to do on this planet. It may even become more clear to you what that work is as the tension in your body is reduced and your ability to "tune in" increases. By supporting your Inner Wisdom you may create a more rewarding and fulfilling connection to your own spirituality.
Healthy people make healthy decisions. Sick people make sick decisions. Where do you want to be? When we as individuals make better decisions, we help create healthier families. When healthy families interact, they create healthier communities. Healthier communities create healthier towns, states, nations, and ultimately a more balanced and loving world. The developer of Chiropractic stated that we can never know how something we see, think or do today can affect the lives of millions tomorrow.
This is the Big Idea of Chiropractic. By changing ourselves we begin to change the world. By shining our light brighter we help dissipate the darkness. We can change the world a spine at a time.