Chiropractic care is all about improving range of motion in the joints. We treat a lot of patients with pain in the hips, knees, feet, ankles, shoulders, elbows and wrists. Essentially, if that joint moves a chiropractor is going to be able to evaluate it, treat it, and take care of it.
When we have poor joint function, it increases the stress and tension in the joint and the soft tissue and then the muscles, ligaments, tendons and the soft discs have to work harder. While muscles work harder, they break down faster, which creates more adhesion. And then we’re back on that hamster wheel, adhesion, limited range of motion, increased stress and tension. So essentially by having a joint that’s stuck, it’s out of alignment, it’s not moving, it can create pain in that area, but also it can affect other areas.
For example, if your left hip joint is really jammed up and it’s not moving well the knee might compensate, it might have to shift inwards, shift forwards, or might have to move too much. So then that can create knee pain. Poor knee function can create foot and ankle pain and/or vice versa. So, the kinetic chain, the lumbar pelvic spine down or the cervical thoracic spine, shoulders, the neck, head, and upper back, they’re all units who work together.
In the spine, in between those vertebrae we have discs. Well, when we sit all day, for example, our corporate athletes, we all sit too much in flexion, leaning forward, it increases disc pressure, so not only is it increasing disc pressure, then those joints lock up, they don’t move well due to sedentary activity. Well, those discs start to degenerate, they get subsequently dehydrated. The collagenous tissue that keeps the disc fluid in the central part of the disc starts to get all brittle and starts to break down.
By seeing a chiropractor and getting your spine adjusted, it gets the joint moving and actually creates stimulation within the joint, which creates osmosis, which gets the discs full of fluid, which can create healthy discs. We need healthy discs to absorb gravity, the shock-absorber of the spine. By getting adjusted, not just once, repetitively, you can improve joint mechanics, improve health within the disc, and stimulate all the postural muscles in the spine.
Chiropractors always have to look above and below the joint to figure out exactly what is driving the pain and dysfunction. A prerequisite of a healthy joint is full range of motion. Chiropractors are versed in adjusting and addressing joint mobility in every joint, head to toe. If it moves, a chiropractor is going to be able to get that joint manipulated and moving. Motion is literally lotion. We’re built to move. So physically move and also get your spine and your joints moved by a chiropractor through a spinal manipulation.
We will create a roadmap to get you from pain to function. In our office it typically involves spinal adjustments, spinal traction, soft tissue therapy, and physical therapy. This blended approach addresses the four key pieces, which is good joint function through the adjustments, good spinal alignment through spinal traction, healthy muscle tissue through soft tissue therapy, and then balanced muscle strength through physical therapy. When you blend that together, you can create really great, objective results that correct a patient’s conditions, both in the short and long term.
