Chiropractic is not about stiff necks and bad backs. It can absolutely help with those, but the true focus of chiropractic is actually nervous system function. Pain and stiffness are symptoms of a deeper underlying problem. Also, when it comes to pain, it is generally one of the last symptoms to surface and the first to dissipate; however, it is crucial that you understand that the absence of pain (or illness) is not equal to health.
We all understand that the brain controls everything in our body, sending (and receiving) messages along the spinal cord and over the nerves. That spinal cord is protected by 24(!) individually moveable bones (called vertebrae) and a pair of nerves passes in between each of them. Why is this a big deal? The only other place in your body where a nerve passes though moveable bone is your elbow—ever hit your “funny bone”? The tiniest amount of pressure on a nerve can reduce its ability to carry messages to/from the brain by up to 60%, and that is after only 15 minutes!
There are essentially three causes of vertebrae becoming misaligned to the point that they interfere with your nerves (this is called vertebral subluxation): thoughts, traumas, and toxins.
When the brain cannot send and receive information to and from the body 100% (both quantity and quality), that will affect function. Most people immediately correlate this to pain, but remember that only a small percentage of nerves are responsible for processing pain sensation. Muscle function and movement, respiration, circulation, digestion, reproductive function, balance and proprioception (your body’s ability to determine its position), cognitive function, sensory coordination, immune function… this is what chiropractic is really about: helping the body attain its optimal level of function by relieving interference to the nervous system.
Call us today to get your spine checked. Your body will thank you!
