What Does A Chiropractor Actually Do?

So, what does a chiropractor actually do? Well Redmond chiropractors work with the spine and the nervous system. The reason why we do that is because the spine has two purposes. Number one, the spine is going to support you, which of course is your posture. The second thing the spine does is protect the delicate nerves.

The Brain Heals

The brain controls the healing of the entire body. It does that by sending energy down the spine, which goes out to the nerves. This affects the muscles in your back, but it also affects the nerves going down your legs and going down your arms. A lot of people don’t realize that nerves also go up to your head, which can cause headaches. In addition the spine transmit signals to the nerves in your muscles and to every single internal organ. That’s right! All the organs are fed and given life too, by the nerves in your spine.

When your spine is in good condition, your body should function at its best. We call that 100% function or 100% health. However, various stresses can cause the bones in your spine to shift position. This can be caused by something sudden like a car accident, a sports injury, or a jolt or fall. It can also be caused by something repetitive over time like poor sleeping positions, or carrying a backpack or a purse, or sitting over a desk for many hours, or texting constantly. That spine shifting is called subluxation. Subluxation is like the word dislocation when you think of your shoulder. The spine, however, is not going completely out of alignment. Often the spine will become just slightly misaligned, but doesn’t mean it’s a slight problem. Even minor subluxation can cause the power flow down those nerves to become interrupted.

Subluxation Causes All Kinds Of Symptoms

Signal interruption such as this can cause pain throughout the body and in places you might not expect. Those suffering from subluxation though will often complain of back, neck, arm, or shoulder pain. The pain though can often manifest as headaches, arm numbness, tingling, coldness, weakness. It can affect your legs causing afflictions like sciatica. Spinal nerve interruption can even cause digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome or gas or bloating or constipation or diarrhea. It can affect urinary issues such as increased frequency of urination. It can cause reproductive issues as well. The nerves in the mid back can influence the stomach, which can cause reflux, heartburn, indigestion. The nerves in your lower neck affect your heart and your lungs. The nerves in your upper neck and affect your sinuses eyes, ears, nose, and throat.

Does that mean that chiropractic can cure all those things? No, absolutely not. In fact, chiropractic doesn’t “cure” anything. Chiropractors believe in the body’s ability to heal itself. A chiropractor’s job is to locate and detect these areas of nerve pressure, remove that pressure, and allow the body to work it’s own magic.

Get Properly Evaluated

The only way you can tell if you have this misalignment or pressure is to get properly evaluated. That is because the most common mistake people make is when they judge their problem based upon where the pain is. The reality of it is that 90% of the nerves that come out of your spine do not tell the body about pain. This Means you could have problems in areas of your body and feel nothing.

Untreated Spines Lead To Compensation

Another thing to realize is that if you have a problem in one area, you tend to shift your posture off of that painful area. This is called compensating. One problem not corrected leads to other problems as well. Your Issaquah chiropractor will do a very thorough history. We’ll do a proper evaluation. We’ll look at your posture and likely take some x-rays to see specifically how those areas are misaligned.

Please realize there are different types of chiropractors out there. Some chiropractors are very pain focused. They will focus just on the site of pain. They can be very effective at relieving pain and will often treat their patients intermittently as pain comes and goes. Unfortunately, that’s where the care ends. A corrective chiropractor will take a more holistic approach to treating the body. We’ll make sure that all areas are functioning on eight cylinders.