How does the adjustment work?

One of the most common questions that I get is how does the adjustment work? Bear with me as this goes from least nerdy to most nerdy.

So let's talk about it in its most basic terms. In its most basic terms a chiropractic adjustment gaps the joints that are restricted or non-mobile. This allows a small amount of movement where the joint was not able to move usually no more than a few millimeters. If you can't tolerate the manual adjustments, you may instead receive mild or non-force techniques. You may hear a popping noise during a chiropractic adjustment but, contrary to popular belief, that’s not the sound of cracking bones. It’s the formation of gas from the spinal joints when they are “gapped”. The nerdy term for this is tribonucleation.

Getting even nerdier and diving deep into what an adjustment does... The adjustment distracts the facet joints(spinal joints) as we talked about before but it also causes intradiscal pressure to decrease briefly which can be helpful for disc bulges. Forceful stretching of the paraspinal muscles occurs, which induces relaxation via spinal nerves and stretch reflexes. 

Last and most nerdiest but also least understood is the effect on the brain. Studies have measured associated responses of hypoalgesia (less pain) and sympathetic activity on the supraspinal mechanisms which is a part of your brain that includes the anterior cingular cortex (ACC), amygdala, periaqueductal gray (PAG), and rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) which are considered instrumental in the pain experience. This is why some studies have shown changes in the opioid system (pain relief), dopamine production (pleasure hormone), and central nervous system.

I know all of this was very nerdy but if you have any specific questions please ask your Oak Ridge Spine and Sport.