What does a chiropractic adjustment actually do?

While there's a lot of misinformation about what happens during chiropractic manipulation, the last decade of research can clear some of it up. Turns out there's a lot more to it than getting joints to cavitate.

There is a common misconception that chiropractic manipulation works to ‘put joints back in place’ or to restore ‘alignment’. We all wish it was that easy, but unfortunately this has not been supported by research. While some spinal ailments respond very well to a quick adjustment or two based upon improving movement of a ‘stuck’ or irritated joint space; this regrettably isn’t the case for typical back pain. The majority of spine pain involves a much more complicated process.

Statistically speaking, the bulk of lower back pain involves a discogenic source. This means that the lumbar intervertebral disc is injured, ageing, or degenerative. While disc bulges, protrusions, herniations, and extrusions all mean very different things; our treatment is all geared toward the same outcome. What has been supported by research is our ability through the adjustment to provide strong reflex analgesia and improve vascular turnover in the areas involved with blood supply to the disc.

Patients with lower back pain more than likely have experienced it in the past. For some, back pain is a daily occurrence and unfortunately some days are much worse than others. What we need to be able to understand is that these conditions are complex, and complex conditions require proper treatment, patient education, and patience. Our patients hear this from us all of the time; “back pain is not curable, but it can be manageable”.