A chiropractic adjustment is an alternative procedure in which chiropractors apply a controlled, sudden force to a spinal joint using their hands (manual therapy) or a small instrument. Also known as spinal manipulation, this procedure aims to improve the movement of the spinal cord and enhance the physical function of your body.
The most common problems for which patients seek chiropractic therapy include low back pain, neck pain, and headaches (tension headaches and migraine).
What is cracking during a chiropractic adjustment?
The joints allow our body to move smoothly, not with jerky and rigid movements like a robot. That doesn't happen without a couple of steps we may take for granted. To aid in our movement, the body naturally develops synovial fluid for lubricating joints. Gasses are formed during this fluid creation process. Pressure builds up as the body produces the synovial fluid it needs for the joints to work at full capacity.
This much-needed synovial fluid is allowed to flow throughout the joint during a chiropractic adjustment, providing pain and inflammation relief to the patient. Sometimes, you may hear a' crack' as the joint releases gas that was formed during the synovial fluid creation process. The vibration or clicking sound you hear is the result of a sudden change in pressure being handled inside the joint when gas leaves the joint.
This gas release is called “cavitation.” Patients can often feel the pressure changes in the joints and report a pleasant, relaxing feeling. Cavitation is actually how your body thanks you when direct and deliberate pressure to the spinal cord is provided.
Chiropractic care functions throughout the body to relieve pressure. As pressure continues to decrease, pain and inflammation also diminish. Treatment is designed to enable the body re-establish its natural health-care procedures. Chiropractic holistic care is provided by working closely on individual portions of the body - such as spinal and cervical joints - allowing them to function together within their naturally designed parameters.
Chiropractic therapy gives a subtle reminder of how the movements within each joint should be made. Sometimes slightly askew, inflamed joints can send signals of pain to warn us they are not fully equipped to send nerve signals through the central nervous system. This does not mean that we can not move our bodies, or the joint is inoperable. Rather, within a joint, we may not maintain the highest level of functionality.
Trained chiropractors use their knowledge of the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems to bring direct healing to individual body parts. This provides pain relief, gives an increased range of movement on spinal joints, and improves nerve flow throughout the body.
Such gentle movements made by chiropractors are healthy and painless and provide a natural source of vitality and health. Chiropractic adjustment may be provided for healing joints after injury, decreasing pain and inflammation in chronic ailments and slowing down the natural process of spinal deterioration. As the body heals, you will, of course, feel new and different sensations.
