Here are answers to some common questions.
Please ask us about anything that is on your mind.

Are all patients adjusted the same way?
Can I adjust myself?
Can I get chiropractic care if I’ve had back surgery?
Can the bones move too much?
Do I have a pinched nerve?
Do I have a slipped disc?
How does chiropractic work?
How many adjustments will I need?
What is the sound that is made during the adjustment?
What is an adjustment?
Who can Chiropractic help?
Why do I have pain in my arms and hands after a whiplash injury?
Will adjustments make my spine too loose?

Are all patients adjusted the same way?
No. Each patient’s spine and care plan is unique. With 24 moving bones in the spine, each of which can move in seven different directions, we see a wide variety of spinal patterns. Each patient’s care is custom-tailored for their age, condition and health goals.

Can I adjust myself?
No. Some patients can make their joints “pop” but that’s not an adjustment! Our doctors adjust each other regularly.

Can I get chiropractic care if I’ve had back surgery?
Yes. The chiropractor will avoid areas of your spine surgically modified. However, surgery often causes instability above or below the involved level. These “reactions” will be the focus of your chiropractic care.

Can the bones move too much?
Highly unlikely. A chiropractic adjustment is special. It has the right amount of energy, delivered to an exact spot, at a precise angle, at just the right time. The intent is to get a “stuck” spinal joint moving again, helping reduce nerve interference. Years of training, practice and experience make chiropractic adjustments specific and safe.

Do I have a pinched nerve?
A pinched nerve is rare. It is more likely that an adjacent spinal bone irritates, stretches, rubs, or chafes a nerve. These subluxations distort the nerve messages sent between the brain and the body. This can produce unhealthy alterations to the organs and tissues connected by the affected nerves.

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Do I have a slipped disc?
The disc is a soft pulpy “shock absorber.” It has a fibrous outer ring which holds in a jelly-like material. A “slipped disc” is a common way to refer to a wide variety of disc problems. However, a disc can’t slip because of the way it attaches to the spinal bones above and below it. A disc can bulge. It can tear. It can herniate. It can thin. It can dry out. And it can collapse. But it can’t slip.

How does chiropractic work?
Chiropractic works because you are a self-healing, self-regulating organism controlled by your nervous system. Millions of instructions flow from your brain, down the spinal cord and out to every organ and tissue. Signals sent back to the brain confirm if your body is working right. Improper motion or position of the moving bones of the spine called a subluxation can interfere with this vital exchange by irritating nerves and compromising the function of affected organs and tissues. Specific spinal adjustments can help improve mind/body communications. Health often returns with improved nervous system control of the body. Subluxations can take years to develop. Focus your energies on how to correct the problem, not how long.

How many adjustments will I need?
The number of adjustments varies with each patient and their individual health goals. Many patients sense progress within a week or two of frequent visits. Visits become less often as your spine stabilizes. In chronic cases, complete healing can take months or even years.

What is the sound that is made during the adjustment?
Lubricating fluids separate the bones of each spinal joint. Some adjusting methods can produce a sound when the gas and fluids in the joint shift. It’s like opening a soda can or removing a suction cup. The sound is interesting, but isn’t a guide to the quality or value of the adjustment.

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What is an adjustment?
Chiropractic adjustments usually involve a quick thrust that helps add motion to spinal joints that aren’t moving correctly. Some methods use the doctor’s hands, an instrument, a special table or the force of gravity. There are many ways to adjust the spine.

Who can Chiropractic help?
Improved nerve communications between your brain and your body can help everyone. So, if you have subluxations, you could be a good candidate for chiropractic care. Modified adjusting approaches can help children, the elderly or those with special needs.

Why do I have pain in my arms and hands after a whiplash injury?
Because the nerves to the arms and hands exit the spine through the injured area of the neck. Numbness and tingling are common. Even lover back pain can result directly from the trauma or as a reaction to the loss of proper spinal curves.

Will adjustments make my spine too loose?
No. Only the spinal joints that are “locked up” receive adjustments. This allows weakened muscles and ligaments to stabilize and heal.

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