Chiropractic Adjustment / Spinal Manipulation
A vital part to most of the treatment plans at Blue Mountain Family Chiropractic is the chiropractic adjustment, also known as spinal manipulation. This procedure helps to improve mobility and function, as well as decrease tightness and pain.
Due to wear and tear on our bodies, joints of the spine can become 'jammed' or 'locked up'. This in turn can cause a pinching feeling in the neck and back or tightness. It can also lead to muscle tightness in the surrounding areas. A simple comparison of this phenomenon would be to think about a football or basketball player that catches a ball off the tip of their finger and 'jams' it. Once jammed the finger is very painful and hard to move. It doesn't feel better until the player can pull and 'pop' it out or have someone pull it for them. To a certain extent, this is similar to joints in the spine. They become 'jammed' and don't feel better until the chiropractor is able to 'pop' the joints and make them feel better.
The 'popping' of the joint is what causes the sound heard when an adjustment is performed. The sound is produced when the joint surfaces are temporarily pulled apart creating an open space and release of built up gases, similar to the pop heard when opening a can of soda. Initially patients feel and hear many of these pops in areas where there is a great deal of tightness. Then, as they progress through several visits, less and less pops are heard because the area begins to move better and dissipate these gases on its own.
Related links:
http://www.spine-dr.com/site/alt/chiro_article2.html