What is Chiropractic?
The definition of Chiropractic actually originates from the Greek language. It means effective treatment by hand. Chiropractic treatment is a conservative, natural, alternative type of medicine that doesn’t utilize surgery or pharmaceutical drugs. Chiropractic care focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous system. Some common disorders that chiropractors treat include: neck pain, back pain, arm and leg pain, headaches, and any joint pain in the body.
Chiropractic optimizes and maintains healthy biomechanics of the human structure. Look at the human body as structural and functional units—without a normal structure, you cannot expect to have normal function. For example, poor posture can lead to a limited range of motion, chronic muscle tightness and weakness, chronic fatigue, and can reduce the lungs capacity to produce oxygen.
VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION COMPLEX (VSC)
VSC is an abnormal structure or misalignment of the spine called vertebral subluxations. There are five components that contribute to the spinal subluxation complex.
Spinal/Bone component
Due to bad postural habits, joint degeneration [narrowing of joint space] and trauma/injury, misalignment or vertebra fixation can commonly occur.
Neuropathology/Nerve System component
VSC can create nerve compression. Nerve compression alters the transport of nutrients to targeted areas of the body. This creates pain, numbness, and tingling sensations.
Myopathology/Muscle/Soft Tissue component
Muscles get nutrients and are controlled by the nerve system. We know that VSC has an effect on nervous system. Improperly nourished muscles create muscle spasms and muscle weakness. Soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments and connective tissue become damaged over time with the misalignment of vertebra through over-stretching or spraining.
Histopathology component
VSC creates inflammation, edema, or swelling of the local region.
Pathophysiology/Pathology component
The above four components generally cause degeneration of joints and local irritation and affect the body as a whole, losing the body’s homeostasis (the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes).
WHO BENEFITS FROM CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
Chiropractic care benefits virtually everyone. Chiropractic care can be used as preventive medicine by optimizing the body’s homeostasis, and is proven to reduce stress, improve relaxation, the range of motion, and quality of daily living.
Chiropractic care not only treats pain, but promotes wellness and the prevention of the next injury by treating the root cause of the problem. Office workers and students who work at a desk are examples of the benefit from chiropractic care. Prolonged use of computers alters good posture, as the head tends to extend forward with rounded shoulders. Poor posture will increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and shoulders. This creates imbalanced muscle strength in the neck, upper back, and the chest. Eventually, the cervical and thoracic spine become deformed. This can be corrected with chiropractic adjustment, rehabilitation of involved muscles, and education of proper posture.