Poor posture and sitting for long periods are common causes of spinal misalignments. A chiropractor can help correct these misalignments and improve posture to help relieve headache symptoms and prevent them from occurring in the future.
Neck adjustments are performed by manipulating your cervical vertebrae in order to improve mobility in the joints. This is usually done as you lie comfortably on your back in a relaxed position. The chiropractor touches your neck and rotates your head from side to side in a controlled motion.
Chiropractic adjustments are safe when they are done by someone trained and licensed to do chiropractic care. Serious complications linked to chiropractic adjustments are rare.
Most chiropractors can easily spot a subluxation, as body posture reflects any misalignment.
It depends on the type of injury you have when you visit the chiropractor. Bone injuries heal the quickest at 5-6 weeks. Ligament and tendon injuries take a little longer than that, needing 6-8 weeks. Discs and cartilage will take the longest and need at least three months to heal.
One of the most common indicators of a misaligned neck is persistent neck pain and stiffness. Misalignment in the cervical spine can put strain on the surrounding muscles and joints, resulting in a dull ache or, at times, sharper pain.
Some patients enjoy regular adjustments every four weeks while others find every two weeks beneficial. At Advanced Medical of Twin Cities, we will work with you to determine just how often you need to get your neck adjusted.
🚩Communication Red Flags
Clear and open communication is key to good chiropractic care. If a chiropractor doesn't listen, explain treatments, or discourage questions, that's a warning sign. 🛑 Doesn't Listen – If a chiropractor rushes through appointments and ignores your concerns, they aren't prioritizing your health.
Chiropractors perform adjustments to improve alignment and relieve pain, but these adjustments can also cause muscle strain or nerve damage. If a chiropractor fails to diagnose an underlying condition before making adjustments, it may worsen or delay treatment. Chiropractic care can also be expensive.
When a chiropractor cracks your neck, the cracking sound is actually gas bubbles being released from the joints. It is not your bones cracking or breaking. The process is called cavitation and it helps to improve joint mobility and relieve tension.
Exercises to improve neck alignment include chin tucks, head tilts, shoulder rolls, neck retractions, and shoulder blade squeezes. Yoga and Pilates can also be helpful.
Curve correction, or cervical realignment therapy, is a significant method used in chiropractic care to provide long-term solutions to symptoms associated with neck injuries or other causes of abnormal curvatures.
If you're in the habit of having your neck adjusted by a chiropractor, Michigan Medicine neurologist Mollie McDermott, M.D., wants to share some important information: High-velocity neck manipulation can result in a vertebral artery dissection, which can lead to stroke.
No, Chiropractic Adjustments Do Not Cause “Toxic Release” “Toxins” is a vague word that doesn't really mean anything. Chiropractic adjustments greatly improve your body's natural healing abilities, but there is not a specific toxin release that will make you feel sicker or healthier after an adjustment.
In cases where neck misalignment is due to severe degenerative changes or trauma, surgical options may be considered. Procedures vary but may involve realigning or stabilizing the cervical vertebrae. Surgery is typically a last resort when other treatments have not provided sufficient relief.
No. Some people may be able to make their joints "pop", but that's not a chiropractic spinal adjustment. The purpose of a chiropractic spinal adjustment is to improve spinal joint motion in spinal joints that have abnormal reduced motion and to improve nervous system function.
In a review by Haldeman et al of 64 patients with cerebrovascular events after spinal manipulation, the timing of presentation ranged from 2 days to 1 month, but 63% of patients developed symptoms immediately following the manipulation (2, 4).
A chiropractor can assess the level of misalignment, perform adjustments, prescribe targeted exercises, explain various stretches that can help you recover, and suggest multiple changes to diet and other daily-living routines.
Patients with herniated or slipped discs and those with arthritis may need advice from specialist physicians before seeing a chiropractor. If there is a physical abnormality or injury in your body, such as a fracture, chiropractic care may not be for you.
One method often used is palpation, where the chiropractor will use their hands to identify areas of misalignment or strain in the musculoskeletal system. In some cases, imaging such as X-rays may also be used to get a closer look at the spine and joints.
Philip Cordova, a chiropractor in Houston, said that in his office, they don't rotate the neck very far in an effort to minimize the chance of injury. Some patients also tell him, “'I don't want my neck adjusted,' and that's not a problem,” Dr. Cordova said.