Whenever you speak of chiropractors, you will often hear the adherents of old school medical treatments deride their work as being unlicensed and a quack’s profession. Yet speak to someone who really understands the science behind the art of chiropractics and also the hard work and long hours that go into learning this technique, and you will be amazed to find out just how intricate the study process really is, and what amount of knowledge a professional chiropractor truly possesses. Of course, some ascribe way too much ability to these professionals as well, and many a chiropractor will be quick to point out to you that working in concert with other medical professionals will bring about great results, while relying on only one aspect of medicine will severely limit the outcome.
A chiropractor – just like any other health professional – will listen intently to the complaints of the patient and will seek to build a picture of the individual’s health, past as well as present. Yet unlike a medical professional who will order a series of blood tests to determine if there are any abnormalities in the white cell count that could hint toward infection or perhaps any other problems such as hormonal imbalances, the chiropractor will seek to ascertain if there dysfunctions of the soft tissues, the skeleton, or perhaps any nerves running along the spinal area. Once a diagnosis is arrived at, the chiropractor will not put you on a drug regimen or give you a number of injections. In addition to the foregoing, your chiropractor will most likely not encourage you to change your environment to such an extent as to not aggravate your condition any further. On the contrary, she or he will work hard to help your body to once again regain its former abilities – obviously within the limitations of your current age and overall state of health.
Treatment will generally involve gentle and sometimes stronger manipulations of the spine. What is colloquially referred to as “bone cracking” is really a much more refined technique of realigning vertebrae that are no longer properly stacked. The goal of this kind of treatment is taking the musculoskeletal system back to the shape in which it is supposed to be, and then allowing nerves and tissues to follow along and once again retake their natural position. For those who have lived with a disjointed spine for a while, this may take a few visits, especially if the tissues and tendons have worked hard to compensate for the misaligned vertebrae for a long period of time.
It is true that sometimes these adjustments are painful. This is not always the case, of course, but when a body has to relearn a proper gait, a way to throw a ball or simply the act of setting one foot in front of the other, the learning curve may be prolonged and at times rather uncomfortable. Yet these moments pale when compared to the many instances where pain is reduced simply because the body is retrained to function normally.