Evidence of spinal manipulation, the practice upon which modern chiropractic care is based, goes back at least as far as 1500 B.C., according to the American Chiropractic Association. Early in the 20th century, American Daniel David Palmer developed a system and philosophy for this type of health practice and gave it the name chiropractic, from the Greek for "practice by hand." Despite controversy over its effectiveness, widespread popularity for the services of chiropractors has persisted. As part of their education, chiropractors are thoroughly trained in diagnosing illness and this gives modern chiropractors the distinction of physician under Medicare and most state laws.
The Chiropractic Approach
The theme of chiropractic care, according to the United States Department of Labor, is the promotion of overall health through the use of nonsurgical, non-drug-based treatments. Chiropractors consider their efforts to be assisting to the body's natural healing processes and include lifestyle management and environmental factors, such as job type and workplace environment in their evaluation and treatment approach. Some chiropractors have particular areas of interest that lead them toward further study in several fields of sub-specialty, including orthopedics, neurology, radiology, nutrition and pediatrics.
The Chiropractic Assessment
The term subluxation is used by chiropractors to describe decreased joint motion and unhealthy changes in the mechanical and chemical functioning of a joint, according to the website spine-health.com. Subluxations, also known as joint fixations, may be accompanied by pain or dysfunction. Oftentimes, however, your body will accommodate these slight imbalances so that you remain unaware of them until they become more pronounced. Chiropractors diagnose these structural imbalances through physical examination techniques and with the aid of imaging studies, such as X-rays and MRIs. Unhealthy sensory and motor communication is thought to occur when a joint is not functioning at its best.
Immediate Effects
Several beneficial responses take place during a chiropractic adjustment to decrease pain and improve mobility. Notably, endorphins, natural substances produced by the body to relieve pain, are released and blood and nutrient supply are improved. In chronic pain the brain becomes hypersensitive and overly reactive to pain due to receiving excessive pain messages, and begins to react to lower levels of pain messages as if they were higher, more significant levels. Research published in Spine Journal describes that adjustments decrease the amount of excess pain messages being produced. Additionally, during an adjustment the rapid stretch to the muscles surrounding the joint activates a reflex that relaxes the muscles, promoting improved range of motion.
Mid-Term Effects
When joints are able to move through full range of motion the sensory nerve receptors associated with them are fully activated. Chiropractic adjustments activate those receptors toward their optimal capacity, allowing the brain to receive greater levels of healthy stimulus. Removing restrictions to joint mobility also allows for retraining your muscles toward safer patterns of movement and away from those patterns that contributed to the restrictions, such as improper sitting, bending, and lifting.
Longterm Effects
The structural benefits of chiropractic care, decreased pain and dysfunction, carry through to decreased frequency of surgeries and hospitalizations, according to the website calchiro.org. Additionally, chiropractic adjustments appear to improve the immune system as well as the nervous system (Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research) and Psychology Today reports that chiropractic patients were observed to have lower death rates than the general population during the flu pandemic of 1917.
