What is a Chiropractic Adjustment?

The adjustment is a safe, natural, noninvasive procedure used by the chiropractor to restore and improve health. Learning the art of adjusting is a skill that requires years of study and practice. Chiropractic doctors are the only health care professionals trained to deliver the chiropractic adjustment. Spinal adjustments by any other individual or health care professional have been shown to be dangerous and less effective.

The key to chiropractic care is the spinal adjustment. This is the way doctors of chiropractic correct subluxations.

The Goal of the Chiropractic Adjustment

The goal of the chiropractic adjustment is to correct the spinal subluxations detected during the examination. To do that, the doctor applies pressure to the bone and "unlocks" it from its improper position. The bone will then be free to align itself correctly.

Many people think that the chiropractor forces a vertebra back into its "proper" place. But only the individual's own Innate Intelligence knows for sure what the proper place for each bone is. The role of the chiropractor is to free up the vertebrae. Then, the body can do its job and put them back in the correct position.

Unfortunately, the muscles connected to subluxated vertebrae get used to their positions and have a tendency to pull the bone back out of place. It may take several adjustments before the adjustment "holds," and the bone settles into its proper alignment.

Chiropractic Adjusting Techniques

If you ask 100 patients to describe their adjustments, you may get 100 different answers! That's because there are many adjusting techniques for the chiropractor to choose from.

Some doctors have their patients sit up for certain adjustments. Others tell them to lie down. Some use elaborate tables with moveable head or foot rests while others use stationary tables. A chiropractor may use a certain technique on one visit and a totally different one the next.

Chiropractic colleges teach their students many adjusting techniques. They realize each doctor and patient is different. In fact, each subluxation is different and may require a separate approach. Even the size, weight, and muscle structure of the doctor and patient must be taken into consideration when choosing a technique.

Chiropractors select the technique which will most effectively correct subluxations with a minimum of force. The "art" of adjusting requires skill and training rather than brute strength. That's why even slightly built doctors can perform excellent adjustments on all patients regardless of their size.