What is Chiropractic care all about?

    

     Let me start off by explaining the basic mechanics of the spine and what happens when it is not properly aligned.  Your spine is composed of 24 vertebrae, 23 vertebral discs, ligaments, and muscles.  Each joint in your spine is equipped with receptors that constantly talk to the brain with information about motion so each joint can work together in sync.  When a vertebra gets stuck, the misalignment, which prevents motion, sends a signal of pain instead of motion.  This distress signal tells the brain that there is a problem and it needs to fix it ASAP. In an attempt to correct itself, the body will alter muscle and ligament tension in that misaligned region.  These are those tender spots you feel in your back.  Over time, the ligaments and muscle change their normal tension to the altered one, causing an imbalance in the spine.  Eventually the bones themselves will try to correct the area by growing extra bone in an attempt to correct the misalignment.  This extra bone is called osteoarthritis. 

    Why is all of this important to understand? The spine houses the spinal cord, which is like a giant Ethernet cord carrying information from the brain to the rest of the body.  Off the spinal cord are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, which branch off to nerves that reach out to the body.  They exit the spinal column via little holes in between the vertebrae.  When the vertebrae get out of alignment, they put a pressure on the spinal nerve, interfering with the information between the brain and the part of the body connected to that nerve.  This causes the body to not function properly.  Picture this:  your house is on fire and the fire truck comes and starts using the hose.  While they are putting out the fire, you back your car up and roll over the fire hose.  What will happen to the water leaving the hose? It slows down, and if the pressure is bad enough, block it completely.  Your nerves work the same way.  The nerve signals travel at 180mph. Slowing that signal down by just a fraction is enough to negatively impact the body.  Ever had tingling in your hands or feet? Nerve pressure. Ever had muscle spasms in areas that you didn't exercise? Nerve Pressure.  Indigestion? Constipation? Headaches? Pain? Fatigue?Etc, etc., etc, etc............................... All of these conditions can be adverse reactions to your brain not being able to fully communicate with your body properly.  Have you seen the AT&T commercial with the people in the car and the guy with AT&T gets the funny text first and he laughs and then 10 seconds later everybody else gets the text and laughs and he is already tired of the joke?  That is a silly example, but it is how are body works when misaligned.  Do you want parts of your body communicating at "AT&T" speed and other parts at at slower speed? I didn't think so. 

     So how does chiropractic come into play?  Chiropractic re-aligns the vertebrae and takes the pressure off of the nerves, which help the body function at their maximum capacity.  You may be sitting there thinking to yourself "But I'm not in pain so I don't need to get adjusted."  This is an all too common statement that I hear everyday.  Pain is the last indicator to appear when a problem arises, so if you come to me because you are in pain, chances are that problem has been there a while.  I will elaborate more next time but for now I will just end by saying that if you have never had your spine checked, there is never a better time than now.  So schedule an appointment to see me today, or if you are not in my area, find a chiropractor near you who can assess your spine so your body can function the way God intended it to: at it's optimum!!

In Good Health,

Dr. Ara