The Art of Chiropractic
Body Alignment
Your entire skeletal structure has a natural and healthy alignment if it is formed properly by nature.
Injury
When an injury occurs, that alignment of bone structure may be throw-off, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments may tense-up to hold the injured area in a fixed position, trying to prevent further injury. While this fixed position may be a good temporary safeguard, it can become problematic. Injuries often cause a misalignment of the spine or neck or even a limb joint, shoulder, knee, ankle. Muscles holding this fixed position can exacerbate the injury. If this misalignment and muscle tension remain untreated for a length of time, the result is often severe pain (nerve pain) and can even lead to serious degeneration of a joint or vertebrae.
Skill of the Chiropractor
It is the skill of the chiropractor to correct these misalignments through physical adjustments and also to relax the muscle tension. The use of message or electrical muscle stimulation are common methods of relaxing the muscles after or before a treatment.
Self Help
While an injury may require several chiropractic treatments during the healing process, there are several things a patient can do to help their condition. Stretching, walking, icing (ice, ice pack) or heat treatment (heating pad, hot water bottle, hot shower, hot jacuzzi). Certain supplements may also help.
Chiropractic Tools
There are also chiropractic tools available. Orthotic shoe inserts can help correct a misalignment in the foot which may be causing a walking or standing problem. The orthotic aligns the bottom of the foot which supports the entire body, ankle, knee, hip and back—the whole column.
Another chiropractic tool is the cervical pillow. This pillow is designed to maintain the natural curvature of your neck while lying on your back or sleeping.
The reason these tools are so effective is that they support the natural and proper alignment of your body, which nature may fail to do at times. While an injury is healing and even after it is healed, it is wise to support the alignments by whatever means possible, for as long as possible.
