Does chiropractic hurt? This topic seems to keep a lot of people from making an appointment with a chiropractor. Many first-time patients visiting us as a result of a car accident or other injury say that they were nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Some of them have seen videos of chiropractic adjustments and wondered, is it painful?
So, let’s dive in.
Chiropractors are trained in finding misalignments in the spine and extremity joints that can cause decreased function. They can include:
- muscle tension/aches
- loss of range of motion
- tingling sensations
- numbness, and many other symptoms
These misalignments can interfere with the nerve flow between the brain and the body. Nerves coming out of the spinal canal and travelling all over the body allow the brain to tell our muscles and organs what to do. A vertebral joint that is misaligned can put pressure on the nerves and slow down that communication. We liken it to a kink in a hose that causes the water to flow more slowly or not at all.
Chiropractors undo these “kinks” by performing a chiropractic manipulation or “adjustment” which can be done in a variety of ways.
Many patients are concerned that a Manual adjustment will cause pain. This is when the chiropractor will adjust by hand and sometimes a “crack” or “pop” is heard as gas (nitrogen oxide) is being released from the joints.
Adjustments may cause mild muscle soreness for some, but they are pain free for most people. Mild muscle soreness happens more commonly if the patient tenses up during the adjustment, so it is best to relax as much as possible. If soreness does occur, it usually goes away quickly and can be helped with an ice pack.
We also offer adjustments via Instruments in which there is usually no popping or cracking involved. The chiropractor will use the instrument to correct the misalignments with very little force. This is a great way to adjust children and senior citizens, who may be better suited for a low-force adjustment.
At Liringis Chiropractic, we have two main Instruments:
- The Activator (or the “clicker”) is used across the nation in many chiropractic offices. We use the Activator at specific settings to control how much force to put into the joint and correct those misalignments with a simple “click”.
- An Impulse Adjusting Instrument is an electronic adjusting device that uses a microchip for controlled force adjustments in different areas of the body. Watch our YouTube video at this link to learn more about these instruments.
Hopefully now you have a better understanding of what the treatments involve so that you do not put off having your spine checked any longer. Give us a call today at 336-768-1004 or request an appointment on our home page so that you can get back to living your lives pain free and at optimal function!