"What’s that cracking sound?"
"What does the adjustment DO?"
"When will I feel better?"

These are some of the most asked questions during the adjustment process in El Cerrito CA. It’s important to recognize how these three forms of stress show up in your life. When we understand more about the damage that long term stress does to our health, we can learn how to manage these stresses and heal.

I hear these questions multiple times a day, and with good reason, the adjustment process can be an unfamiliar one. I wanted to dedicate this blog to diving in a little deeper into these questions, so there is a better understanding of the work we are doing to help you heal.

An Adjustment is the act of correcting the spinal subluxation. Great, another new vocab word, what is Subluxation? And why are we talking about it?

Subluxation is when the bones in the spine become misaligned or fixed due to their inability to move freely. You cannot have a subluxation without some level of ligament damage to the spine. When a chiropractor gives you an adjustment, we reposition the bones back into their correct position. Great! All done right? Not quite, we’re going to need to see you again.

“But doc, if you repositioned the bones and fixed my spinal subluxation, why do I have to come back for another adjustment?”

Because the subluxation causes damage to the ligaments, this is the spinal damage I mentioned earlier. The ligaments in your spine have a very slow healing process. Consistency with chiropractic adjustments helps prevent further damage and recession to the damaged ligaments. Repetition is essential for the healing process.

The second component to subluxation is nerve pressure or irritation. The nerves are pain sensitive and traumatized by the misaligned vertebra. This is what creates the pain which leads you to the chiropractor.

Once again, subluxation defined: a misalignment / fixation of one or more vertebra, which causes nerve pressure / irritation.

Now that we know what subluxation is, let’s look at the different things that can cause it. Primarily it comes down to stress. There are three forms of stress we want to focus on.

• Physical Stress: Caused by repeated physical actions, such as lifting, posture, etc.
• Chemical Stress: Caused by exposure to certain chemicals, foods, drugs, environment, etc.
• Emotional Stress: Ever heard the expression “They’re a real pain in my neck?” well it’s not wrong. Emotional stress can cause physical damage to the body.

It’s important to recognize how these three forms of stress show up in your life. When we understand more about the damage that long term stress does to our health, we can learn how to manage these stresses and heal.

The next couple of blogs we are going to take the time to really talk about each of these types of stress, The Physical, The Chemical, and The Emotional.

We hope you’ll take the time to join us in this opportunity to check in on overlooked stresses and how to deal with them. Be Well.