By Dr. Judy Soborowicz
During a recent interview, I asked what experience my applicant had with chiropractic care. She shuttered slightly, and stated she really had none—except for one time when she went along with a friend who had a chiropractic appointment. She offered, “There was a lot of cracking, and it was, well…different.” The tone accompanying the words said it all, and I was both intrigued and grateful for her candor. It seemed to be neither a good nor bad experience, but one she did not fully understand. As a chiropractor, I have the opportunity to address the purpose and goals of my approach with patients during their visits. I have also had years of watching, receiving, and providing chiropractic adjustments so much so, that my comfort with the process is replete. It is for this reason I was so grateful for her comment; for a moment I could see chiropractic through her eyes, and see an opportunity.
Even though chiropractic is the second largest healing profession in the world, and even as bodywork and healing modalities that rely on care and maintenance of our bodies’ own natural healing ability grow, there are still people who resist the benefits of chiropractic care simply due to unfamiliarity with the approach. Chiropractic literally means “done by hand.” Without the use of drugs or surgery, subtle changes in movement patterns are corrected. Movement patterns are neurological, meaning they initiate via the brain and spinal cord.
As a mutually beneficial relationship to overall health, movement patterns essentially initiate three things: growth and maintenance of the brain, muscle tone and responsiveness, and organ health. Research is conclusive on movement because it is essential to life. Intelligence, memory, balance, bone density, hormone balance, stress management, heart health, and more are all maintained by our movement. Elegant coordinated movements are reliant on both input to the brain and spinal cord and output from the brain and spinal cord. Communication is both instantaneous and continuous when the signals are not interrupted.
For example, our feet have twenty-six bones and thirty-three joints. As we stand and move with our feet, each healthy joint space allows movement and friction. The specialized pancake-shaped bone at the base of the foot moves in multiple directions, and each tiny movement excites nerve receptors. The healthy movement between this and all the joints in the body activates special nerve receptors resulting in signals that initiate the brain to output specific coordinated muscle contractions. This allows the body to responsively handle the sequential movements. Without health in the joint, the friction between the joint space is reduced, and not detected by the brain. Gross movement will still occur, however, it will have a compensation for any missing joint movement, causing an alteration in the pattern. Alterations in movement patterns and compensations over time result in chronic and repetitive injuries and can limit training and or reduce healthy life choices.
Chiropractic addresses the bigger picture of why certain parts of the body, back, and neck are displaying dysfunction. This dysfunction expresses as inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, weakness, and pain. It is time to benefit from chiropractic when you first notice an issue. Chiropractic adjustments restore natural movements between joint space and the nervous system, allowing improved body and brain communication. Restoring communication allows for the natural loads of movement across joint spaces and muscles reducing stressors in the body. The applicant had it right, chiropractic is different. It is a natural way to honor the design of our bodies and improve our lives. With each adjustment, the brain and spinal cord cells are activated and are communicating efficiently. Results of better brain and body communication include greater coordination in movements, a healthier spine and frame, improved balance, tone, and life.
For more information, contact Dr. Judy Soborowicz at Active Health Chiropractic, 715-834-6333.
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