What separates the chiropractic profession from all other health care providers is the use of adjustments to the spinal vertebrae in the restoration and maintenance of health. This specialized treatment, which is also called spinal manipulation, is a specific movement applied to the spinal joint to restore proper motion and function and to eliminate nerve irritation.

 

Adjustments are a skill that requires special training and is an integral part of a chiropractor's education. Special physical tests as well as diagnostic x-ray and MRI, are used to determine where and what type of adjustment is needed to correct the specific health condition. Most adjustive technique is done with the hands though there are also methods of adjustment that involve instruments or sophisticated tables such as a Leander Table.

 

The most common method of adjustment and probably the most widely used is called Diversified technique. With this method the practitioner physically moves the joint with a small fast impulse that causes an articular release or what the patients often calls "cracking". The sound that one feels and hears is not the bones cracking but a release of gas pressure within the joint when it resets itself during the adjustment. Besides the increased mobility in the joint, the adjustment helps increase the circulation and relieve pressure upon the nerve endings that line the surface of the joint and course through the space between the joints.

 

Chiropractic works with you to restore your health in a personalised approach to overall wellness - through spinal care, exercise, good nutrition and stress management. Chiropractic also deals with other spinal problems such as intervertebral disc conditions, spondylosis, sprains and strains and non-spinal problems such as ankle, knee, elbow and shoulder problems caused by falls, sports and work injuries or other disorders.