The manipulation of specific bones (vertebrae) that make up your spine is called "an adjustment." The adjustment of displaced vertebrae interfering with normal nerve supply and causing a disturbance to the nervous system will be your primary treatment in many cases. The adjustment is usually done by hand on a specially designed table. The doctor uses specific techniques and applies pressure to areas of the spine that are misaligned or that fail to move correctly within the normal range of motion.

Remember the premise of chiropractic? Many illnesses are the result of improper nerve supply. Your doctor restores that essential nerve supply through the "adjustment."

The first adjustment begins to restore the vertebra to its natural position. The soft tissues, muscles and ligaments are stretched when the vertebrae are in unnatural positions, so these tissues must have time to "rehabilitate." Normally proper muscle tone, ligament position, and the shape of the vertebrae will keep the vertebrae in place.

Some doctors use physical therapy along with other forms of treatment, depending upon the correction being made and the type of technique employed. Your treatment may include therapy to enhance healing. If you are experiencing pain prior to your first visit, therapy may lessen your pain as well as increase circulation to the designated area.

Most patients will have a treatment period ranging over a couple of months and will continue Chiropractic care on a regular basis so that they can benefit from the kind of health preservation that chiropractic provides.

Chiropractors have the best training and are the most qualified to treat chiropractic conditions that are spinal related. Your chiropractor seeks out the cause of your problem and treats it accordingly.

Correction of the cause of migraine headaches, for example, will take longer than merely taking strong medicine to temporarily cover it up.

Correcting the cause of a shoulder problem to resolve the symptoms will usually take longer than a shot to temporarily relieve it.

Correcting the cause of leg or knee pain, which may have its origin in the lower back, may take longer as well.

We have been schooled, as a society, to believe that the absence of pain is proof of absence of problems. WRONG. Dormant pressure upon nerves in the spine can be like a clicking time bomb. It may take years for a problem to identify itself in the form of a pain or disease. Many bodily conditions have been months or even years coming on. Therefore, it is reasonable to allow at least weeks for them to be reversed. This is not to say that you will not get some symptom relief sooner.

Let your doctor determine when you should be discharged, or your treatment reduced. Be loyal to yourself and to your treatment schedule.

If you go to your dentist and get all of your teeth restored, do you every go back? Of course. You brush and care for your teeth on a daily basis. Why should your spine, which protects your most valuable asset - your health - be any different?

Once your doctor discharges you from regular treatment, it is a good idea to return periodically. These periodic adjustments of the spine are cost efficient and pay big dividends. Pressure upon nerves can be linked to something eating away at your joints, organs, and health without you even being aware of it.