{"id":247,"date":"2019-04-11T19:29:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T19:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/momentum-chiro.com\/?p=247"},"modified":"2019-04-11T19:29:59","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T19:29:59","slug":"back-pain-neck-pain-discovering-chiropractic-care-and-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momentum-chiro.com\/back-pain-neck-pain-discovering-chiropractic-care-and-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Back Pain? Neck Pain? Discovering Chiropractic Care and What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Your First Chiropractic Appointment<\/h1>\n

You\u2019ve decided to see a chiropractor.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you have back or neck pain and your primary healthcare practitioner encouraged chiropractic care. Or you\u2019d like to manage a chronic illness without relying on prescription drugs and other invasive procedures. Maybe you had a friend who had great results seeing a chiropractor, and you\u2019d like to see how a chiropractor can help you.<\/p>\n

A body that functions poorly on the inside often doesn\u2019t respond optimally to good nutrition, exercise, a healthy mindset, and detoxification. Chiropractic care may be that missing link to a healthier life.<\/p>\n

Understanding the Spine<\/h2>\n

The chiropractic philosophy of health centers on the spine. After all, your spine runs through the center of your body and encases the spinal cord which connects to every organ. Along with your brain, the\u00a0spinal cord impacts everything you do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An adult spine contains 24 vertebrae, extending\u00a0between the skull and the pelvis<\/a>. Among its duties, your spinal column houses the nervous system and helps anchor muscles throughout the body.<\/p>\n

Your spinal column\u00a0houses and protects the entire spinal cord<\/a>. The nerves that communicate and connect with every system within your body are bundled together and protected within that vertebral column.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything we do\u2014from our basic motor reflexes to our capacity to experience abstract thoughts and feelings\u2014relies on the precision of the computational processes<\/a>\u00a0performed by [this complex circuit],\u201d says Celeste McGovern.<\/p>\n

In other words, your nervous system impacts your entire body.<\/p>\n

Chiropractic is founded on the basis that a healthy spine<\/a>\u00a0forms a perfect column to keep your spinal cord running unimpeded to your brain; every natural bend of the spine protects those nerves so they can perform optimally.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, even the healthiest individual may experience back pain, neck pain, and more.<\/p>\n

Visiting a chiropractor can help keep your spine and nervous system working free of structural interferences that\u00a0everyday stressors can create<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What Is a Subluxation?<\/h2>\n

Chiropractors look for what\u2019s wrong in the spinal alignment or movement for the purpose of detecting any abnormalities and fixing them. The chiropractic philosophy is that because your spine is the anchor of your body, it is the center of health; whatever interferes with your spine, also interferes with your body\u2019s natural function.<\/p>\n

These abnormalities in the alignment of the spine are called\u00a0subluxations:\u00a0<\/em>The slips, misalignments, restrictions, affected nerves, and either pain or asymptomatic quirks that adversely impact your spine and health.<\/p>\n

\u201cChiropractors assess spines for areas where some of the small muscles that attach to the individual vertebrae have become tight due to injury, hunching over cell phones and computers, or simply overuse,\u201d says McGovern. \u201cWhen these tight muscles cause the vertebrae\u2014the small bones that make up the spine\u2014to twist, certain parts of the bones can protrude and feel \u2018misaligned\u2019 or \u2018stuck.\u2019 Chiropractors call it a\u00a0vertebral \u2018subluxation\u2019 or \u2018joint restriction.\u2019<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

We call these subluxations\u00a0interferences<\/em>\u00a0because they cause interference in the natural function of the body. Interference to the function of the nervous system, because it controls all organs of the body, will naturally cause dysfunction beyond the spine.<\/p>\n

Sources of Subluxations<\/h3>\n

There are various forms of interference that are long commonly considered to affect one\u2019s overall health and nervous system. They show-up in countless ways. They can occur suddenly, for a short period of time, or build\u2013up slowly and quietly over years. And they come from many sources, including:<\/p>\n