It’s amazing to think that these small bones are holding us upright when they are able to move so freely.  How can they move like that yet support a human frame?  When we look closely at the spine we can see that there are many supportive structures surrounding it.  There are many ligaments, which are strong cable like connective tissue,  holding bones to other bones.  They appear as white strands running from all different parts of the vertebrae. There are 5 layers of muscle on top of the spine and they connect to the vertebrae with tendons.  These muscles are very unique and they give the spine the ability to move in all the different directions.  The middle of the back gets its support from ribs that wrap around and form joints with the vertebrae.
  Probably the most incredible part of the spine is that it houses the most important nerve pathway in the body, the spinal cord.  Yes it’s true, unbelievably the spinal cord runs down the spine from your neck into your lumbar spine.  The spinal cord is a direct extension of the brain and allows transmission of all your vital information to run the entire body.  Coming off the spinal cord are spinal nerve roots.  These nerve roots exit the spinal cord between the vertebrae going to the right and left sides.  This is how the brain communicates to every tissue, cell and organ in the body.

  So you can see how the spine is not only a freely movable structure, but it also protects the vital nerve pathway known as the spinal cord. Keeping the spine in proper alignment is vital as it is shown that misaligned spinal bones can cause pressure on the sensitive nerve roots exiting the spine and interferes with the transmission of information from the brain.

  Once the exact cause is identified chiropractic adjustments begin. During the acute phase of care multiple visits are necessary until the vertebrae begin to stabilize. Once this phase of care is complete the frequency of visits are diminished and the patient moves into corrective care. In this phase the patient is given exercises and stretches they can perform at home to help strengthen the surrounding muscles in their spine to allow for long term correction and relief.

  The final stage of care is the maintenance stage where the patient continues care to maintain a healthy spine. The frequency of visits varies as each case has unique individual characteristics and specific care plans must be devised for each patient. Chiropractic care has a very high patient satisfaction rate in the treatment of neck pain and many other conditions of the spine.

Use a down pillow if possible. Use enough pillows to support your head in a neutral position. Make an imaginary line from your belly button to your nose and be sure that your nose isn’t above or below that line. You don’t walk with your head leaning to one side or the other so you wouldn’t want to sleep in that position either.

Eight hours of sleep is recommended to repair and recover completely. Once the spine is properly aligned proper sleep habits help to restore muscles and tendons surrounding the spine so that long term correction is easier to obtain.

Finding the cause and correcting it can lead to immediate relief. Nerves compressed by bones are often the cause of the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve that runs through the wrist begins its journey down the arm from the neck. The spinal nerves that exit the lower part of your neck give rise to the nerves that go into your shoulders, arm, wrists and hands. Finding the bones that are pressing on these nerves and restoring them to their proper position allows the nerves to function normally.

Proper care and management are essential to long term healing. Repetitive physical stress to the affected area needs to be identified and corrected. A proper ergonomic work environment is also critical to long term recovery.

Even during a perfect delivery, infants can be born with spinal misalignment.
Chiropractors are trained with special techniques to adjust these newborns spines with gentle care. Getting a child checked right from birth is essential to the overall health and well being of the infant.

With the spine clear of misaligned vertebrae, the infant child is now able to function normally and their young spines will develop correctly with the spinal bones in proper alignment. This gives the child the best chance to grow up with a healthy spine.

Many chiropractors offer family care in their offices. There are many different ways to safely adjust infants. Giving your child a healthy spine is a very important step to their overall health.

Migraine headaches are described as severe debilitating pain that occurs periodically. There is usually an aura that precedes them with temporary visual changes in the eye. The pain is typically one sided and is more common in women than men.

Chiropractic care has been shown to be a very safe and effective in treating patients with these symptoms. Patients frequently see immediate results and find themselves reducing and eventually eliminating harmful medications.

This pressure on the nerve, called subluxation, sometimes causes severe pain and many times dysfunction in the body. A chiropractor is specially trained to locate these misalignments and correct them, thus restoring normalcy and allowing the body to heal itself.

Chiropractic is very safe and extremely effective in the treatment of low back pain. Chiropractors treat patients with herniated discs, acute muscle spasm and many other conditions that cause low back pain.