The concepts which provide a foundation for chiropractic are very simple. It is a scientific fact that the nervous system is essential to all bodily processes, even stimulating your immune response. The nervous system is the driving force behind all of life's activities. Some examples of activities which the nervous system controls are walking, digestion of food and fending off disease.

The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord and a network of nerves. The spinal cord is encased by vertebrae for protection. Taken together, these vertebrae make up your backbone. The network of nerves branches out from the spinal cord. The nerves then travel through spaces between adjacent vertebrae in order to control and communicate with all muscles, blood vessels, organs and other tissues.

Click here to see a visual illustration of the spinal cord network...

When two adjacent vertebrae become misaligned, the space between the vertebrae becomes constricted. This decreases the ability to walk, fend off disease, digest food or other activity that requires the normal nerve flow. Chiropractors use spinal adjustment to re-align the vertebrae. Realignment allows electrical Impulse to flow through the nerves to return to normal. Chiropractic care therefore, directly addresses the problem at the root rather than just treating the symptoms.

Misalignments of the vertebrae often occur very early in the disease process, well before the onset of pain of other symptoms. Chiropractors work to prevent disease and maximize health through regular spinal evaluations and adjustments.
 

Relief -- The goal of the relief phase is to reduce or eliminate pain. The number of visits necessary to accomplish this will depend on your age, underlying spinal condition, length of time you’ve had your condition and lifestyle choices.

Correction -- Restoring the body to normal or maximum function is the goal of the “correction” phase. In most conditions, pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave when treating the vertebral subluxation complex.  Adaptations that have taken place in muscles and other soft tissues (such as the disc and ligaments) require care beyond the relief phase to correct.

Wellness -- The purpose of the Wellness phase of care is to prevent relapses of previous conditions before symptoms appear. When maximum improvement has been achieved, your doctor will suggest an appropriate level of care to “maintain” the corrections made during the first two phases.