I received my first chiropractic adjustment when I was 15 years old. It happened on a metal bleacher after a high school track meet. I had spoken with a teammate’s father and mentioned a tight feeling in my middle back after running the 110-meter hurdles. He said he was a chiropractor and had a potential way of providing relief, so I laid on my back on a bleacher bench and waited curiously for him to adjust me. With his open palm resting underneath my back, he assisted me in lying back over his hand and then applied a quick drop of his upper body over my arms crossed over my chest. I heard and felt a bunch of cracks inside of me and immediately felt relief.
I didn’t know at the time what a chiropractor was, but I did know he “cracked” my back, and I felt great. “Wow, that really worked,” I exclaimed with surprise. He told me I would benefit from seeing him again, so we scheduled a follow-up appointment. A week later, I rode my bike to his office, a detailed exam was performed, and he adjusted my neck, mid-back, and lower back. I remember feeling loose, void of muscle tension, and simply operating on a higher level. I had a greater range of motion in the gym, felt lighter while running track, and was less uncomfortable sitting in those rock-hard chairs at school. Throughout four years of high school sports, I would ride my bike to his office with various complaints of lower back pain, neck pain, or “pinched nerves” in my back. All these complaints decreased in severity after I saw my chiropractor.
Defining What “Works”
Now, two decades later, I’m fortunate enough to help others with similar complaints as that 15-year-old boy had after a track meet. First-time patients and returning patients often tell me my adjustments were effective and “worked.” Reports of improved sleep quality, heightened mood and mental focus, improved bowel activity, resolution of pain and TMJ dysfunction, improved distances in golf strokes, faster 5k times, and increased output in the gym were all credited to the “magic” I’ve been casting on my patients.
As a graduate of an evidence-based chiropractic school, I know what is factually accurate in what an adjustment can provide and have been skeptical about educating outside of those bounds. Backed by many studies, an adjustment has been proven to increase the range of motion segmentally and decrease overall pain. No mentions of golf, running, weightlifting, sleep quality, or bowel activity have been taught in school, so when I hear feedback such as this, I’m reminded that “it works” means different things to different people.
This has instigated an internal debate in which I ask myself what I do to my patients to achieve these outcomes. Am I too narrow-minded in my expected outcomes? I know these patients aren’t lying about their post-adjustment benefits. If they’re telling their friends that “it really works,” I must accept that “works” is multifaceted and unique to the recipient of an adjustment. If they’re happy with their care and getting results that improve their quality of life, I’m doing my job at the highest level and am happy to help.
Rehab Chiropractic Care
As a “rehab chiro,” a chiropractor specializing in rehabilitation, joint restriction, and pain are my arch nemeses. Joint restriction is a condition that limits the full range of motion and can cause pain and discomfort. This can ultimately be frustrating in sports performance and interfere with activities of daily living.
Applying a chiropractic adjustment is almost a surefire way to alleviate joint restriction. Depending on the severity and chronicity, multiple adjustments might be necessary to allow the joint to re-educate itself to its new increased range of motion. Another important part of chiropractic rehab care is assessing the soft tissues that connect to or cross that joint. With an improper functioning joint, you might find soft tissue shares the abuse of the restriction. It is important to address all outliers that could cause this decrease in joint function.
The goal during care is to slow down the chaos that is being caused by a troubled joint and help bring a patient into a state of parasympathetic drive, which is the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system. Being in a parasympathetic state allows the body to decrease cortisol levels, slow the heart rate, decrease the respiratory rate, and promote a more relaxing state of being.
Helping someone become free from pain and restriction could be what they need to be in a parasympathetic state longer, which is ideal. Allowing the body to carry on due diligence without sounding those cortisol alarms can help bring the “it works” perspective into your post-adjustment effects. Joint restrictions aren’t limited to the spine but include any joint within the body, such ribs, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles.
If you’re looking for freedom in your movements, a life with decreased pain, and many other positives an adjustment can bring you, you deserve to be adjusted and find out your definition of “it works.”
Phil Ruggiero, owner of PR Chiropractic, focuses on the whole body in addition to the specific needs of the patient. Having over a decade of experience in massage therapy and strength and conditioning, he will use soft tissue techniques as well as exercise prescription to help you achieve your goals. He believes in assessing muscle tissue as well as joint function to optimize each visit leaving you feeling and performing your best!
Visit prchiroct.com to learn more.