Ask the Chiropractor: Do Chiropractic Adjustments Hurt?

by Oasis Wellness Partners on June 4, 2019      

A lot of people put off seeing a chiropractor either because they have heard bad things or have had bad experiences themselves. But if you have been avoiding seeing a chiropractor about your health or physical pain because you’re nervous, getting an adjustment by a well-trained chiropractic doctor will not hurt — and it should actually help you a lot.

What exactly is a chiropractic adjustment?

At Chiropractic Family Wellness Center in Scarborough, Maine, we practice low-force adjustment techniques. A low-force adjustment is a highly skilled and precise movement, usually applied by hand, to a joint in your body. The adjustment loosens the joint and helps restore optimal movement and improve over-all function.

Often, activities we do in everyday life can lead to our backs or spines becoming misaligned. An adjustment by the chiropractors at Chiropractic Family Wellness Center will properly realign your joints and lead to significant improvements in your movement and nervous system. It can help you feel more relaxed and flexible, physically and emotionally, since your nervous system has been realigned.

If a person is not experiencing pain before an adjustment, there usually isn’t any soreness afterwards. However, some people may be mildly sore after getting an adjustment, similar to your muscles feeling sore after a workout. However, this soreness usually passes quickly, and once it wears away, you should feel stronger, invigorated and less stiff.

Another wonderful side effect of an adjustment is the release of endorphins—a natural release of “nature’s painkillers!”

What’s with the popping and cracking I hear during an adjustment?

On occasion, the two opposing forces that make up a joint in the body can get suctioned together: imagine a suction cup stuck to a mirror where the joint is place where the suction cup meets the glass. When the suction cup is removed, it makes a popping sound. The same happens with our bodies.

Similarly, when a chiropractor adjusts your spine—or any other joint in your body—the popping or cracking sound you may hear is actually a vacuum release of the gas within the fluid in the joint capsule when the joint moves (which is itself a very small movement, and can be as small as a millimeter).

Will it hurt if I get a chiropractic adjustment?

If you are being adjusted by a well-trained, low-force chiropractor like the chiropractors at the Maine office of Chiropractic Family Wellness Center, then the answer is no. The most common side effect of a chiropractic adjustment is a small amount of soreness, but it leads to the relief of painful or uncomfortable symptoms.

If you do experience soreness after getting a chiropractic adjustment, ice and stretching over the next day or two can help. We at Chiropractic Family Wellness Center in Scarborough, Maine do things gently, and factor in your whole body’s needs when giving you your adjustments. Call us today at (207) 883-5549 to make an appointment to start feeling and being great!

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