Chiropractic care is a drug-free, non-surgical approach to relieving chronic back pain, neck pain, or pain associated with muscles, joints and spinal disorders. Chiropractic is considered a safe, effective treatment for optimal spinal health.
The Human Spine
Besides being the center of our physical structure, the human spine is a powerful nerve center that houses the infrastructure for our brain to send electrical signals to many other parts of our body.
The spine is made up of 4 groups of individual bone segments called “vertebrae”. These groups in order from the top of the spine to the bottom are:
-
the “cervical vertebrae” (7 total)
-
the “thoracic vertebrae” (12 total)
-
the “lumbar vertebrae” (5 total)
-
the “sacrum” (1 total)
-
and the “tailbone” (1 total)
Altogether there are 26 vertebrae with 23 spinal disks in between most of them (the exceptions being between the skull and the top vertebrae, and between the next two vertebrae). The disks are made up of a flexible cartilage that allows the spine to bend and flex, not only allowing us to stretch and turn with relative freedom but protecting our backs from breaking from even just a moderate amount of force.
As you can see, the spine is a fairly complicated body part and is very important to take care of. The most popular method of spinal care is through a chiropractor.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Me?
“Chiropractic” stems from the Greek words “cheir” and “praxis”, which mean “hand” and “practice”, respectively. This is appropriate as chiropractors use a literal “hands-on approach” when adjusting your back.
An adjustment consists of your chiropractor performing an examination to determine the right course of action to correct your back trouble. The chiropractor may assess your range of motion, analyze your posture or perform hands-on spinal manipulation to relieve pressure from joints and nerves. Manipulation of the spine must be done slowly and carefully in order to be safe, so it may require several visits to get long-lasting relief from back pain.
Your chiropractor may utilize any number of the aforementioned techniques. It is important to be honest and realistic about the amount of pain or discomfort you are experiencing when going to all follow-up visits so the chiropractor can keep a close eye on your progress and make changes to your treatment plan as necessary.
Your chiropractor will also educate you on ways you can protect and treat your spine through nutrition, stretches, and general prevention techniques.
Professional Chiropractic Care in Southern Maine
Mainers have a fantastic option when it comes to chiropractic care. Heritage Integrative Healthcare in Falmouth, Maine uses the most effective chiropractic methods to ensure amazing results for a wide variety of muscular, joint and spine problems.
Schedule an appointment now to see how you can end your back pain once and for all!