What an adjustment does
When a joint in the spine or pelvis stops moving the way it should, the muscles around it guard and tighten, the nerves nearby get irritated, and the joints above and below start doing extra work. That is the cycle behind a lot of back pain, neck pain and stiffness.
A chiropractic adjustment is a quick, controlled movement applied to that specific joint. It frees the restriction so the joint can move normally again. The pop some people hear is gas releasing from the joint fluid; it is not bones cracking, and it is not the goal in itself.
Full-spine care, not just the spot that hurts
Pain in one place is often driven by a problem somewhere else. A sore lower back can come from a pelvis that is tilted, and a stiff neck can come from the upper back. Dr. Jack checks the whole spine, the pelvis, the ribs and the extremities on every visit and adjusts what actually needs it.
Techniques Dr. Jack uses
Not every body, or every problem, responds to the same approach. Dr. Jack has trained in a range of methods over more than 20 years in practice and picks the one that suits you:
- Diversified technique. The classic manual adjustment, precise and quick, used across the whole spine.
- Thompson drop technique. A table with sections that drop a fraction of an inch, letting the adjustment happen with less force.
- Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT). Gentle blocking and positioning to balance the pelvis and the base of the skull.
- Toftness. A very low-force method for patients who prefer not to be adjusted manually.
- Extremity adjusting. Shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, wrists and ribs, not only the spine.
If you are nervous about being adjusted, say so. There is almost always a gentler option that still gets results.
What a visit looks like
Dr. Jack starts by asking what is going on and testing how you move. He checks joint motion, muscle tone and posture, then explains what he found in plain language before he treats anything. Adjustments are usually combined with soft tissue work on the muscles that have been guarding the area, because loosening the muscle helps the adjustment hold.
Who it helps
Patients come in for lower back pain, neck pain, sciatica, tension headaches, hip, knee and rib pain, stiffness after work or sports, and posture problems from long days at a desk or behind the wheel.