The adjustment, also called spinal manipulation, is the core tool of Chiropractic care: a controlled, precise force applied to a joint that is not moving the way it should.
Restoring normal joint motion can reduce pain, ease muscle guarding and improve range of motion. That is why Chiropractic care is included in major clinical guidelines as a first-line, non-drug option for low back pain.
It is targeted, not general. The force is applied to a specific joint that has been examined and found to be moving poorly — not to your whole back at once.
It is not the whole treatment. An adjustment that works still leaves the reason the joint stopped moving. Physical Therapy, Acupuncture and Pain Management are in the same building when the plan needs more than hands.
It has an endpoint. A set number of visits over several weeks, re-evaluated against your goals. If it is not working, you should be told rather than booked again.
Your chiropractor explains each technique before using it. If you would rather not have a manual thrust, say so — mobilization, drop-table and instrument-assisted techniques are gentler alternatives, and some conditions call for them anyway.
Mild soreness for a day after the early visits is common, much like starting a new exercise.
You should expect a plan with an endpoint. A typical course runs a set number of visits over several weeks, re-evaluated against your goals rather than continued indefinitely. Chiropractic is available at every one of our clinics in Colorado and Arizona, no referral is needed, and appointments are usually available within the same week.
What is a chiropractic adjustment?
A controlled, precise force applied to a joint that is not moving the way it should. Restoring that motion can reduce pain, ease muscle guarding and improve range of motion.
Does an adjustment hurt?
Most people find it uncomfortable at most, and brief. Mild soreness for a day after the early visits is common, much like starting a new exercise.
What is the popping sound?
It is gas moving inside the joint as the pressure in it changes. It is not bone grinding on bone, and the sound is not what makes the treatment work.
What if I do not want my back cracked?
Say so. Mobilization, drop-table and instrument-assisted techniques are gentler alternatives, and your chiropractor explains each technique before using it.
Do I need a referral?
No. A referral is not needed for Chiropractic care, or for any of our services.
How many visits will I need?
A typical course runs a set number of visits over several weeks, re-evaluated against your goals rather than continued indefinitely.
Chiropractic care is offered at every Mountain View Pain Center clinic in Colorado and Arizona — see the full clinic map, Colorado or Arizona.
