Can I adjust my own spine?
The short answer is NO, and I’m a chiropractor. Even I can’t adjust my own spine. The long answer is also NO. Here’s why…
New patients at Vellore Chiropractic & Wellness Centre that have been suffering with neck pain or back pain for a long time, sometimes tell me “Oh, I crack my own back all the time.”, and while in the back of my mind I’m wondering if they’d ever tell their dentist they drilled their own cavity and filled it with superglue, my follow-up question to their statement usually goes along something along the lines of “Since you’re in my office asking if I can help you after all this time, how did attempting to adjust your own spine work out for you?”. Answers usually involve elements of “It felt better temporarily” but also “The problem didn’t go away.” So why doesn’t pretzelling (I think I just invented a new word there) your lower spine or wrenching your neck like a possessed character in a horror film correct this unrelenting problem? I’ll thank fellow chiropractor Dr. Craig Burns for his simple whiteboard sketch to help answer this question:
In this sketch, the middle spinal level is stuck while the other two move freely. When you attempt to stretch and open up all these joints, the free-moving levels will obviously move more and they’ll release with an audible yet harmless pop while the stuck level that was the problem all along remains stuck. The free joints are like relief valves that relieve some pressure and discomfort but do nothing to eliminate the cause of the problem. The stuck level remains stuck and your spine remains stuck in a state of dysfunction and misalignment. Your chiropractor will direct their attention to the problematic spinal level with a specific chiropractic adjustment to restore normal alignment to your spine and normal function to your nervous system.
So if you’ve had it with do it yourself spinal care, and are ready to put your spine’s health in the hands of a professional, now is the time to call for your appointment with Dr. Matthew, your community Woodbridge chiropractor.
