Our Resources
About Chiropractic
The Science Behind Chiropractic
Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ, and system of your body. Your nervous system consists of your brain, spinal cord, and millions of nerves. While your brain is protected by the skull, your spinal cord is protected by the 24 moveable bones of your spine called vertebrae.
Since these vertebrae were designed by the body to allow motion, they are more vulnerable to injury than the rigid skull. Therefore, we see that many everyday activities can cause these spinal bones to lose their normal position or motion. This can result in nervous system dysfunction and ultimately, ill health. When a vertebra loses its normal position it can rub, choke, or pinch a nearby nerve. We call this condition a Vertebral Subluxation (sub-lux-a-shun) Complex (VSC).
This may occur through what are known as the three T’s. The first being thoughts such as grief and stress via the subconscious tightening of muscles in the upper back and neck. The second is via toxins such as Alcohol, prescribed and non-prescribed drugs, and caffeine. The third, and the most likely culprit, is through the trauma which can be as minor as lifting something wrong or sleeping wrong to as major as an automobile accident.
Because one of the three premises behind chiropractic is science, there are a growing number of nonbiased double-blinded studies being performed year after year to prove not only the theory behind chiropractic but the efficacy as well.
Please refer to the Chiropractic Research page to review some information pertaining to some of the more popular studies. The chiropractic approach to health is to detect, reduce, and help prevent nervous system dysfunction.
The Art of Detecting Vertebral Subluxation Complexes
Chiropractic is the art of detecting these Vertebral Subluxation Complexes, which produce nerve interference and correcting them. This is done with no drugs or surgery. Chiropractic uses a hands-on method called an adjustment. A chiropractic adjustment is the use of a specific amount of force in a precise direction applied to the vertebra in the spine that is causing nerve interference.
Adjustments help to return the bone to its normal position, thus relieving tension and pressure from the nerves. Chiropractic adjustments are extremely safe and effective. Specificity is the key to true Chiropractic. Other health professions have become aware of the extreme health benefit of an adjustment to the spine over the years and have tried to duplicate it.
You may hear this referred to as manipulation or a gross movement of the spine. Although this at times can provide the patient with some minor relief, it will not put the bone back into the exact position it should be, because of the lack of specificity. A chiropractor will take an extremely detailed case history pertaining to your symptoms, as well as doing specific orthopedic and neurologic tests to recreate the symptoms the patient may present with.
The Chiropractor will then perform what is known as palpation where they will put the vertebrae(s) in question through a series of movements to find which direction the vertebrae is lacking motion. Lastly, when clinically indicated, he/ or she will take x-rays to get an exact blueprint of that patient’s own unique spinal column. After correlating all this information, the doctor will decide what area and vertebrae need to be adjusted and with how much force.
Chiropractic Is a Philosophy
Chiropractic is also a philosophy. It is a way at looking at health. Chiropractors realize that doctors or drugs don’t heal people; only the body can heal itself. A properly functioning body will have the ability to heal itself to a greater extent. All the drugs and antibiotics in the world will not heal a cut on the finger of a dead person; yet for a properly functioning body, a cut on the finger is easily healed.
When bones in the spine (or other various joints in the body) misalign and rub, choke, or pinch nerves, this impairs the body to function at 100% capacity. The Vertebral Subluxation Complex is the underlying cause of many health problems, and the adjustment is the treatment of choice. Instead of treating and masking these symptoms like many other types of doctors attempt to do, chiropractors focus on the detection and elimination of nerve interference.
As an example, if the gas light on your dashboard in your car lights up telling you you need more gas, would you mask the symptom by covering it up with black tape. Does this solve the problem? Or would you stop and get more gas and correct the underlying problem. You would definitely get the gas, a “no-brainer” isn’t it? So why don’t more people look at their health that way?
As a chiropractor, we are interested in getting to the cause of loss of health and Correcting this cause. We understand that there are instances that the body’s own innate defense system can be overwhelmed and require a different approach, but in a great deal of instances the body needs no help to heal itself, just no interference
How Do I Know if I Have a Vertebral Subluxation Complex?
The only way to truly know if you have a Vertebral Subluxation Complex is to have a trained chiropractor evaluate your spine. A chiropractor uses several methods to detect subluxations to be sure that you have one before we treat you.
First, using the latest in technology, Osborne Chiropractic Clinic checks the spine for nerve interference through a case history and a series of tests and shows you exactly what we have found. Next, your spine will be checked by hand to feel for a bone that isn’t properly aligned. This skill takes years of practice to master. Finally, x-rays are typically taken of the spine to verify all of these findings.
Free Spinal and Posture Screenings are offered after every Spinal Care Seminar. These screenings take around 1 minute and can tell you if you may possibly have a Vertebral Subluxation Complex. For more information on our office procedures, please visit “Our Services Offered” section.
How Can I Get a Subluxation?
There are three main causes of a Vertebral Subluxation Complex. We call those the 3 T’s: Traumas, Toxins, Thoughts.
Any direct trauma to the spine can cause vertebrae to misalign and lead to subluxation. Traumas to our spines begin at birth. Think of how much pressure is exerted on a baby’s neck as it enters the world in a normal delivery. Add to that a pair of doctor’s hands pulling and twisting the baby’s neck to aid the process. This stress is often enough to actually cause the tiny bones to break in the infant’s neck resulting in a stillbirth. If the neck is not broken, there are often severe multiple Vertebral Subluxation Complexes.
This is one reason why I recommend that newborn babies get their spines checked as soon as possible by a chiropractor. In fact, it is not infrequent that you will see someone on the way home after giving birth stop by a chiropractor’s office. For more information on how chiropractic can help your infants and children, please visit our “Chiro Kids” section.
If we make it through the birth process, we encounter many subluxations in the difficult childhood years. Falling, wrestling with other children, and other common incidents lead to additional vertebral subluxation complexes.
As adults, injuries such as a car accident, a fall, or a sports injury can causes bones in the spine to misalign. There are other types of trauma that can cause subluxation. For example, poor posture at work or while sleeping and improper lifting habits can lead to multiple subluxations.
And then we are further insulted by the stresses of adulthood, the stresses of anger and irritation, the stresses of environmental pollution, from the air and water we drink, the foods we eat, and the drugs many take. All of these produce more vertebral subluxations.
Who Can Be a Patient in Osborne Chiropractic Clinic?
The answer to this question is simple: anyone with a spine. We believe everyone that has a vertebral subluxation complex can benefit from our services. At Osborne Chiropractic, our primary focus is on family care. Please arrange to be checked out to see if you or your family members have any subluxations.