Myths About Chiropractic Neck Adjustments

3 things you need to know before getting your neck adjusted by a Chiropractor...

1️⃣The popping sound you hear after an adjustment, is nothing more than carbon dioxide (air) being released from an air bubble that has popped by adjusting the bone back into its physiological position.

When a bone in the spine goes out of alignment, an air bubble forms and as there is an exchange of carbon dioxide out of the body and oxygen in, some of the carbon dioxide gets trapped in that air bubble.

When the bone is adjusted back into place, the air bubble pops (like a packaging bubble everyone used to love to play with), the sound is made and the air is released.

Depending on how much the vertebrae is misaligned, will determine how big the air bubble is and how loud or soft the pop will be.

Multiple popping sounds are multiple air bubbles popping.

2️⃣The positioning of the head - when lying down on their back, human beings can laterally flex (ear to shoulder) their head only so far. This is considered an active range of motion, when the muscles are activated.

At the end range of active motion by muscle movement, the Chiropractor can move the head and laterally flex it further towards to shoulder. This is considered passive range of motion, where the ligaments are used.

This area of motion is to do two things: to lock the join out in the neck, to be specific with which bone is being adjusted, as well as a safety mechanism, so the patient can't move their neck, while you are moving it to adjust them.

3️⃣The thrust movement for the adjustment. What I normally do with patients, is explain the them that there bones are a large square block (in a normally, healthy spine), with well-developed muscles surrounding the neck/spine and if I use my finger to push on it, it won't move at all.

In this case, a thrust is needed to move past the tight, well-developed muscles, to move/adjust the bone back into place.

How much thrust is used, is dependent upon the individuals' muscle tightness, how far the bone is misaligned, their ability to relax and not tense up, etc.

Work smarter, not harder as I always say. This means that the more "preparation" work do in the area that is controlling the tightness of the muscles attaching to and surrounding the bone out of place, the easier it will adjust back and with less force and more finesse.