How does a Chiropractor know I need adjusted?

If you have ever been to a Chiropractor, you probably wonder, “How do they know what needs adjusted and what doesn’t? Is there certain criteria they look for or is it all guess work?” Just like when it comes to your medical doctor prescribing medication for illness, chiropractic care shouldn’t be guess work. So, lets dig into some of the ways Chiropractors and yours truly at Untapped decides what segments of your spine need adjusted and what doesn’t.

Delta-T

Delta-T is the heat signature scanning tool we use at Untapped and is what most would consider a very expensive spinal thermometer otherwise known as the Delta-T scope. If you have been to the office or ever visited a Gonstead practitioner, you are likely familiar with the Delta-T, Nervoscope or Temposcope. All three of these instruments serve the same purpose, but just come from different companies. So, what purpose does a Delta-T serve and why does it matter?

As stated earlier I jokingly call the Delta-T an expensive thermometer due to its core purpose of measuring temperature differences between adjacent areas of the spine. It does so via two probes that run over the right and left facet joints of the spine simultaneously. As the doctor runs the Delta-T down your spine they will be looking for what they call heat “breaks”. Heat breaks are best described as pockets of inflammation in and around the facet joints of the spine. These pockets of inflammation throughout the spine are one sign that the level harboring inflammation needs adjusted. Why is this the case? Inflammation is our bodies catch all chemical response to stressors placed upon it. Have you ever got a splinter or cut and noticed that the area gets tender and red? That is due to your bodies inflammation response to those given stressors. Inflammation responses aren’t inherently bad. These responses allow you to fight would-be infections and pump nutrient rich blood to the area that is vital for the healing process. So, when segments of your spine come under excess stress typically your body will respond with an inflammation response that in turn irritates your nerves, so that they will tell you to take it easy on that area of your body.

Range of Motion

The second thing we look at is the global range of motion throughout your spine. There is a certain amount of motion that is healthy for the spine. The old adage of “movement is life” is no different when it comes to your spine and all the joints that allow you the movement you have. What is commonly seen when it comes to vertebral movement throughout the spine is a decrease in motion where a vertebral segment is irritated. That makes sense when you think about it. When you are sick or irritated due to a lack of sleep the night before the last thing you want to do is get out of bed and go to work. Your spine is no different. When your spine isn’t functioning optimally or has a “kink” as many people like to say. The common thing your body will do to prevent further injury is lock down the muscles in the area to prevent further injury from occurring.

Pain Points

It may seem weird that I put pain in the third spot on this list, but that was on purpose. While pain is likely what brought you through the door it isn’t always a tell-tale sign of what area needs adjusted. For example, you have five vertebra that make up the lumbar (low back) section of your spine. If one of those segments locks down and stops participating in the movements that allows you to move freely you now have four vertebrae doing a five-vertebra job. Just like at work if you have four people doing a five-person job, because someone isn’t doing their part, it is likely that one of those four other people are going to get very upset. The same thing happens in the spine. L5 (the last vertebra of your low back) could be the area where you are feeling the pain, but L1 (the first vertebra of your low back) could be the culprit that isn’t carrying their share of the load that in turn is upsetting the L5 region of you back. If I were to only adjust your L5 vertebrae in this situation, the pain point, I would be treating an area that didn’t need it and you would unfortunately still be in pain. This is why we at Untapped make sure all three criteria are met before we adjust a segment. That way you get the results you are looking for when you come into our office.