Something I hear all of the time is:

"I don't need to go to a chiropractor because my back doesn't hurt." 

To which I always respond:

"Great! I don't treat back pain."

This is usually greeted with a confused look. What do you mean you don't treat back pain? I thought chiropractors were doctors of the spine. 

This is a common misconception that most people have. Chiropractors are, in reality, doctors of the nervous system. We focus on one thing, and one thing only: VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION COMPLEX. to explain this, we first need to cover a little bit of anatomy. 

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system is a system in your body that includes several structures such as the brain, your spinal cord, and the nerves that branch off the spinal cord at every level of your spine. These nerves exit the spine and divide and divide and divide thousands and thousands of times until they contact every cell in your body. You can think of these nerves as communication pathways. The brain uses these nerves to talk to the cells in your body to tell them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. It tells your lungs to breath, your muscles to contract, your kidneys to filter waste, and every other function of the body you can think of. The cells of the body also constantly use these nerves to update the brain with real time information. 

WHAT ABOUT THE SPINE?

So where does the spine play into all of this? The spine is a structure that encases the spinal cord and protects it from damage. The nerves are in very close relation to the bones of your spine. When a bone of your spine becomes misaligned it can put pressure on the nerves causing a decrease in the function of these communication pathways. Now the brain cannot communicate as effectively with the cells of our body and the cells of our body cannot communicate as effectively with the brain. This interference in communication between the brain and body is called a VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION COMPLEX. 

A chiropractor is trained to specifically identify and correct SUBLUXATIONS. Once identified, a specific adjustment can be performed to return that bone to its proper position and allow it to function as it should biomechanically. With the interference in the nervous system removed, communication is restored, and the body is able to function as it should. This is where we get the saying "The body needs no intervention, just no interference."

IDENTIFYING SUBLUXATIONS

In our office we use state of the art technology to help us identify problem areas which allows us to get results much quicker than we would traditionally be able to get. The below picture is an example of the technology we use. This tool measures the function of each nerve as it exits the spine. As we progress through care we will see a change in these reports as the pressure is removed from the nervous system. White represents normal levels, green is mild, blue is moderate, and red represents severe nerve interference. The picture below demonstrates how consistent chiropractic care can improve the function of our nervous system, and thus all other systems in the body. 

Lets return to our original statement of "I don't need to go to a chiropractor because I don't have back pain." We now understand that chiropractic care can help with much more than just low back pain. It can improve any system or function that is controlled by the nervous system.

Now here's the kicker: How do we know if our nervous system is not functioning well? When we look at our nervous system we can see that only 20% of this system is dedicated to providing a sensation of feeling. The other 80% is dedicated to a specific function. This means that most of the time we cannot feel SUBLUXATIONS. The best way to ensure that your body is functioning optimally is to visit a local chiropractor and get a functional nerve assessment.