At Uintah Spinal Health we strive to help you FEEL BETTER, MOVE BETTER, LIVE BETTER. You might have physical pain that is holding you back from running that first 5K or completing your 10th marathon.  Maybe you want to hike the Yosemite National Park or hike something easier like Provo Canyon with your kids and grandkids.  From wellness care to active care, we are here to help you. We will be your partner as you reach your goals and beyond. At Uintah Spinal Health we care about you. So if we can’t help you, we will find someone who can.

Why a Chiropractic Adjustment Works

Chiropractic adjustment (aka spinal manipulation) is a well-known treatment option used by many people in the world today.  The treatment started in 1895 and has been flourishing since.  

Just like any other medical treatment, there are some downfalls.  Nevertheless, when we look at it’s effectiveness and safety chiropractic adjustments are top notch. In fact, the American College of Physicians recommend this type of treatment to be the first line of defense for lower back pain even before pain medication.  

So what is a Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation?  It is a manual therapy used to reduce pain and increase range of motion to the targeted joint or region.  More research has come out that this treatment doesn’t actually “realign” the spine, but rather it does three things.

1. Reduce nerve sensitivity and reduce pain. When there is pain in a joint or a body part, it is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong or doesn’t feel right.  Your nerves in that part of the  region will send signals to your brain.  By adjusting the spine, we can change the sensitivity to the nerve and reduce pain. This is a great analogy to “rebooting” the system, like turning your computer off and turning it back on again. 
2. Increase range of motion at targeted joints or regions. All joints move in 6 directions: forward, backward, bending right and left, and rotating right and left. However all joints have different ranges of motion in all 6 directions. Some joints move more and some joints move less.  If a joint loses part of its range of motion in one of those directions (we call this a joint restriction) then chiropractic spinal manipulation is a great treatment method to increase that range of motion once again.
3. Reduce Muscle Tension. A group of small muscles next to the joint can become tight causing joint restrictions and pain.  A chiropractic adjustment can cause the inverse stretch reflex to happen with the golgi tendon organs. (Golgi tendon organs are a tree-like sensory ending that lies near the junction of a tendon with a muscle.) The response to the chiropractic adjustment near those tight muscles is that they will loosen up.

There are a few more effects that can happen, but they are less researched and more anecdotal. We only follow accredited research to make sure there’s evidence behind everything we offer.

Please note, adjustments will not cure everything, but when it comes to the kinetic performance of your body it has proven and excellent results.

Where can an adjustment be done? This is a great treatment targeting joints.  Almost any joint you have can be adjusted.  Adjusting the spine is the obvious one, but we can also adjust feet, ankles, hips, wrist, elbows and jaws. The knee and the shoulder can also be adjusted, but in my experience, these are best treated with other treatment methods, such as dry needling, PRP, ozone injections, and therapeutic exercise. 

An adjustment is just a short term treatment if you only get adjusted once.   Your body responds to the demands that you put on it.  If your joints are stiff, an adjustment may feel good for a while. However, it is common that if not continually treated, the joint tends to return to how it was before and the pain returns with it. 

What we don’t like is that some chiropractors take this too far and say you need to get adjusted 3x/week for 6 months or more.  This is relying on this treatment way too much. On the flip side, one treatment won’t resolve the issue either. Balance is important. To get back to wellness,  you will likely need regular adjustments early on. (For example 3 appointments per week for 3-6 weeks.) 

I space out appointments progressively farther out and pair adjustments with other treatments as needed. This will have a much longer effect on your pain and help your body help itself become stronger.

How often should you get adjusted?  Here are the treatment guidelines.  If you are in acute pain, getting treated 2-3x/week for 3-6 weeks is needed. When pain goes down and function increases that frequency decreases.  As you get to the next phase you should be returning to function. If you’re an athlete, this means you can participate in your sport again. In this phase you need chiropractic treatments 1-2 times per week for 4-6 weeks. Finally, if you are doing well with no pain, maintenance is still a good thing. Research has shown that maintenance care is a great way to stave off pain and injury in the future. There is a research paper that states that regular adjustments can reduce the amount of pain you feel in a year by 2 weeks. What is regular? It depends on the person.  That could be 1x/month or 1x/quarter. 

If you have been in pain or want to prevent pain, schedule a time for an evaluation and get treated to help yourself.

We are located in Orem/Vineyard, Utah at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course and we strive to keep you as active as you want.