Breaking down the basics of chiropractic

So how, exactly, does chiropractic work? What is it and why do I need it? These are common questions.

We'll break things down for you, and in simple terms, do our best to explain what chiropractors do and why chiropractic care is great for the body.

In an ideal situation, our muscles work to hold joints in perfect placement and create perfect posture so that movements are pain-free. But when you twist your ankle, get in a car accident, or have some type of injury, that perfect position is altered. That means muscles cannot do their job.

Sometimes, muscles compensate to make up for a problem or injury, thus causing other problems. Chiropractors seek to fix all of this – everything from the underlying cause to what muscles have done to compensate.

Dr. Reinecke uses low back pain as an example. Say you have had low-back pain for awhile. That may resolve itself and go away, but the function and proper movement of muscles doesn't come back. So, the nerves are pinched and the muscle can't function the way it's supposed to. That weakness means your body can't hold itself in the perfect position we talked about earlier. Pain will soon develop.

That's where chiropractors like those at Reinecke Chiropractic can help. They help knee pain, weak ankles, elbow tendinitis, and so much more. And the problem may not always be in the same spot that hurts. Think about all the vertebrae that make up your spine. Many conditions are because of underlying spinal problems, so if there's a spinal connection, chiropractic can help.

Here's another example. Think of a chiropractic subluxation in your neck (that's a fancy chiropratic-way of saying there's an old neck injury that doesn't make your neck hurt anymore, but it still pinches that nerve). That subluxation creates a weakness in the arm that a chiropractor can find. So, when that weakness is pinpointed, a chiropractor takes pressure off the nerve with an adjustment to restore proper motion to the vertebrae. Again, the goal is to make everything perfectly aligned.

"It takes pressure off that nerve and allows nerve impulses to go to the muscle," Dr. Reinecke said. "With the muscle functioning properly, the joint is held in proper position, and less pain is felt."

The same principle holds true for multiple conditions, in various parts of your body. Chiropractors seek to fix the underlying cause.

The length of chiropractic treatment varies with each case. It may relate to how long the patient has left the condition go without treatment. Years of letting the muscles compensate, for example, will take longer to fix that heading to the chiropractor immediately following a car accident or experiencing pain.

Still, chiropractic can ease pain or eliminate the problem for everything from chronic issues to recent injuries.

"The body's response is directly proportional to frequency and duration of treatment," Dr. Reinecke said. "It's best to see someone regularly just like it's best to exercise regularly."

Call Reinecke Chiropractic Clinic at 605-335-0880 to schedule your appointment today!