Can chiropractic adjustments hurt you?

Many people continue to have concerns about the role chiropractors play in the healthcare field, and what health benefits chiropractic care can have for their bodies.

Does Getting a Spinal Adjustment Hurt?

If you have been putting off chiropractic consult just because you are worried about your aches and pains, you will be happy to know that having an adjustment done by a professional and well-trained chiropractor will not hurt your joints.

How a Chiropractic Adjustment is Done

An adjustment is a precise and highly skilled movement on a joint (mostly spinal) in your body. It loosens the joint and helps to optimize body functioning by restoring normal movement. Many things we do can lead to misalignment of our backs or spines.

An adjustment will realign your joints correctly and help you to feel more relaxed and flexible by causing significant changes in your movement and nervous system.

If you are not in pain before a chiropractic session, there will usually be no pain or muscle soreness at all. Following the adjustment, some people may get muscle soreness, much like the muscles can get sore after a workout. Generally, the soreness is short-lived, and it wears away in a few hours to days. You should be left to feel stronger, reinvigorated and much less tired than before.

In fact, the release of endorphins that happens during a session – and there is a reason why endorphins are often called “natural painkillers”.

Everybody is indeed different, so each person reacts differently to the chiropractic sessions. As discussed earlier, the most common side effect of an adjustment most common is mild to moderate muscle soreness. However, in the end, it subsides and relieves unpleasant and troublesome symptoms such as pain, inflammation, swelling, and joint stiffness. 

If you feel soreness for more than three days after a chiropractic adjustment, ice massage the affected area, take rest, and do stretching exercises the following day or two.

Chiropractic adjustments or joint manipulations are not generally harmful. Most patients actually experience immediate relief from pain and associated symptoms. The “cracks’ ‘ or popping sound can cause nervousness to the patients during an adjustment. However, they are safe and caused by the release of trapped nitrogen gas from the joints.

It is very important to ask questions about your wellbeing and treatment options. You are a partner in your healthcare, and your engagement is important to help your chiropractor achieve the goal. If you have any further concerns about chiropractic treatment beyond this article, consult a chiropractor.