Migraine headaches are very often triggered when there are blood flow changes to the brain. There can be many factors, often called triggers, that create these brain changes such as food allergies, hormonal changes, or even strange odors.

However, there is an additional factor that is also often present - there can be mechanical misalignments of the vertebra in the upper neck. These misalignments can alter blood flow into the skull as well as create severe muscle spasms at the base of the skull. Even if there are other factors present, a chiropractic treatment can often help relieve a migraine because it can improve the alignment of the upper cervical [neck] vertebra which in turn affects nerve function and blood flow.

Our recommendation is that all patients who suffer from migraines should receive chiropractic treatment in addition to treating the other possible triggers that can create migraines with clinical nutrition.

Generally not.  If you are especially tight in the area being adjusted, the adjustment pulls slightly on the muscles, tendons and ligaments attached to the bones being adjusted, and you may be sore afterwards for a short period of time.

We remind patients that this can be similar to starting a new exercise – the soft tissues may be sore for a day or so due to this new activity.  Also, if you are in acute pain from localized inflammation (like after a fall or auto accident), the adjustment may hurt for a second as the inflamed tissues are slightly irritated.

We minimize this reaction by providing physical therapy first and icing the area afterwards.

If you are in a great deal of pain due to a trauma of some kind, we may not adjust you that day.  On the other hand, it could be the best thing for you, and provide nearly instant pain relief.

Yes.  We encourage and recommend parents to bring in their babies and children to be adjusted.  These adjustments are, understandably, very gentle.

The sooner a child (or infant) gets adjusted, the sooner they get comfortable with the chiropractor and the chiropractic adjustment as a feel good experience, and the place to go for pain relief rather than relying on medication.

Children should be checked out after significant falls or with any prolonged complaints of back or neck pain to correct structural imbalances.  Preadolescent kids (especially girls) should be checked for any signs of scoliosis or curvature of the spine.

Teenagers notoriously get knocked around (sports, high activity living, accidents), and injuries at this point can set the stage for adult imbalances that get more difficult to correct with age.

If your joints make sounds (popping or cracking) on their own with normal everyday movement or with stretching, that is usually perfectly normal.  It is an indication that you are loose and flexible. The bones are moving, and similar to a sound you hear with a chiropractic adjustment, your joints are simply opening and releasing gas on their own.

The downside of ‘cracking’ knuckles may be minor, but the liability of 'cracking' other joints,  especially including the joints of the spine, repetitively and frequently is that you might  create hypermobile joints that can become unstable and irritated, leading to joint inflammation and pain.

If you have a particular joint (in your spine or extremities) that you regularly want to ‘pop’ or ‘crack,’ you would be well-served visiting a chiropractor for an examination.  When bones are misaligned, they can create stress, tension and discomfort that is only temporarily relieved by your own efforts. In fact "self adjusting" tend to create instabilities in a joint such that when a chiropractor attempts to correct the problem, the instability hinders his or her efforts and actually extends the length of time to correct the problem.

Once a doctor of chiropractic begins the true correction process, you'll find your desire to 'self-adjust' will disappear.

The short answer is: You definitely don’t have to, but you may want to.
The longer answer is: The body functions best when it is in good structural alignment.  This minimizes joint stress and muscle tension, thus reducing pain and maximizing healthy movement for optimal enjoyment of life’s myriad activities.
Since the nervous system is in such close proximity to the skeletal system, and it has such an important coordinating and controlling function in terms of the body’s physiology, it is in the interest of our best health to minimize any interference (think, ‘pressure’) to the communication flow through the nervous system.
Joint inflammation which comes about from boney misalignments of the skeleton (especially the spine) can put pressure on the nerves exiting the spinal cord through openings between the vertebrae, thereby altering or interrupting nervous system communication.
This can cause localized pain, but it can also contribute to other organ malfunction.  In sum, our body is healthier when the nervous system is free from interference to do its job of coordinating and regulating our body’s functions.
To the extent that chiropractic adjustments aid this process, you might want to continue receiving chiropractic adjustments for the rest of your life.  Statistically that is a common occurrence, much like you plan to take care of your teeth for the rest of your life and likely don’t plan on ceasing to see your dentist.
Most patients start with an active program of treatment in order to accomplish significant structural improvements over a few months.  After successfully completing the active phase of treatment, they can then reduce the frequency of care to monthly, bimonthly or quarterly  maintenance visits depending on your lifestyle and health goals.

Yes.  In fact chiropractic adjustments can be very therapeutic. You will first receive a chiropractic examination, and x-rays will be viewed to clearly evaluate your structural issues.

Gentle chiropractic adjustments will be performed as part of your treatment that should also include clinical nutrition to get to the underlying root cause of the osteoporosis.

There are a variety of ways to administer the chiropractic adjustment, and we will choose those that you are most comfortable and therapeutic for you.