Frequently Asked Questions in Lacey WA

If you are unsure whether or not chiropractic can help you, call our office and come in for a quick, complimentary spinal check and consultation. There is no obligation to follow up with care. After 5 minutes, you will absolutely know if chiropractic can help you or not. Also, we have a free health class every Wednesday night at 6 pm, which lasts 20-30 minutes. Please call to reserve your seat, as space is limited.

Simply put, a healthy spine equals a healthy nervous system, equals a healthy body.

Motion Palpation is a diagnostic technique based on the premise that one of the primary functions of the spine is to move. However, when a joint loses its normal range of motion--“locks up”—it then causes pressure or interference to the nervous system. Motion Palpation is a quick, straightforward way to locate the joint dysfunction causing the pain or symptoms.

Trauma or chronic strain causes the muscles in the injured area to go into spasms to reflexively guard and protect the area from further injury or damage. This muscle spasm causes certain joints to lock up and lose their normal motion. This is called joint dysfunction.

Joint dysfunction causes two things: First, abnormal joint motion causes nerve interference or nervous system dysfunction, which can affect overall health. Secondly, as stated below, joint dysfunction results in spinal degenerative changes. Consequently, uncorrected spinal problems will continue to worsen as time goes on.

Clarence Gonstead created the Gonstead technique way back in the mid-1900’s, and to this day, it is recognized by many chiropractors as the premier adjusting technique, due to its specificity, and therefore its effectiveness.

Most of the time, it’s not a misalignment or “bone out of place”, but rather it’s joint dysfunction. The purpose of the chiropractic adjustment, therefore, is not to put a bone back into place, but rather to restore normal motion to a joint that has lost its normal motion.

Simply put, it’s an immobile or hypo mobile joint. When a joint is immobilized, research shows that that joint will start to degenerate within 2 weeks, and often within a matter of days. This is the reason that the soft cervical collars so greatly used in the 1970s are not seen anymore. Doctors have since realized through research that this was causing degeneration to occur. Similarly, when a joint “locks up” due to trauma or chronic strain, the same thing happens—spinal degeneration. This means that with proper chiropractic care, spinal degeneration is very much preventable.

The chiropractic adjustment requires a certain amount of force (or energy) to restore normal motion to a joint that has lost its normal mobility (joint dysfunction). The energy or force necessary to restore motion to a joint is a function of two factors: speed and amplitude (or depth). A good adjustment is a combination of good speed and a shallow, controlled depth or amplitude. Many "low force" adjustments lack the proper speed to correct joint dysfunction. Also, the shallow, controlled depth, along with good speed allows for a gentle, yet effective adjustment.

There is a slogan in chiropractic that says, “The Power That Made the Body, Heals the Body.” There is an Intelligence innate within each of us—that chiropractors call Innate Intelligence—that knows how to maintain us in a state of health and homeostasis (balance). This Intelligence needs no help (drugs), just no interference. The chiropractor’s job is to remove interference—to the nervous system—by correcting spinal joint dysfunction, thereby allowing the Power That Made the Body to Heal the Body.

X-rays are recommended, but not required. They provide additional information that allows for optimal results, but the doctor can usually determine the area that needs to be corrected through Motion Palpation—palpating with his hands. With that said, x-ray exposure with modern digital x-rays is kept to a minimum, and well worth the additional information they provide.