Chiropractic is about way more than just getting you out of pain. In fact, a chiropractor’s main objective is not getting you out of pain. It’s something totally different, and pain relief just so happens to be a side effect. WHAT?!

I know that might sound crazy because most people go to the chiropractor because they are in some sort of pain. Usually people come into our office because they have some sort of health issue. Those health issues are often something like: back pain, neck pain, headaches, vertigo, and sleep issues. Pain can be a very motivating factor for people to seek out help, but over the years I have found that there is a deeper reason that most people want help which is beyond. Most people do not seek help until the issue starts to interfere with their life or something they love doing.

What is pain?

Pain is simply a warning sign that something is not functioning correctly in your body. It is much like when the check engine light comes on in your car. The check engine light isn’t the problem, it’s just giving you a warning for an issue going on inside the car. At that point it makes sense to take your car to the mechanic to see what the problem is. When they run a diagnosis and find the issue, they recommend fixing the underlying problem. They never recommend putting a piece of tape over the light. Right? That might sound ridiculous, but that is how most people deal with pain! They take some medication. This is the equivalent to putting a piece of tape over that check engine light. You no longer see the warning, but the underlying issue is still there. Your car (and body) will only function like this for so long before it starts to break down.

How does fixing function get rid of pain?

Like we talked about earlier, pain is just a warning sign that something is wrong. When the bones in your spine are stuck in a certain position and things are not moving properly, your body will start to send nociception (pain signals) to your brain. These pain signals are simply trying to tell your brain that something is wrong. A chiropractor’s job is to find those areas where things are stuck, put motion into them, and reset the nervous system in that area.

What does a chiropractic adjustment do?

The adjustment does a lot, but there are two major things. The first is moving the joint to send mechanoreceptors (good feeling signals) to the brain that will actually stop the pain signals. The second is the adjustment restores proper motion into the spine which prevents your body from sending any more pain signals to the brain over time. Pretty cool stuff, right!?

What should you do if you are in pain?

You should go see a chiropractor of course! Here at Atlas Chiropractic of Boulder we help hundreds of people every year feel better and get out of pain. As we discussed earlier, our main objective is not just to get you out of pain. It is to get your body functioning at its highest ability. Can you imagine waking up and feeling full of energy and ready to take on the day? Do you want to do that hard hike you have been putting off because you feel like you can’t? Or maybe you just want to be able to play with your kids without worrying about hurting yourself. Whatever your reason for wanting to feel more healthy, we would love to partner with you on that journey to health.

What are you waiting for? Give us a call at Atlas Chiropractic of Boulder and speak to one of our doctors about your case. 303-442-5911.