What Happens to Joints During a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Chiropractic adjustments are known for their ability to relieve pain, improve mobility, and enhance overall well-being. But what’s actually happening inside the body when a chiropractor performs an adjustment? Many people are curious about the popping sound, joint movement, and long-term benefits of chiropractic care.
At Current Chiropractic, we take a scientific, patient-focused approach to care, ensuring you understand how adjustments impact your spine and joints.
Understanding Chiropractic Adjustments
A chiropractic adjustment, also called spinal manipulation, is a controlled force applied to a joint, typically in the spine, to restore proper movement and alignment. Over time, stress, poor posture, injuries, and repetitive motions can cause joints to become restricted or misaligned, leading to pain and stiffness.
By correcting these misalignments, chiropractic adjustments:
Reduce pain and inflammation
Improve range of motion
Restore proper nerve function
Enhance overall spinal health
What Happens Inside the Joint?
When a chiropractor performs an adjustment, several key changes occur within the joint:
1. Joint Mobility is Restored
Joints can become restricted due to poor posture, injuries, or muscle tightness. These restrictions lead to stiffness, pain, and decreased mobility.
An adjustment gently guides the joint back into its proper position, allowing for smoother and more natural movement.
2. Pressure is Released from the Joint Capsule
Joints are surrounded by a capsule filled with synovial fluid, which lubricates the joint and reduces friction.
When a chiropractor adjusts a restricted joint, it stretches the capsule, allowing trapped gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide to escape. This release creates the popping or cracking sound often heard during an adjustment.
3. Nervous System Function Improves
The spinal column houses the nervous system, which controls every function in the body. When joints become misaligned, they can put pressure on nearby nerves, leading to pain, numbness, or dysfunction.
By restoring proper alignment, adjustments relieve nerve interference, allowing signals to flow freely between the brain and body.
4. Muscles Relax and Tension is Reduced
Restricted joints often cause muscle tightness as the body tries to compensate for misalignment.
After an adjustment, muscles naturally relax, reducing tension and improving movement. This is why many patients feel instant relief and increased flexibility after a chiropractic session.
5. Inflammation is Reduced
Misalignments can cause low-grade inflammation around the joint, leading to pain and stiffness. Adjustments help reduce inflammation by improving blood flow and restoring proper movement patterns.
Why Do Some People Feel Immediate Relief?
Many patients report feeling instant relief, improved mobility, and reduced tension after an adjustment. This happens because:
The nervous system releases endorphins, which act as natural pain relievers.
Blood flow increases, helping reduce stiffness and inflammation.
Joints move more freely, restoring proper biomechanics.
For others, it may take a few sessions to experience full relief, especially if the joint has been restricted for a long time or if there is underlying muscle tightness.
Long-Term Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments
While adjustments provide immediate relief, regular chiropractic care offers long-term benefits, including:
Better spinal alignment and posture
Reduced risk of joint degeneration
Improved athletic performance
Enhanced nervous system function
At Current Chiropractic, we focus on evidence-based adjustments and personalized care to help our patients in Hermitage and Mt. Juliet, TN experience lasting relief and better health.
