To make an actual lasting structural and mechanical change takes time. Your entire spine must adapt and compensate for the movement created by a spinal adjustment. In some cases, patients may experience some minor discomfort. This is due to the movement created in the spinal joints by the adjustment where there has been relatively little movement for some time.
You should communicate with your doctor. It is not necessary to go over your symptoms on every visit, as your symptoms are not necessarily an example of how your condition is progressing. If you do experience a flare-up or something drastically different, then please tell the doctor, and we will make the appropriate changes. Remember that when the symptoms disappear, you have only taken the first step toward regaining your health. Follow through and achieve correction of your spinal condition for maximum benefit and optimal health. If you have a preference of which doctor cares for you, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Don’t be fooled by the notion that vertebrae just “pop in” or “pop out” of place. The purpose of a correction program is to make the structural changes necessary to reduce the subluxation complex and nerve irritation, strengthen spinal weaknesses and imbalances, and reverse any reversible damage or degeneration that has occurred.
When you receive an adjustment, there is normally a feeling of movement in the joints of your spine. You may also hear a “click”. The clicking comes from separation of the joint surfaces, and this separation causes a bubble to be formed in the joint fluid. When the tension on the bubble reaches a certain point, the bubble will pop, producing the sound you hear. This is the same principle as a glass lifted off the surface of a wet table top. Rest assured that nothing is being ground or cracked; in actuality it is the opposite, it is the separation of the joints causing the popping phenomenon. As you have been instructed following your first adjustment, please use the correct terminology — “chiropractic adjustment” (never “popping”, “cracking”, etc.)