October is National Chiropractic Awareness Month. Every October we take a moment to thank our chiropractic ancestors for leading the way into main stream healthcare. As a profession, we are proud to serve the public in a healthy, drug-free atmosphere with quality care that lasts a lifetime. The art, philosophy, and science of chiropractic care combine to provide the body with an environment to function to the best of its ability. My favorite analogy to use is that we chiropractors are “mechanics of the body.”
Did you know…
there are 206 bones in the human body.
there are 650 muscles in the human body.
and there are 100 BILLION nerves in the human brain alone.
Wow!! That’s a lot of parts and pieces… with a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong. In comparison, cars today have many moving parts and an intensive electrical system. Mechanics ensure that the car’s various parts are moving independently and together in proper fashion. The also test the communication between the buttons pushed and the actions performed. Some of the most important tasks as a car owner is to have routine checks. For example, the car should be inspected yearly, oil changed every 3000-5000 miles, and tires rotated as needed.
Similar to car mechanics, chiropractors assess the areas of the vehicle, or the body, that may or may not be functioning their best. Local and global ranges of motion are reviewed, muscle tone is assessed, and nerve function is challenged. If appropriate, we then provide treatment to restore proper function, often in the form of movement, to improve the communication among the body’s nerves.
Like routine checks for the car, it’s important that the body is assessed with regularity to ensure the bones and muscles are moving correctly. Unlike a car, however, we do not have a light that goes off when something is not functioning properly. Instead, the body has an amazing ability to adapt and compensate when something isn’t moving properly. Pain is the last symptom of dysfunction. Muscle, ligament, and joint injuries are often a result of long-term mechanical dysfunction making the body susceptible to injury. Routine visits are always encouraged to support a healthy body and catch the dysfunction before pain sets in.
So we thank our predecessors for guiding the way for us to help you. It is our goal to help the community move better, feel better, and live better one patient at a time. Click here to schedule an appointment or call us today! (757) 427-0355