Can You Adjust Yourself

Can You Adjust Yourself

By Dr. Jeffry T. Vendsel

2008

That question is one that I and my colleagues get on a daily basis. Either that or the statement is made, "I knew it was time to come and see you Doc, because I couldn't get my back to "pop" anymore." Every time I hear that one, I must confess, I just cringe. Let me see if I can set the record straight.

Can we "pop" ourselves and relieve pressure on certain joints in our bodies? Absolutely. Can we adjust it correctly, or more importantly, can we do it to the right ones? Absolutely not.

 If you remember back in science class, we were taught a law of physics that stated for every action taken there has to be an equal and opposite reaction. This is an undisputed law. When it relates to the human body however, it takes on a different make up. We are a complex machine that continually shifts, changes and compensates for everything that we do. Everything we do relies on something else balancing out what has just happened such as walking, pushing, pulling, sitting or standing. If the

ability to do these things are somehow impaired, the body will recruit other muscles, tendons and joints to help it out. This is how the machine works.

Now let's say you have done something to injure or alter that machine's ability to do the task it is asked to do. The body will continue to do the job to the best of its ability but it will look for help. When it does this it places more stress on some joints and less on others. This causes these joints to either move more or less depending on what is asked of them. Joints with limited movement, when stressed, will produce pain. Joints with increased motion will move but become unstable. This is where the problem lies.

People believe that just the "popping" of a joint signifies that they have "adjusted" themselves and therefore have taken care of the problem so they continue to do that. In reality, what they are doing is making the joints that are less mobile even tighter and the joints that are more mobile now become even looser. This leads to instability. This is what happens when you "pop" or attempt to adjust yourself. Have you or someone you know just been doing normal things when their back suddenly "locked up"? More times than not this isn't a sudden onset of this situation, but a long standing one. People have been and continue "popping" themselves thinking they are helping themselves when in reality they are becoming an accident waiting to happen.

When a Chiropractor adjusts you, he or she has determined which spinal segment or segments are less mobile. The adjustment they provide is designed to balance out the motion in the joint or joints affected to return the human machine closer to its normal capacity, not to simply "pop" your back to see how much they can release. There lies the difference. Outside assistance will aid the body in returning to its normal health. Self induced "popping" will send the body to eventual trouble.

I guess the best way to sum it up would be like this. When I get the question, "Can I adjust myself?", I simply smile and say, "With my experience, I don't attempt to do it to myself, so do you think it is wise

for you to try?"

Contact Dr. Vendsel at Advanced Chiropractic Spine & Sports Injury Center

3131 N. Country Club #111
Tucson, AZ 85716