The Intrinsic Chiropractic Way!
At Intrinsic Chiropractic we have developed methods to treat the entire musculoskeletal system that restore all components to pre-injury status.
An injury cannot be completely healed by treating just the joint (through chiropractic adjustment), or just the muscle (through massage or physical therapy), or just the nerves and inflammation (through injections or medication). This is very significant because treating just one of the components may provide temporary relief of pain, but the only way to attain long term resolution of symptoms is to effectively treat all the components and attain proper function and true pre-injury status!
A joint is where to two bones meet in the body. When the joint in under distress, its ability to move freely becomes restricted. In response to the limited mobility, the brain tries to limit motion further by making muscles tighter. The combined effect results in localized reduction in range of motion, as well as pain. The global response is an overall change in body movements to compensate for the reduction of motion.
As long as joint motion stays restricted, the musculoskeletal condition remains.
Locomotive muscles contract and relax to facilitate movement of bones at the joints. Without the locomotive muscle groups, we could not move our bodies. When the muscles becomes altered, there is a tendency for the muscle fibers to become short and tight (muscle spasm). This change in muscle tone affects the joint and limits mobility.
Intrinsic muscles are located deep within our body. Simply put, these smaller muscles are underneath the large locomotive muscles and function to stabilize a joint. Without the proper function of these intrinsic muscle groups, the joints will stay under stress and the body will continue to try and compensate.
Nerves sense and control the entire musculoskeletal system. When nerves detect a problem, they signal the brain that something is wrong. The brain responds by sending signals to alter motion, to start damage repair (inflammation), and to monitor the progress of the condition. Pain signals will continue until either the injured area has returned to proper function or the body has altered the normal movement of the involved joints to avoid this area (compensation).
Inflammation
Inflammation occurs when a physical challenge triggers an immune response. Inflammation in a joint is meant to begin the healing process and results in the recruitment of specialty cells that help clean up and repair damaged tissue. When inflammation is present, it can increase pain and reduce the mobility of the joint. Inflammation affects joints, muscles, and nerves of the injured region.