For the Chiropractors at E3 Chiropractic + Wellness, the goal of the adjustment is simple; to restore proper motion to an area that is not moving correctly.
I said earlier that your bones are NOT out of place. The purpose of an adjustment is NOT to put bones back into place. Your Chiropractor will use an adjustment in an area of your body that does not have proper joint motion, helping restore normal function and motion.
How is a chiropractic adjustment performed?
Your Chiropractor will use an adjustment on joints that are not moving correctly, using their hands to position the joint in the motion that is fixated or not moving well. Once positioned, the Chiropractor will gently push with a shallow pressure or a thrust. This adjustment will help restore the proper range of motion in that joint!
What is the popping sound?
A distinct popping sound typically accompanies Chiropractic adjustments. Again, THIS IS NOT YOUR BONES MOVING BACK INTO PLACE!
There are different types of joints in your body. The most common type of joint in your body is called a synovial joint. These are the joints that you have in your fingers, knee, elbow, back, neck, ankle, shoulder, and elsewhere throughout your body!
Synovial joints are surrounded by a thick joint capsule that contains synovial fluid.
When your joints stretch, it changes the pressure within the synovial fluid. When the joint is stretched enough, a bubble within the synovial fluid forms, which causes a popping sound. This has a big fancy name to it called tribonucleation and has been studied in MRI’s!
In the video below, you can see a video MRI of a finger joint being adjusted. As the finger is being pulled, you can see a small, dark circle form within the joint of the finger. This bubble formation causes the audible pop associated with a chiropractic adjustment.