Simple nontechnical answers to simple questions:

• What is Chiropractic? The art of realigning the bones of your back (spine) so the nerves that connect with every part of your body can function freely, properly and at their highest possible rate of efficiency. Think of the spinal cord and the nerves connecting every part of your body as if they were spark plug wires in a car. If the wires get pinched or otherwise have interference, the full electrical charge will not reach the spark plug and the cylinders (body part) miss-fires or does not fire at all causing an engine miss. You feel it as a rough engine or if it is slight you experience poor acceleration and poor gas milage. In your body you could expedience pain, which is what brings most people to a Chiropractor.
   
• What is a “Subluxation”?  One or more vertebra (bone in your back)and /or disc is out of alignment and causing pressure or pinching on the nerves that pass through the spinal column. In other words “You’re backs out of wack,”  and you may feel pain. You may have other discomfort or symptoms or just feel crummy. Or, you could be experiencing degeneration of some part of your body and not even be aware of it until it has advanced to a point where you feel pain or other symptoms.
   
• What problems can it help avoid or fix? Proper spinal alignment allows the nervous system to communicate freely with every part of your body and therefore contributes to your overall health. See the “services” section of this website for the most common aliments patients seek Chiropractic help for.
   
• Why are early Chiropractic checkups a great idea? Just like it is easier to straighten out a crooked tree when it is young, it is easier to correct a miss-alignment (Subluxation) early on. In children there are a number of childhood conditions that can be avoided or helped with simple chiropractic adjustments.
   
• How do periodic “adjustments” help keep you on track?  Kind of like getting your car tuned up or the front end aligned on a regular basis. It’s cheaper in the long run, but more importantly it avoids breakdowns and prevents parts from prematurely wearing out. In a human’s case it helps assure peak health.  Better yet just think of the old adage “a stitch in time - saves nine”. Kind of like going to the Dentist for regular checkups and cleanings. Keeps problems from developing in the first place. Many patients come in once every six months for a spinal checkup.
   
• I don’t have any problems - should I still get a Chiropractic checkup?  Absolutely! For the same reasons stated in the last two answers.  Minor misalignments that cause no immediate pain can be causing degeneration in some part of your body that will latter cause a bigger problem.  Most importantly a baseline x-ray provides a snapshot in time to compare to later if needed and may even furnish an early warning of lower disk compression (very common - but normally goes undetected for years before the pain hits), or other condition.  If you catch a problem early there are simple and easy ways to head it off, or it makes adjusting it a lot easier and quicker.

OK - Now we get a bit more technical in this next section:

LOW BACK DISCS GIVE MOST TROUBLE

 Any of the spinal discs can be injured or undergo degeneration; but because of their location, discs in the lower spine are subjected to the greatest weight-bearing stress and are most likely to slip or be compressed. 

 Persons who do a lot of lifting are likely candidates for disc trouble because of the day-to-day stress upon the low back. Regardless of occupation, anyone may have weak, degenerated discs.  Office workers, inveterate bridge players, and chronic TV watches are often affected since prolonged sitting is a primary cause of disc trouble.

 WHAT CAN BE DONE?

 Fortunately, 95% of all disc cases can be managed through modern chiropractic methods.  Many years of research and experience in disc cases qualifies in acute and chronic disc problems.

 CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR DISC PROBLEMS

 Specialized chiropractic techniques in disc care included:

1)   Thorough chiropractic examination to determine extent and cause

2)   Realigning the spinal column

3)   Balancing the spine and pelvis

4)   Eliminating fixations

5)   Reducing vertebral Subluxation

6)   Stimulating disc nutrition

7)   Revitalizing ligaments and muscles

Chiropractic techniques may be employed in the management of particular disc problems. 

Any person suffering from acute or chronic back pain should see a doctor of chiropractic to determine the cause and what should be done about it.  Part of proper treatment is prevention of additional disc damage.  A doctor of chiropractic knows DISC PROBLEMS and can help you. 

WHAT IS A DISC?

 There are 24 ring shaped spinal bones, called vertebrae, stacked one on top of the other.  Lying between each pair of vertebrae are rounded, highly elastic cushions of jelly-like intervertebral discs.  They consist of a jelly-like substance with a fibrous covering, and are surrounded by bands of ligaments, which attach to the vertebrae and serve both to hold them together and to keep them apart

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The hollow centers of the vertebrae form a vertical shaft through which the delicate spinal cord threads like a rope, carrying nerve trunks to and from the brain. The discs help to form the openings through which nerves leave the spine and go to all parts of the body. 

 HOW THE DISC SERVES THE HUMAN BODY

 Like a weight bearing column in the center of a building, the vertebrae and discs (spinal column) carry a large portion of the body’s weight.  The weight naturally increases from the neck downward, so the vertebrae and discs gradually increase in size and strength from the neck to the lower back. 

The discs allow the spinal column to bend and twist freely and painlessly with the changing position of the body.  Without the discs, the bones of the spine would grind and grate on each other.  

 Discs act as chock absorbers when the spine undergoes a sudden change of movement, unusual pressure, or forceful jarring. 

 The discs also give us more than a foot of out height.  As a person grows older, thinning discs make him appear to shrink.

WHAT IS A DEGENEREATED DISC?

 Degeneration of the intervertebral disc, which is often called degenerative disc disease (DDD) or osteoarthritis of the spine, is a common disorder of the lower spine. Disc degeneration can lead to disorders such as spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal that houses the spinal cord and nerve roots; can be lumbar or cervical),spondylolisthesis (forward slippage of the disc and vertebra), and retrolisthesis (backward slippage of the disc and vertebra).  Actually, DDD is not a disease but, rather, a degenerative condition that can be painful and can greatly affect your quality of life. Disc degeneration is a normal part of aging and is generally not a problem by itself. However, when bone spurs grow adjacent to the discs, they can pinch or put pressure on the nearby nerve roots or spinal canal, and pain can occur.

Chiropractors in Toms River
Bey Lea Chiropractic
683 Bay Ave, Toms River, New Jersey