What exactley is chiropractic?

The definition of chiropractic, and the role of a chiropractor, can actually vary depending on who you are asking. The Johnson family has embraced optimum nervous system function as the most important thing a body relies in times of physical, chemical, or emotional stress. Since their family has been involved with the profession for so long, they have seen almost everything there is to see in the profession, but nobody has put a better definition to the profession of chiropractic then the magazine, Today's Chiropractic:

     A good explanation of the subluxation (misaligned vertebrae) today is a dynamic model in which the involved joint and its associated structures (bones, nerves, muscles, ligaments, discs) do not “function well” resulting in loss of motion, pain, discomfort, muscle weakness and/or spasm, and changes in motor control. It is important for patients to understand that such loss of function can manifest itself in many ways and may develop gradually without any obvious symptoms. In addition, patients should understand that such problems may not only precede, but also predispose a future increased risk of injury, pain and degeneration. As a traditional chiropractic explanation explains, “Pain is often the last to come. What comes first is declining function and disturbed biomechanics which increase the risk of injury and pain developing.”

Because poor function, repetitive stress and aging result in wear and tear, but are not necessarily acute or painful, patients are unaware of this gradual decline and increased vulnerability to injury and pain. We want our patients to understand that a major focus of chiropractic care is preventive. Chiropractors check the spine on a regular basis, whether there are symptoms or not, in order to identify disturbed kinematics, loss of motion, and other indications of dysfunction at an early, asymptomatic stage.