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By Mayo Clinic staffAt your initial visit, your chiropractor will ask questions about your health history and perform a physical exam, with particular attention to your spine. Your chiropractor may also recommend other examinations or tests, such as X-rays.
During the adjustment
During a typical chiropractic adjustment, your chiropractor places you in specific positions to treat affected areas. Often, you're positioned lying facedown on a specially designed, padded chiropractic table. The chiropractor uses his or her hands to apply a controlled, sudden force to a joint, pushing it beyond its normal range of motion. You may hear popping or cracking sounds as your chiropractor moves your joints during the treatment session.
Additional therapies
Your chiropractor may recommend other treatment approaches in combination with chiropractic adjustment, such as:
- Heat or ice
- Massage
- Stretching
- Electrical stimulation
- Exercise
- Weight loss
After the adjustment
Some people experience minor side effects for a few days after chiropractic adjustment. These may include headache, fatigue or pain in the parts of the body that were treated.
- AskMayoExpert. Chiropractic treatment. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Chiropractic: An introduction. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction.htm. Accessed Aug. 16, 2012.
- Shekelle P. Spinal manipulation in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 16, 2012.
- Plastaras CT, et al. Complementary and alternative treatment for neck pain: Chiropractic, acupuncture, TENS, massage, yoga, tai chi and Feldenkrais. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America. 2011;22:521.
- Rubinstein SM, et al. Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low-back pain.co Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/details/file/1018215/CD008112.html. Accessed Aug. 16, 2012.
- Knight CL, et al. Treatment of acute low back pain. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 17, 2012.
- Bauer BA. Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. 2nd ed. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2010:138.
- Gay RE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 22, 2012.
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