When to Consider a Chiropractic Adjustment
Chiropractic adjustments realign the vertebrae in your spine and reduce stress on soft tissues and nerves. Adjustments offer a simple way to relieve pain and lower your risk of injury or illness. Wondering if you should schedule an adjustment? Give your chiropractor a call if you notice any of these issues:
An Aching Back or Neck
Whether your pain began recently, or you've resigned yourself to living with back or neck pain, a chiropractic adjustment, also called spinal manipulation, could ease your symptoms. Chiropractors perform adjustments by using their hands or handheld activators to realign vertebrae.
The vertebrae are a series of 33 small bones that extend from your neck to your lower back to form the spinal column. Vertebrae protect the spinal cord, help stabilize your body, and give your spine the flexibility it needs to twist and bend. Stress, poor posture, or injuries may cause one or more vertebrae to move out of alignment. Chiropractors call misaligned vertebrae "subluxations."
In addition to relieving pain, adjustments decrease inflammation, enhance circulation, and improve range of motion in the back and neck. The American Association of Family Physicians' 2017 Clinical Practice Guideline noted that spinal manipulation is one of the non-drug treatments that should be used initially for low back pain.
Chiropractic adjustments also ease neck pain. Patients with neck pain who received spinal manipulation therapy instead of sham (fake) therapy had less pain and better range of motion in their necks, according to researchers. Their analysis of several systematic reviews and meta-analyses appeared in Systematic Reviews in 2025.
Headaches
Tense muscles and subluxations press against nerves and blood vessels in the head and neck, increasing your risk for tension headaches and migraines. Adjustments relieve subluxations, loosen muscles, and reduce tension on nerves and soft tissues.
Adjustments may be even more helpful when they're combined with soft tissue manipulation, according to a research study published in Pain Therapy in 2024. During the study, some patients who had cervicogenic headaches (headaches caused by neck issues) received adjustments only, while others received adjustments and soft tissue mobilization therapy.
Soft tissue mobilization therapy involves using a small, handheld instrument to loosen tight tissues, improve movement, and boost blood flow. Patients who received the combination treatment saw greater improvements in headache pain intensity and disability, neck pain frequency and disability, and quality of life compared to patients who only received adjustments.
Poor Posture
Poor posture can lead to aches and pains throughout your entire body. If you spend hours in the same position, whether you drive a truck, work in a factory, or sit behind a computer, you may be more likely to develop a posture issue. Poor posture can be a factor in headaches, stiff shoulder muscles, heartburn, and back, neck, and hip pain. Posture issues can even affect your balance, increasing your risk for falls and other injuries.
Subluxations and tight muscles may restrict movement, making it difficult to correct your posture. Chiropractic treatments, including adjustments, massage, and soft tissue mobilization, ease muscle tension and restore alignment and balance to the body.
Injuries
Falls, accidents, and sports injuries can cause subluxations in your back and neck and damage soft tissues. Adjustments ease pain, speed healing by increasing blood flow, decrease inflammation, and improve flexibility and range of motion.
Stiff Joints
Although back and neck issues may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about adjustments, the treatments can also be used to relieve pain and stiffness in any joint in the body. Adjustments may offer a simple solution if you have stiff hips, knees, or shoulders.
Insomnia
Does pain keep you up at night? Chiropractic care offers an effective, drug-free way to relieve pain and improve sleep. In addition to reducing pain, adjustments turn on your body's natural pain relief system. The treatments prompt your body to release serotonin and endorphins, hormones that dull pain.
Digestive Issues
Heartburn, gas, constipation, or diarrhea may occur if a subluxation presses on a nerve that serves the gastrointestinal system or poor posture increases pressure on your stomach. Adjustments correct the problem and could help you manage your digestive issues.
Do any of these complaints sound familiar? Chiropractic adjustments could ease your pain and discomfort. Contact our office to make an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
Systematic Reviews: Efficacy and Safety of Spinal Manipulative Therapy in the Management of Acute Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 5/1/2025
https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-025-02855-7
PMC: Pain Therapy: An Additive Effect of Instrument-Assisted Spinal Manipulation in Cervicogenic Headache: A Randomized Controlled Trial
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11544115/
Pain and Therapy: An Additive Effect of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization with Spinal Manipulation in Cervicogenic Headache: a Randomized Controlled Trial, 10/28/2024
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11544115/
American Association of Family Physicians: Clinical Practice Guideline: Low Back Pain, 04/2017