Hahn Family Chiropractic | believe in change

The art of chiropractic was founded in 1890 by DD Palmer as a method of spinal correction to help restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself and is practiced today, throughout the world, helping people feel younger, stronger, and healthier. Chiropractic has been used to successfully relieve patients from the discomforts of low back pain, neck pain, headaches, and various body system problems, but that’s not all. Chiropractic care helps your body function at it’s fullest potential. If you’ve ever wondered if chiropractic may be right for you, now is the time to find out. Contact Hahn Family Chiropractic today to schedule an appointment, or attend one of our weekly health talks. Today is the day to make the most of your life.

Health exists when every part of your body is functioning properly. True health can only occur if your brain can communicate, uninterrupted, with the rest of your body, tell it what to do, and when to do it. Maintenance of good health and a high quality life depends upon the body's natural ability to continually adapt to changes in its environment. Ensuring this capability is one of nature's most remarkable and complicated communication networks, the Central Nerve System.

Every function of the body is controlled and coordinated by the brain. The brain sends impulses along the nerves to the body's cells, glands, and organs. Every cell in your body uses the nerve system to communicate with your brain, and vice-versa. All of these nerves run through your spine, where small misalignments of spinal bones can interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses. These blockages are called vertebral subluxations, and often occur without any immediate sign. When subluxations are removed through a chiropractic adjustment, the nerve impulse can once again be transmitted freely to every cell in your body. Chiropractors detect and correct these areas of interference, to bring about a healthier state in the body, and increase the quantity and quality of life.

A subluxation is a vertebra or region of your spine which has lost the proper alignment with the bones above or bones below, sufficient enough to produce nerve pressure and interfere with the function of the central nerve system.

The word "subluxation" comes from the Latin words meaning "to dislocate" (luxate) and "somewhat or slightly" (sub). A subluxation refers to a slight dislocation (misalignment) or biomechanical malfunction of the vertebrae (bones of the spine). These disturbances may irritate nerve roots and blood vessels which branch off from the spinal cord between each of the vertebrae. This irritation may cause pain and dysfunction in muscle, lymphatic and organ tissue as well as imbalance in the normal body processes.

There are obvious causes of subluxations, such as sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, etc. However, less obvious and far more common causes of subluxations relate to the cumulative effects of our bad habits, including poor posture, unhealthy sleeping positions, and positions in the work place. Research is showing that the most common first spinal trauma, and therefore the first cause of subluxation, is the birth process and delivery, particularly when any form of medical intervention is necessary.

In cases of corrective care, normalizing the problem subluxation requires a series of specific, gentle adjustments to the spine in order to train the nerve system and structures back toward a healthier position and function. The body's tissues have a memory. Because subluxations typically develop and worsen over time, this unhealthy soft-tissue memory must be reprogrammed in order to get lasting positive results.

As long as you want to experience benefits! Just as with working-out, regardless of an individual's fitness level, they must continue to put in the time and effort to achieve and maintain fitness goals. When an individual quits working-out, results gained are easily lost! The same is true with chiropractic care, and, for that matter, anything in our lives of value. The benefits of chiropractic care are yours as long as it is part of your life.

No, it is a common misconception that your joints must make a noise to be properly adjusted. However, more often than not, when your vertebrae are adjusted, the smooth joint surfaces become separated, creating and then releasing a small vacuum, making a noise. This is the sound made when you crack your knuckles. It’s much like opening a bottle of champagne or removing a suction cup.

The sound is interesting, but it isn’t a guide to the quality or value of the adjustment. Your chiropractor is concerned with the position of your vertebrae, not with the noise that may or may not occur.

Once you get used to the noises -- if there are any -- you may associate them with "good" adjustments. However, be aware that in time, these noises may lessen or disappear completely. When this happens, it doesn't mean the adjustment has stopped "working." It only means that normal flexibility is returning to the affected vertebrae.

We find that 80% of symptomatic patients feel much better after an adjustment.
10% feel nothing at all.
10% feel worse.

What if I experienced some discomfort or unusual symptoms after an adjustment?

A small minority of people may experience discomfort, pain, or awkward symptoms after an adjustment. These responses are typically short-lived, occur primarily when the vertebra was significantly subluxated (out of place) prior to being adjusted. There are a few possible causes of such responses:

When you want to give your child a head start in good health, and all the benefits of a conservative, drugless approach to health care, you should take your child to a chiropractor. It is important to have a chiropractic exam during the first year of a child’s life, as spinal trauma can occur during birth, as well as from tumbles while learning to sit up or walk.

Your child’s spine grows almost 50% in length during the first year. This is equivalent to a six-footer growing to nine feet in just 12 months! It’s this kind of tremendous growth and developmental changes which make a complete chiropractic examination so important in the early stages of a child’s life.

If a problem is ever detected, the earlier it is corrected, the less likelihood there is of it becoming a chronic or more serious problem later in life. We believe it’s much more important to prevent disease and dysfunction than wait until symptoms occur.

How old, or how young do you have to actually benefit from chiropractic care?

Amazingly, the extreme populations seem to get the greatest benefit from chiropractic! The very young respond so well because their issues are typically not chronic. The elderly love chiropractic care, as so many are thrilled to be healthier without taking more pills.

Chiropractors do not treat diseases – they help to correct spinal misalignments that can interfere with normal health processes in the body. Through regular adjustments, counseling on proper nutrition, exercise, and posture, a chiropractor can help you raise a child who is structurally and functionally sound.

This question is often asked of chiropractors because people associate the cracking or popping of one’s neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing! If a person has a desire to pop his neck or back, it is usually because part of the spine is fixated or jammed causing another part to move too much and pop a lot, sometimes by itself. It’s the jammed or fixated part that must be properly adjusted by a chiropractor so that the rest of the spinal column will stop being so movable and noisy.

When you crack or pop your neck, you are relieving tension for a little while, but not giving yourself an adjustment. After a while, the urge to pop or crack reappears because the cause of the spinal tension has NOT been corrected. If tension keeps building up in the joints because of spinal imbalance, it may not be the popping or cracking that’s so bad for you, but the spinal stress and imbalance causing it.

No! What we often see is that people who are subluxation-free are more aware of how their bodies should think and feel, and what their bodies need to be healthy. When subluxated, they feel different, experience a lesser quality of life and perception, and this becomes unacceptable to them. Just as daily habits of brushing your teeth, choosing to eat well, and exercising regularly would not be considered addictive, chiropractic care is part of a healthy lifestyle and is a proactive health care choice.