It is amazing what misinformation will do to people. Misperceptions about anything should always be met with education about it before irrational opinions are formed. When I was a child I wouldn’t eat spinach because I thought it would make me look like Popeye the Sailorman. I thought he was ugly and I didn’t want to look like him, so I wouldn’t eat spinach. As a young adult I voted for people based on what other people said about them, rather than paying attention to their platforms and assessing what effect their decisions might have on my life. My decisions in both cases were based on nothing solid and my conclusions were irrational until I educated myself and started to make my own decisions. I now love spinach raw or just about any way you cook it and I am a huge advocate for people to exercise the right to vote if they are informed about the issues.
As a doctor of chiropractic I have discovered that many people form opinions about what we do based solely on hearsay and irrational fears. When people who have never gone to a chiropractor think about going to a chiropractor, they sometimes envision the Terminator movies or Bruce Lee movies when villains’ necks are snapped around behind their heads and the sound effects are the most awful crunching noises. Most times when I meet a new person in my office I learn that he or she has no true perception of what goes on here. I hear horror stories about what they THINK might happen, but rarely is the thought based in reality. The greatest fear of people who are misinformed about what we do is the fear of the “popping” sound that is produced often when an adjustment is delivered. Three times in this past week I have addressed this issue with people and felt it was a good time to address it here for those of you who wonder but are afraid to ask.
The joints of the spine, like most other joints in the body, are surrounded with fluid which lubricates and nourishes them. This is called synovial fluid, and it is a thick fluid which has some gas bubbles suspended in it. The gas bubbles are mostly carbon dioxide with some nitrogen. If a joint in the spine is fixated, it is not moving properly. When it comes to joint health, motion is life, so a chiropractor removes the fixations and restores proper motion to the joint. A specific chiropractic adjustment to the fixated joint accomplishes this feat. This requires a slight separation of the joint surfaces which results in shifting of the gases inside the joint capsule, and releasing pressure in the joint itself. The pressure difference creates a slight vacuum in the joint and when the fluid quickly moves to fill the vacuum the gas bubbles are released, giving off a slight “popping” sound. The bones are not actually rubbing against each other. There are discs made of very tough cartilage fibers between them that prevent the spinal bones (vertebrae) from being in direct contact with each other. The sound produced is very similar to the one you might hear when someone “pops” his knuckles.
The noise which is often heard, however, is irrelevant. An adjustment can take place without the noise. Some techniques chiropractors use cause no noise at all in the joints but are perfectly adequate for making proper spinal adjustments. The most powerful thing that happens when an adjustment is given is that at that moment there is a dynamic release of pressure from the spinal nerves, joints, and the spinal cord. This releases positive healing chemicals which pave the way for an optimal healing environment in your entire body. When there is interference in the nervous system, organs and tissues in the body might not be functioning properly and a host of conditions could result.
This was a long answer to the question I have been asked hundreds of times – “What was that noise?” I was discussing this very question with a colleague the other day and she laughed at how many times she has answered the same one. People just don’t know the truth until they ask. I was present at a health fair locally last Thursday and people still, in 2008, ask the question about the “popping” noise. Chiropractors are given a bad rap by moviemakers and people who are uneducated about what we really do, but as I read last week about criticism: “To avoid criticism, DO nothing, SAY nothing, BE nothing.” Have a great day and treat your body well.