Question: What is “Gentle Chiropractic Care”?

Gentle chiropractic care means that I use the minimum amount of force necessary to adjust a person’s spine.  Clearly a 20-year-old weight-lifter is going to require more forceful adjustments than an 80-year-old grandmother, but many patients tell me that my adjustments are gentle in comparison to other chiropractors they have seen.  I also use a hand-held electric massager to help relax the back muscles before I adjust the spine so that I don’t have to push as hard.  The gentle care extends beyond the adjustment itself—I try to take time and listen to each patient so that the care is tailored to the needs of the individual person.

Gentle chiropractic care does not, however, mean painless chiropractic care—I have never discovered a way to work on sore joints painlessly.  I do what I can to avoid aggravating a condition, but soreness in the area adjusted is the most common side-effect of a chiropractic adjustment—affecting about one in four patients.  Fortunately, that soreness usually eases within 24 hours.