What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic medicine is a form of natural health care that focuses on treating a patient without the use of drugs or medicine. 
Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism, controlled by the brain, spinal cord and nerves of the body. The vertebrae, which protect the nervous system, when misaligned or lose its normal motion, cause malfunction of the tissues and organs throughout the body.
Chiropractors are specialists in correcting subluxation and other misalignments. A chiropractor can restore the misaligned vertebrae to their proper position in the spinal column. They do this manually by using the chiropractic procedure known as a spinal adjustment. Your chiropractor will use her hands in applying corrective pressure to the spine in a specific direction and location. The manual force or thrust helps restore the alignment and mobility of the vertebrae.
Chiropractors frequently treat individuals with problems, such as headaches, joint pain, neck pain, low back pain and sciatica. Chiropractors also treat patients with osteoarthritis, spinal disk conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, sprains, and strains. However, the scope of conditions that chiropractors manage or provide care for is not limited to the common pains and problems listed above. Chiropractors also have the training to treat a variety of conditions such as allergies, asthma, digestive disorders, and other disorders as new research is developed.
What is a subluxation?
At every moment our brain sends instructions to cells, tissues and organs throughout our bodies and in return they send information back to the brain. These messages travel on a complex system of nerves. If they run into interference, they may slow down, get lost, or take detours. Many times interference occurs along the spine since all nerves to and from the brain travel on this column of interlocking bones, called vertebrae. The nerves branch off through openings along the spine to get to specific destinations throughout the body. Nerve interference 
occurs when one or more of the vertebrae shift out of alignment and become fixated. This leads to inflammation causing the spinal opening to narrow, distorting the flow of energy throughout the body. The body cannot perform efficiently when there is nerve interference because it does not get the proper messages from the brain. Therefore, correction of this nerve interference will help the body return to normal functioning. Chiropractors can detect this nerve interference as well as remove it. They accomplish this by adjusting the vertebra into the correct position freeing it from fixation, allowing healing to occur, inflammation to subside and a return to normal nerve function.
Parts of a Subluxation
There are actually five components that contribute to the vertebral subluxation complex.
Bone Component-where the vertebra is either out of position, not moving properly, or are undergoing degeneration. This frequently leads to a narrowing of the spaces between the bones through which the nerves pass; often resulting in irritation or impingement of the nerve itself.
Nervous Component-is the disruption of the normal flow of energy along the nerve fibers, causing the messages traveling along the nerves to become distorted. The result is that all of the tissues that are fed by those nerves receive distorted signals from the brain and, consequently, are not able to function normally. Over time, this can lead to a whole host of conditions, such as peptic ulcers, constipation and other organ system dysfunction.
Muscular Component-since nerves control the muscles that help hold the vertebrae in place, muscles have to be considered to be an integral part of the vertebral subluxation complex. In fact, muscles both affect, and are affected by the subluxation complex. A subluxation can irritate a nerve, the irritated nerve can cause a muscle to spasm, the spasmed muscle pulls the attached vertebra further out of place, which then further irritates the nerve and you have a vicious cycle. It is no wonder that very few subluxations just go away by themselves.
Soft Tissue Component-the vertebral subluxation complex will also affect the surrounding tendons, ligaments, blood supply, and other tissues as the misaligned vertebrae tug and squeeze the connective tissue with tremendous force. Over time, the soft tissues can become stretched out or scarred, leaving the spine with either a permanent instability or restriction.
Chemical Component-is the change in the chemistry of the body due to the subluxation. Most often, the chemical changes, such as the release of a class of chemicals called “kinins,” are pro-inflammatory; meaning that they increase inflammation in the affected area.
These changes get progressively worse over time if they are not treated correctly, leading to chronic pain, inflammation, arthritis, muscle trigger points, the formation of bone spurs, loss of movement, as well as muscle weakness and spasm. Chiropractors have known the dangers of the vertebral subluxation complex ever since the birth of the profession. More and more scientific research is demonstrating the tremendous detrimental impact that subluxation have on the tissue of the body. In order to be truly healthy, it is vital that your nervous system be functioning free of interference from subluxations. Chiropractors are the only health professionals trained in the detection, location, and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex through chiropractic care.