Treating the Bark or Adjusting the Cause?
April 12, 2012 § 3 Comments
You walk into your Chiropractor’s office, hop on a table and point to where it hurts. But the Chiropractor adjusts a totally different part of your spine… not even close to where you feel the pain. Why is that?
There’s an old saying that goes when you step on a dog’s tail, it barks out the other end. In Chiropractic, that means where you hurt (the bark) isn’t necessarily where the problem is (the tail). Many times the symptom you feel in one area is due to a remote cause. For example, someone with sciatica may feel pain down their leg, but the cause of the problem is a Vertebral Subluxation in their spine.
Chiropractors know that if you address the cause of the symptom, the body will no longer have need to produce it. That’s why Chiropractors focus on fixing underlying problems and not superficial effects. Chasing after symptoms is like a dog chasing its own tail – spinning around and around until it gets dizzy, confused and frustrated. It’s much smarter to address the underlying cause from the start.
Very true and prevention is even better. Get adjusted on a regular basis and you will be good to go!
That dog analogy was perfect!
Thanks for the wellness reminder, Barbara. Pain is what most commonly motivates people to come to my office but I always try to move people to more of a wellness routine.
Thanks, Gerrard. I’m glad it resonated for you and hopefully it did with other people too. Feel free to share with your networks.