Frequently Asked Questions in Oakdale

TRT is called a “tonal” technique because it normalizes the tone of the nervous system. Imagine that your nervous system has a volume control—if you turn the volume up to high, it causes distortion (increased tone) which can show up as internal organ complaints, musculoskeletal stresses, and diminished immune response. The same occurs if the volume control is set too low, in other words the nervous system is not sending enough messages to the body for what is necessary to get the job done. (decreased tone) This causes your systems to become sluggish, they slow down function and sometimes simply turn off, the muscles become weak and do not support your skeleton well, leading to all sorts of aches and pains.

TRT corrects these problems with increased or decreased neurological tone by normalizing the functioning of the nerves, spinal cord and brain. TRT is based upon correcting spinal misalignments, called subluxations, primarily where the wrapping of the spinal cord and brain, the dura mater, attaches to the spinal segments. These attachments only occur in a small number of sites in the spine; the upper neck area, the sacrum and coccyx. The dura also attaches to all the bones of the skull. Dr. Smetana includes cranial bone adjusting with his torque release protocols to relieve these stresses on the skull.

Many people notice a tremendous sense of relaxation and well-being after TRT. Most people take deep sighs after these adjustments as their bodies release deep neurological stresses that have been accumulating over the years. Overall, it’s always a very pleasant and enjoyable experience.

I didn’t feel any noises or popping sounds when you worked on me. Did you really give me an adjustment?

There’s many ways of adjusting the spine. Some involve a physical movement of the joints between two spinal bones, resulting in the sound that people are so familiar with. Other techniques use light force that do not cause any sound. Both techniques work! It all comes down to the intent of the chiropractor in releasing stresses to your nervous system. Dr. Smetana uses a combination of techniques to provide you the finest care possible.

It’s important to note that TRT is not a treatment for specific diseases. TRT is meant to correct spinal subluxations that are interfering with the neurological control of your body.

We have found that this technique is one of the best ones we’ve seen for all ages of children – from birth through adolescence. The technique is extremely gentle, with no forceful manipulations of the spine. Children really enjoy it!

Chiropractic is an overall way of looking at the human body. It’s based on the idea that the body is self-sustaining and self-healing. The body is in essence completely controlled by the brain through its connection via the spinal cord and the vast networks of nerves that make up the body. When this system is not functioning at its peak, the overall performance of the human body is lacking.

In the chiropractic world, drugs and medicine are not utilized as a form of treating a patient. While supplementation and nutrition are almost always a part of the bigger picture, drugs and prescriptions can be viewed as band-aids to treat symptoms rather than going to the source and treating the real problem.

While it’s often perceived that the chiropractor is solely here to treat back and neck pain, this is simply a small piece of what the profession really is capable of handling. Chiropractors not only treat soft and hard tissue problems such as sciatica and joint pain, but are largely called on to deal with more significant issues. Some of these issues include fibromyalgia, allergies, insomnia, headaches and many more.

Chiropractic helps to remove postural imbalances and structural misalignment’s that can accumulate in our bodies over time. Chiropractic works by restoring your own inborn ability to be healthy. For your body to remain healthy, your nervous system must function well. For your nervous system to function well it must be free of interference. By restoring spinal function with Chiropractic adjustments, nerve interference by misaligned vertebrae is removed, thus allowing optimal nervous system function and improved health.

Seeing a chiropractor is not only for back pain and neck pain. Chiropractic care is an excellent way to keep your body at its peak performance through nutrition, adjustment and overall wellness. In addition, chiropractic care has been known to help a wide range of conditions from fibromyalgia to diabetes.

When a vertebrae becomes misaligned or moves out of its normal position, this is referred to in the chiropractic profession as a subluxation. Subluxations can be caused by a wide range of issues ranging from a minor slip or bump to a car accident or any sudden trauma. When a vertebrae is subluxated, it begins to put pressure on nerves, blood vessels and everything around it. This pressure comes with a price. The subluxation interrupts the natural pathways that the messages sent from the brain need to be clear in order to be completed properly.

Adjustments, or manipulation as they’re sometimes referred to is the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective of this movement is to realign vertebrae that have moved out of place for a number of reasons ranging from normal daily activity to trauma such as a car accident.

When these vertebrae are out of place, it has an overall systemic effect from muscular to the central nervous system. Without proper alignment and flow of all nerves and systems in the body from the brain, we can’t function at our peak.

An adjustment is often a pressure from the chiropractor utilizing the hands or an instrument to move a vertebrae back into place. This happens with a quick movement and is often without discomfort. You may hear a noise that sounds like you’re cracking your knuckles referred to as joint cavitation. It is the release of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen from the joint.

Going to the Chiropractor is a new experience for many of us. Maybe we’ve heard through a friend or have done some research online. It’s possible that you are just fed up with living in pain and it’s time to do something about it. In either case, your first visit to the chiropractor will really be about getting to know the chiropractor and discussing your history, current condition and goals.

Chiropractic is based on the idea of removing imbalances both structural and postural in an effort to allow our body to heal itself. For this to happen the network of nerves and signals from your brain, down your spinal cord, to the network of nerves must be allowed to flow freely without any interruption. Chiropractors have the ability and skill to remove these interruptions or misalignment’s and allow the body to perform as it was meant to.

If you’ve ever been in a car accident, played a sport, fell down or just bumped into something too hard, it’s very possible that you are not functioning at your best due to a misalignment. While there are many potential mechanical or structural causes for misalignment, there are also chemical reasons. For instance, if you smoke or drink excessively or even just have a poor diet, the chemical issues in your body can eventually cause underlying conditions and disease to appear.

Allowing a chiropractor to get you back on track both chemically and structurally will bring your body back to the proper state it should be in to perform at its peak.