What can chiropractic care help heal and prevent?

The above animation represents disc herniation viewed as a cross-section of vertebral disc and vertebral bone.  The yellow represents the spinal cord.  When the disc has been weakened by lack of circulation, or by serious trauma, material from the disc can leak out and press on the nerve roots that leave the spine or on the spinal cord itself.  This can cause muscle weakness, numbness, loss of function, and incredible pain.

Pictured here we have a nice cervical (neck) spine as seen on an x-ray. Note the gentle curve of the spine; this increases the neck's mechanical load-bearing strength.

If this persists, what results?

Above is what we commonly see after a whiplash-type accident, the structures are fine, but their relationship to each other are less than perfect.  If this is allowed to persist, the patient will likely develop early onset of arthritis, disc herniation, or both.  It is not necessary to have a car accident to have a neck like this.  Simple stress is enough for some people.