Retracing is not a frequently discussed topic on this blog, but it is an important concept that an Upper Cervical Chiropractic patient needs to understand.
You have been in to see your Upper Cervical Chiropractor. You have had an exam done. Specific x-rays were taken and it was determined that you had a misalignment at atlas (C1) or axis (C2). One leg is displaying shorter than the other. A pattern was developed through thermography or a neurocalometer. You have had your first adjustment. Now you are holding that adjustment… but you feel like garbage. In fact, you might even feel worse off than when you first came in.
Why is that?
Think of it like this. When you first came in to see an Upper Cervical Chiropractor, it was determined that you had a vertebral subluxation. How long have you had that vertebral subluxation? One day? 30 days? A year? Ten years? The length of time you have had that subluxation is impossible to determine.
What we do know is that vertebral subluxation was the catalyst in a number of detrimental changes to the health of your body. Things like poor posture, thinning intervertebral disc margins, arthritic degeneration in your spine, and decreased organ function took place as a result of that ominous misalignment. Those things took a certain amount of time to develop to the point that they are at now.
When the upper cervical subluxation complex is removed by way of a specific adjustment, your body has to get acclimated to this new change. Your muscles, tendons, and ligaments need a certain amount of time to adapt to this subluxation-free change.
As this happens, you will notice things like your posture changing, pain decreasing, and organs functioning better than they have been previously. Even changes like thin intervertebral discs and arthritic degeneration have reversed on x-rays taken at re-exam time.
When these changes take place, it can be a very uncomfortable feeling. Your body took a certain amount of time to get to this point; it’s going to need a certain amount of time to get back to normal.
This is called retracing.
Think of it like this: You are in Scottsdale, AZ and you decided to walk up Dreyfus Drive starting at 67th Street, then turn left at 68th Street. You continue on two blocks to Eugie Terrace and turn left. You walk down to the third house on your left and stop. This is a metaphor of your body degenerating while subluxated.
You get adjusted and your subluxation has been removed. This is equivalent to you walking back up Eugie Terrace to 68th Street and turning right. Then you will go down two blocks to Dreyfus Drive and turn right, continuing to walk back down to 67th Street, where you will then stop. This is what happens when you hold your adjustment for a long period of time and your body has a chance to heal.
I once heard Dr. Robert Brooks say that his experience with over 15,000 patients has led him to believe that for every year you have had a vertebral subluxation, it will take approximately one month to recover after an upper cervical adjustment.
No matter what the time period of healing is, stick with it. There might be times when you feel like a million bucks, and times where you feel absolutely awful. Just remember that the absence of symptoms doesn’t always mean health and the presence of symptoms doesn’t always equal sickness.
Recommended Reading
* Subscribe to The Atlas of Life FREE Monthly Email Newsletter by clicking here!* Become a part of The Atlas of Life Chiropractic Directory today by clicking here!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I love the street-walking example you gave to demonstrate retracing. Great analogy, doc.
I always emphasize with all of my patients that while they *might* start feeling better right away with the cause of the stress in their bodies removed, the correction is the point at which their body is able to START healing … there could be quite a time before they are 100% even if they hold that first correction the entire time.
It’s like removing the sliver from your finger … the cause of the injury is gone, but the injury itself still has to heal.
Yes, retracing. I am going to use this to educate my patients
THank You
Yes but the problem is that the symptoms related to retracing or relieving pressure on the spinal column are the same symptoms related putting more pressure on the spinal column.
This is what I was faced with after my first adjustment. In this case there was more risk than reward in continuing with further treatments.
Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience Jamie. They are not all like that, I promise. Do you know if your doctor adjusted you on the wrong side? That’s what it sounds like.
jamie, I too am sorry to hear about your experience. I hope that you will give it another chance as this is not the common occurance after being adjusted by a Chiropractor. I think ALL chiropractors need to understand and educate their patients on retracing. When I get done adjusting a new patient who has not had a chance to totally “get Chiropractic”, and they tell me a “symptom still hurts” My response is you need to get up and walk and give your body it’s chance to process the information and make its own changes. People, it’s OK (perfect) for the body to still hurt after an adjustment, or to be even in more discomfort, as it unwinds and starts to heal itself. Sometimes the sliver in your finger hurts more trying to remove it.
I love the sliver analogy! Awesome!