From The Desk of Ann Arbor Chiropractor, Mike Tannenbaum, D.C.

How does chiropractic work? On a basic level it's very simple, but of course it really is extremely complex and sophisticated. Basically, though, the body is a an electrical system with the brain acting as the generator of very specific electrical nerve impulses that act as very specific signals that all the systems, organs and tissues of the body require to function properly. The spinal chord takes the signals from the brain and transfers them to the nerves of the body which transports the signals to the systems, organs and tissues of the body. Again, the systems, organs and tissues only work properly if they receive the correct signals. If the signals are distorted or changed then the systems, organs or tissues of the body will have ill health. If, for example, the signals that go to the back muscles are distorted you will experience back spasms, if the signals going to the joints of the neck are incorrect you will often experience neck pain and if the signals going to your cardiac system are wrong you might, in particular cases, notice your heart rate speeds up or slows down. So, this is where chiropractic comes in. Sometimes the nerves that carry the signals from the brain to the rest of the body become pinched or irritated. This irritation often occurs at the junction where the nerves come off the spinal chord and run between and out of the spinal bones. Chiropractors gently release the misplaced spinal bones so that they slip back into the correct position so that the bones no longer interfere with the nerves. Now that the nerve signals are no longer distorted, often the pain, muscle spasms and ill health cease.

The above is a fairly simplistic explanation of how chiropractic works. The body including the nerve system is is actually very complex and dynamic, and thus so is chiropractic., But what I have written above is intended as a basic understanding of chiropractic and I hope it fulfills that purpose.