Articles by Dr. Chapman

Please take a moment to explore the helpful articles linked below.

These resources cover a range of important topics to support your spinal health and overall wellness, including:

Understanding the inflammatory response and how it impacts your healing journey
Tips for holding your adjustment longer and getting the most out of your care
Simple, effective posture exercises you can do at home
Practical suggestions to follow during spinal correction to support long-term improvement

Each article is designed to give you useful tools and insights as you move forward with your chiropractic care.

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Inflammatory Response

I’ll risk it. I’ll tell you what others won’t. I’ll buck the system.

Inflammation is good. It is normal and natural for your body to have inflammation. Remember this: inflammation is the first stage of healing and is the only way for your body to heal properly. Your body knows exactly how much is needed at all times. It also occurs abnormally in the body when there have been injuries to the immune system such as medications, vaccinations or any other unnatural chemical with toxic residue. What we need to understand now is how inflammation works for you and work with it.

Normally, when an injury occurs, say within a joint, the body will respond within seconds by sending fluid into the area. This fluid contains all the supplies needed to start the healing process. It’s first job is to increase pressure inside the joint, limiting the motion while increasing pain to prevent more injury. This is not bad. This is good. It’s just not a lot of fun. As the body repairs itself, the fluid slowly leaves the area, your motion increases and your pain decreases. The time frame is dependent on the degree of injury. Actually, it’s happening all the time in our bodies at some level and we may or may not know it. People with arthritis feel this reaction in their body on a chronic basis.

Anti-inflammatory drugs chemically inhibit the natural healing process of the body which will cause your body to heal in a weaker than normal state. This sets the stage for chronic and crisis care. Remember: drugs never heal the body. They only serve to inhibit or stimulate the body never correcting the cause of the condition and they all have side effects because they are harsh poisons.

Then what should we do if we shouldn’t cover up our pain? The hard answer is: nothing at all. Learn from the pain what you should or should not do. But if that’s not good enough, then place an ice pack on the inflamed area for twenty minutes and do it at least twice a day. This will move some of the fluid away from the area which will decrease the pain and stiffness without chemically altering the normal process of healing. Placing heat on the affected area will increase fluid in the area, thereby, increasing your pain and stiffness.

I’ve had numerous patients with intense pain come into my office because they’ve placed heat on an area of the body that was still in an inflammatory mode. Result…increased their own symptoms. Heat is more desirable than ice when you have pain, but it’s not worth the pain you feel later. Think long term.

PLEASE NOTE: If an ice pack is left on longer than twenty minutes, the tissue will adapt to the cold by opening the blood vessels in the area to keep the area from becoming injured by the lowered temperature. This will have the same effect as placing heat on the area, thereby, nullifying the ice treatment.

Holding Your Adjustment Tips

I’ve had two legends in our field tell me the same thing. If you want better results, have your patients lay down for at least one hour after the adjustment. This gives the body enough time to get used to the new position. With time being a valuable asset, this is hard to do, but it works.
Everything you do affects your ability to hold a great adjustment. The taller your habits the healthier your spine. Do all tasks taller; standing, sitting, walking, driving, exercising, sleeping, etc. Subluxations shorten you. Many patients in there twenties, thirties, forties, and up regain height they had previously lost before receiving chiropractic care.
Eating mostly processed food stresses your body. People who eat right meaning water, fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts respond beautifully to chiropractic care and dramatically hold their adjustments. It seems that every condition improves when you feed the body well.

Posture Exercise

The Posture Exercise is the most effective exercise that I give my patients. I first started using it ten years ago and it has become a must for great results. It not only reveals the state of an individual’s spine but it also begins the process of restoring function back to areas of your spine if you are doing your posture exercise. Do this stretch at least four times a day for 15 seconds.

Set-up - First find a blank wall with a flat surface. Face away from the wall with your feet shoulder width apart and six inches away from the wall. Place your body against the wall.

Stage One - Bend your knees slightly. Tilt your pelvis forward so that the lower back is completely against the wall. There should not be enough room to place your hand in the small of your back.

Stage Two - With the low back flat against the wall, roll the shoulders up and back flat against the wall. Move your head back and up until it touches the wall. Make sure that your chin is tucked inward. You should feel your spine flat against the wall.

Stage Three - With low back, shoulders and head against the wall. Grip the top of your left wrist with the palm of your right hand. Slowly bring the elbows and wrists against the wall above your head. Hold this position for four slow deep breaths.

Note: A healthy spine is able to do the stretch without any difficulty. The more difficult this exercise is for you, the more abnormal wear and tear is taking place in your spine. Do this Posture Exercise until you have no difficulty. Always remember, you’re only as healthy as your spine.

Suggestions to Follow During Spinal Correction

Watch your posture at all times. Stand tall, sleep tall, and THINK TALL!
Avoid rubbing, probing, or “poking” in the areas your doctor adjusts.
Avoid sudden twists or turns of movement beyond normal limits of motion, especially of the neck.
Avoid extreme bending of your spine in any direction; avoid stretching, reaching, or other overhead work. Ex. Be careful while shampooing hair.
Avoid bending or stooping sharply to pick up objects; rather, bend your knees to minimize the strain on your lower back.
When lifting, keep your back straight; bend your knees and let your legs bear the strain. Hold objects close to your body when lifting, if possible.
When bathing, sit rather than recline in the tub. Lying back in the tub may cause the vertebrae to slip out of its normal position. If you are tired and wish to relax, it’s better to lie in bed.
When your doctor recommends exercises to strengthen your body, avoid jarring activities which place stress on your neck and spine.

Rest, Relaxation, and Sleep