Does an Upper Cervical Chiropractic Adjustment Hurt?
I’ve met a number of people who are a bit reluctant to receive chiropractic care in fear that it will hurt. The twisting and popping maneuvers they’ve seen exaggerated on TV (like in this episode of Scrubs) frightens them.
But here’s a much more realistic example I found on YouTube of a Japanese chiropractor named Dr. Kiyokawa, performing a painless side-posture Upper Cervical adjustment:
Immediately after their first adjustment, I typically ask patients to describe how it felt. Here are some of their responses:
Mary M. – “I was expecting it to be more painful, but it didn’t hurt at all.”
Mark C. – “Interesting, it’s almost as if you barely touched my neck.”
Nicole M. - “It didn’t hurt at all! It felt good actually.”
Gina H. – “I thought you were just trying to be nice when you said it wouldn’t hurt. You were right!”
Julie C. - “It was completely comfortable. Nothing like other adjustments I’ve had.”
There are two reasons that this style of adjustment is so gentle. First, through precision X-ray analysis, the doctor is able to analyze your misalignment and provide an adjustment that’s “tailor made” for you. Second, the side-posture table doesn’t apply any additional stress or strain on the muscles, ligaments and joints of the neck. It’s a neutral position, supporting your head in a very natural way.
There are dozens of chiropractic techniques available today… If you’ve had a “less than favorable” experience with one, I encourage you to simply try another. I can’t say that any one particular technique is “better” than another, but I can say that your response could be different based on the method you receive.















Great clips! That one from Scrubs was really funny!
That was a great clip from scrubs. And the one of the real deal was especially great!