The foundation
Spinal Adjustments
The signs are common: ongoing back or neck pain, headaches that won't quit, a neck that won't turn all the way. What happens next starts with a careful look at the spine, not a guess.
Chapter 01
The signs that bring people through the door
Most people don't call about their spine. They call about a headache that keeps coming back, a neck that won't turn all the way, or a lower back that aches by the end of every day. Reduced range of motion, uneven shoulders or hips, and numbness or tingling running into an arm or leg are the things patients notice long before anyone puts the word misalignment to it.
Sleep is often the tell. A back or neck that hurts enough to keep you awake, or wakes you up when you roll over, is usually further along than it feels during the day. None of these signs need to be dramatic to be worth a look.
A private treatment room at the Germantown office, with an adjustment table made up and ready
Analysing the spine before touching it
Dr. Reed Johnson practises the Gonstead Technique, a method of analysing the spine before adjusting it rather than the other way round. He is president of the Life College Gonstead Studies Club, a member of the Gonstead Clinical Studies Society, and has 29 years of chiropractic experience behind the method.
The analysis comes first: a hands-on check of how each segment of the spine is actually sitting, and a read on where the misalignment is doing the damage. The adjustment that follows is aimed at what was actually found, not at a generic spot on the back.
Chapter 03
What an adjustment is actually for
An adjustment addresses the misalignment itself, easing pressure on the surrounding nerves and joints so the body can do the healing it's already built to do. Patients notice less pain and more movement: a neck that turns further, a back that bends without a catch.
It isn't a single dramatic crack that fixes everything in one visit. Most plans are a series, each one building on the last, because a spine that's been out of place for years doesn't reset in an afternoon.
Which room, and which week
Spinal adjustments happen at all three offices: Collierville/Germantown with Dr. Dave Kellenberger and Dr. Reed Johnson, Southwind with Dr. Alan Arstikaitis, and the Memphis office on Summer Avenue with Dr. Philip Berardi. Each one keeps its own hours, and same-day appointments are often available.
Insurance coverage and benefits vary by plan, so it's worth a call to the specific office you'll be visiting to check the detail before the first visit.
Chiropractic Memphis — Most major insurance plans accepted. Call (901) 861-1212.