Frequently Asked Questions in Iowa City IA

Chiropractic care is a natural, holistic approach to helping your body achieve optimal function. Chiropractic is founded on the principle that your spine and nervous system are deeply connected—when one isn’t working properly, it will affect how you feel, move, heal, rest, digest, and even how your immune system functions. In our Iowa City clinic, we focus on identifying areas of the spine and nervous system that are sub-optimal. Through gentle, specific adjustments, we help restore optimal function so your body can better regulate, repair, and adapt to physical and emotional stress.

Chiropractic isn’t just about relieving back or neck pain, although that’s often where people start. It’s about helping your body work the way it was designed to. Routinely, patients notice improvements in energy, sleep, focus, and even digestion once their nervous system begins functioning more optimally.

From the infant who sleeps through the night for the first time after their first adjustment, to the person in their 60s becoming headache-free for the first time in decades, to the young adult dealing with high levels of stress, chiropractic can mean many things to different people.

Whether you’re dealing with pain, a degenerative condition, or looking for peak performance, chiropractic provides a system to support your body’s natural ability to heal and thrive. At Bowman Chiropractic Associates, we see chiropractic as more than pain relief—it's a foundation for lifelong health.

Chiropractic care and Chiropractors can help with a wide range of conditions that stem from problems in the spine, joints, and nervous system. In our Iowa City clinic, we commonly see patients dealing with back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches, shoulder tension, or joint stiffness—but that’s just the beginning. Because the nervous system controls every function in the body, restoring healthy communication through the spine can also benefit issues like poor sleep, fatigue, and even balance or coordination problems.

We also work with patients who are managing chronic or degenerative conditions, helping them maintain mobility, reduce inflammation, and slow the progression of nerve-related problems. Some people come in because they want to feel better; others because they want to stay better! Chiropractic care helps the body move, heal, and function at an optimal level—whether that means recovering from an injury, keeping active with your kids or grandkids, or simply improving your day-to-day comfort and performance.

And because Chiropractors are trained from the beginning to assess your health from a holistic view, we are uniquely positioned to get to the root cause of your chronic conditions. In fact, with the technological advancements in lab work, including specialty blood tests and genetic testing, chiropractors are more empowered than ever to help you reach your optimal state!

This question is difficult to answer as each person is uniquely different. Each patient presents with different symptoms, varying in severity and chronicity, as well as other underlying conditions, diverse lifestyles, varying stress levels, various diets, distinct genetics, and unique biomechanics and compensations. All of these factors affect the entire person and, therefore, influence treatment plans and outcomes.

Factors such as healthcare goals also determine the number of sessions a patient needs. Whether your goal is pain relief, spinal stability, or overall health and wellness, it will play a role in your treatment plan.

Having a “one size fits all” treatment approach is not in the patient’s best interest. That’s why we always begin with a consultation to discuss each patient’s individual needs and determine the most suitable treatment plan, ensuring every patient receives truly personalized care.

Your brain is like the control center for your whole body. Every second, it gets millions of messages from your spine and muscles about where you are and how you’re moving.

When life (stress, bad posture, old injuries, sitting too much) messes with your spine, some of those messages get fuzzy or quiet. Your brain starts guessing instead of knowing. That’s when you feel stiff, weak, sore, tired, or just “off” – even if you don’t have big pain yet.

A chiropractic adjustment is a quick, precise nudge that wakes those sleepy signals back up. Dr. Heidi Haavik has done extensive research on the effects of chiropractic adjustments. In her studies, here’s what happens inside your body:

• Your muscles suddenly work stronger (people get 10–25% stronger in tests!)
• You feel where your arms and legs are more clearly – like your body’s GPS gets upgraded
• Your brain lights up in the right places again (scientists can see it on brain scans)
• Pain quiets down because your brain stops over-reacting
• You sleep better, feel calmer, and have more energy

Bottom line:
Chiropractic care doesn’t just “crack your back” – it helps your brain see and run your body better. That’s why so many people say they move easier, feel happier, and just plain work better after getting adjusted.

A chiropractic adjustment is a quick, precise nudge that wakes up the sleepy signals between your brain and the rest of your body.

Or to reuse an explanation from the benefits of care:

Your brain is like the control center for your whole body. Every second, it gets millions of messages from your spine and muscles about where you are and how you’re moving.

When life (stress, bad posture, old injuries, sitting too much) messes with your spine, some of those messages get fuzzy or quiet. Your brain starts guessing instead of knowing. That’s when you feel stiff, weak, sore, tired, or just “off” – even if you don’t have big pain yet.

A chiropractic adjustment is a quick, precise nudge that wakes those sleepy signals back up.

When performed by a licensed, well-trained chiropractor, adjustments are safe! The safety of an adjustment is less risky than taking NSAIDS (ibuprofen). They are safer than having your hair washed at a salon!

The most talked about safety concern regarding an adjustment is the potential for a stroke after the adjustment of the cervical spine (neck). This is actually very rare. Systematic literature reviews have been done (e.g., Church 2016, Cassidy 2008, Reuter 2006, Gorrell 2021), and they estimate the likelihood of a chiropractic adjustment causing a stroke is 1 in 5.8 million -10 million! In comparison, the risk of a GI bleed from taking NSAIDs is 1 in 1,200 -10,000. The risk of a stroke from having your hair washed at a salon is 1 in 10,000-100,000.

An adjustment may not always be suitable for all situations or conditions, such as acute fracture, infection, severe osteoporosis, or certain types of malignancy. Our doctors are highly trained to recognize when an adjustment may be contraindicated or needs modification. They are trained in multiple adjusting techniques that can accommodate a wide variety of conditions.

Chiropractic care for kids is among the safest hands-on interventions available. Statistically, they are far safer than many over-the-counter medications or even a short car ride.

When performed by a licensed, well-trained chiropractor, adjustments are safe! The safety of an adjustment is less risky than taking NSAIDS (ibuprofen). They are safer than having your hair washed at a salon!

The most talked about safety concern regarding an adjustment is the potential for a stroke after the adjustment of the cervical spine (neck). This is actually very rare. Systematic literature reviews have been done (e.g., Church 2016, Cassidy 2008, Reuter 2006, Gorrell 2021), and they estimate the likelihood of a chiropractic adjustment causing a stroke is 1 in 5.8 million -10 million! In comparison, the risk of a GI bleed from taking NSAIDs is 1 in 1,200 -10,000. The risk of a stroke from having your hair washed at a salon is 1 in 10,000-100,000.

An adjustment may not always be suitable for all situations or conditions, such as acute fracture, infection, severe osteoporosis, or certain types of malignancy. Our doctors are highly trained to recognize when an adjustment may be contraindicated or needs modification. They are trained in multiple adjusting techniques that can accommodate a wide variety of conditions.

Chiropractic care for kids is among the safest hands-on interventions available. Statistically, they are far safer than many over-the-counter medications or even a short car ride.

Minor risks associated with chiropractic adjustments are:

• Local soreness or stiffness due to increased range of motion
• Temporary Headaches which are usually due to poor hydration
• Fatigue as the body goes into rest and relax mode

For most people, an adjustment is not painful. The vast majority of patients say, “That didn’t hurt at all” or “That felt great.” A small percentage will feel soreness afterwards, similar to post-workout soreness.

Typically, discomfort associated with an adjustment occurs when the area is already inflamed, the muscles are very tense or guarded, or there is corrective soreness early in the treatment process.

Pain is a terrible indicator of health. Pain is usually the last symptom to come and the first one to go. Studies show that spinal changes like arthritis and degenerative disc disease are often painless in the early to mid stages (Brinjikjl er. al. 2015- Lancet). Chiropractors detect and correct joint restrictions, abnormal motion, and neurological interference long before pain appears.

Regular adjustments restore normal joint motion and reduce nervous system stress. Elite athletes like NFL, NBA, and MLB players integrate weekly or bi-weekly adjustments into their training programs to optimize reaction times, coordination, and power. Research shows adjustments improve sensorimotor integration, proprioception, muscle activation patterns, and brain processing. (Haavik et al., multiple studies 2016-2024).

Postural changes are wreaking havoc on our bodies. Many people sit for 8-12 hours per day. Our bodies were not meant to sit that long. This prolonged, repetitive sitting contributes to forward head posture, kyphosis (reversal of neck curve), and pelvic tilt. These are usually painless at first. But left untreated, they could eventually lead to disc herniations, headaches, shoulder issues, and early arthritis. Adjustments, along with the appropriate corrective exercises, can help slow or reverse these changes before symptoms appear.

Spinal adjustments consistently shift the body from sympathetic (“fight or flight”) dominance to parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) dominance. Making this fundamental shift decreases cortisol, improves heart rate variability, and increases immune markers. (JMPT 2019, Sci Rep 2021)

Most modern humans sit too much, have old injuries, have poor diets, and live under chronic stress. For them, periodic chiropractic care is a smart preventive investment, not a necessity driven by pain.