John S. Irwin, D.C. and staff at Irwin Family Chiropractic Clinic invited the public to come by Tuesday to learn more about chiropractic care and services available at the clinic.

“We just wanted to reintroduce ourselves to people and try to just get the word out that we’re still here,” Irwin said.

The clinic has operated in Chilton County for 14 years and offers a range of chiropractic and physiotherapy services to patients of all ages, “from 1-100 and even past that,” Irwin said.

“Chiropractic can help with a lot of different conditions, not just lower back and neck pain,” Irwin said. “Chiropractic is bigger than that.”

Chiropractic care involves diagnosis and manipulative treatment of misalignments of the spine and other joints in the body, such as hips and shoulders, to restore nervous system function.

Joint misalignments are treated through adjustments.

Ways to adjust the spine include a doctor delivering a quick, highly accurate thrust, an instrument directing a repeatable force to a fixated spinal joint or a certain amount of slow, constant pressure being applied.

“What we’re really about is structure and function,” Irwin said. “Adjustment is about properly functioning joints. When you get proper function, you have less symptoms. That functionality helps how you are as a person.”

Preliminary examinations help Irwin determine whether chiropractic care is necessary for each patient, and if so, which areas are “areas of concern.”

“We verify adjustment is what we need,” Irwin said. “We do our due diligence to make sure that what we’re doing is a benefit to the patient.”

Irwin uses chiropractic adjusting tables for spinal adjustments to help with mobility; intersegmental traction to help with disc issues; interferential therapy to aid in soft tissue rehabilitation for conditions such as muscle spasms, pain and swelling; and ultrasound and X-ray to determine areas that need attention.

Irwin said chiropractic care can help with more symptoms than many people are aware of, including headaches, sciatic pain, arm pain and musculoskeletal issues.

“A lot of people don’t get the care they need because they don’t know,” Irwin said. “We want to make sure what we’re doing is of therapeutic value to you. We’ve helped a lot of folks over the years, and we want to help as many people as we can.”

Irwin recommends regular chiropractic visits to ensure continued improvement of joint mobility and nervous system function.

“It’s not just a one-time thing; it’s a repeatable thing you have to do to change that structure,” Irwin said.

The open house was sponsored by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce.

Attendees had an opportunity to sign up for chances to win a free Chiroflow Waterbase Pillow in a drawing.

Irwin Family Chiropractic Clinic is located at 104 Popwell Avenue in Clanton.

Office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 2-6 p.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Terry Hadden is the office manager, and Jennifer Gray is a chiropractic assistant at the clinic.

For more information, call the clinic at (205) 755-4472.