CHIROPRACTIC CARE

Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.

Doctors of Chiropractic – often referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians – practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis, and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.

Chiropractic Adjustments

The most common therapeutic procedure performed by doctors of chiropractic is known as “spinal manipulation,” also called “chiropractic adjustment.” The purpose of manipulation is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become hypomobile – or restricted in their movement – as a result of a tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as improper lifting of a heavy object, or through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture for an extended period of time. In either case, injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain, and diminished function for the sufferer. Manipulation, or adjustment of the affected joint and tissues, restores mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness, and allowing tissues to heal. There are several different adjusting techniques that can be utilized and the method of adjustment is always tailored to the individual patient.

Adjustment Techniques

Diversified Technique

Diversified technique is widely-recognized as the most traditional hands-on approach to chiropractic adjustments. With this technique, the doctor uses his or her hands to put a low-force, high-velocity impulse into a joint. The patient may feel a “popping” or “clicking” sensation in his/her spine as the adjustment occurs. This is generally a relieving feeling and is usually not painful.

Thompson Technique

The Thompson chiropractic technique utilizes a chiropractic table that has several sections under the patient’s spinal column that gently drop down during an adjustment. During a Thompson adjustment, the chiropractor places a very specific directional tension into a joint while allowing that section of the table to drop slightly. This technique uses gravity to set the adjustment to the joint and provides a more gentle alternative to the twisting positions involved in traditional adjustments.

Activator Methods (Instrument adjusting)

Some patients are completely uncomfortable with the “twisting and popping” feel to traditional manual chiropractic adjustments. For those patients, the Activator Method of adjusting is a gentle, effective alternative. With this technique a small mechanical instrument is used to put a low-force impulse into a spinal joint. The tool provides a precise, highly-effective alternative to hands-on adjustments. For patients in acute pain or muscle spasm, this can be a great way to introduce healthy motion into joints while keeping the patient comfortable.

Flexion-Distraction

Flexion-Distraction is technique that uses rhythmic flexion of the lower half of the chiropractic table to assist the doctor in providing a deep stretch to the muscles of the lower back as well as decompression of the spinal structures in the lumbar spine. As the vertebrae are gently drawn into traction, negative pressure draws fluids back into the lumbar discs and takes pressure off of the nerves in the surrounding area. For patients who are seated for a majority of the day, this can be a very beneficial and relieving form of chiropractic therapy.

Other Modalities

Graston Technique / Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)

Graston is a unique, evidence-based form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively and efficiently address scar tissue and fascial restrictions in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the body. Scar tissue and fascial restrictions can be the result of overuse or injury and can present as conditions such as Achilles Tendinitis, IT Band Syndrome, rotator cuff syndrome, tennis elbow, etc.

Graston Technique involves the use of stainless steel instruments to deliver an effective means of manual therapy. Practitioners use the stainless steel instruments to comb over and “catch” on fibrotic tissue, which immediately identifies the areas of restriction. Once the tissue has been identified, the instruments are then used to address and treat the abnormal tissue by working through the area manually.

Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA)

The SFMA is a clinical assessment for those who experience pain. It is a movement based diagnostic system which systematically finds the cause– not just the location — of pain by logically breaking down dysfunctional movement patterns in a structured, repeatable assessment.

What makes SFMA unique? SFMA is the first organized system that takes into account altered motor control – the inability to coordinate proper movements. This system allows clinicians to identify the correct problems – mobility versus motor control – to help create successful clinical outcomes. Widely viewed as the most respected and researched movement and assessment technique, the SFMA can help determine what caused your pain in the first place and what patterns in your body need to shift in order to avoid the same injury in the future.

Kinesio Tape

The Kinesio Taping Method is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process and is used to successfully treat a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and medical conditions. The elastic tape is applied to the skin of the patient over the affected area. The tape gently lifts the skin, promoting lymphatic drainage to reduce inflammation in the area. The tape also provides support and stability to the muscles and joints of the area, while allowing the patient to continue to go through a full range of motion. The tape is most effective when used in conjunction with manual or chiropractic therapy, and helps to gently reeducate the injured area to facilitate a healthy recovery.

Intersegmental Traction (IST) Table

Intersegmental traction is an effective chiropractic therapy that induces passive motion into the spine for the purpose of stretching spinal joints and increasing mobility. Intersegmental traction helps to gently and effectively reestablish normal range of motion to your spine. It also facilitates muscle relaxation to significantly reduce muscle spasms. For most patients, this is their favorite part of their visit.