You may often hear that chiropractic treatments provide relief to head, neck, and back pain, but do you really know the benefits and techniques of each chiropractic treatment? There are a variety of methods that can be tailored to each patient’s unique needs and goals. And not only are chiropractic adjustments natural options to pain management, but they are also known to increase energy, induce recovery, and boost your immune system.
Here’s a quick patient reference guide from Tualatin Optimal Wellness to further understand the right chiropractic service for you.
How Can a Chiropractor Help You?
Chiropractors are healthcare providers that diagnose and treat neuromuscular disorders that cause neck and back pain, joint disfunction and limited mobility. They work to manually adjust or manipulate the spine for pain management, rehabilitation, or implement lifestyle changes.
Chiropractors use a variety of techniques from hands-on motions to specialty tables or handheld devices to perform adjustments. Depending on your specific needs, each treatment may be slightly different, but the 6 most common services typically remain the same.
6 Common Chiropractic Treatments.
Understanding chiropractic techniques before going to a practitioner can help put you at ease and be less overwhelming on your first interaction. Every chiropractor has their own techniques based on the patient’s conditions and preferences, but the 6 most common practices throughout the country are extremity manipulation, flexion distraction, the drop technique, Gonstead technique, the activator method, and spinal manipulation.
- Extremity Manipulation
Extremity Manipulation is a chiropractic technique where the joints outside of the spine are physically manipulated to align in the wrist, elbow, ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder.
This treatment can be beneficial to many conditions but is often used on patients with posture-related issues or carpal tunnel. It is a key influencer on improved mobility, as it alleviates stress on the spine. Although it is simple, it may cause minor sensitivity or discomfort depending on the condition of your joints.
- Flexion Distraction
Flexion Distraction is most often used to treat lumbar-spine conditions, including disc injuries, sciatica, and lower back pain. Chiropractors implement this treatment via a special table that moves to allow for manipulating the position of a patient’s spine. The technique is performed manually by hand to remove pressure on the discs, reducing pain or discomfort.
Not only does Flexion Distraction fix disc bulges, herniations, and increase spinal motion, but the motion also induces the flow of nutrients into the spinal discs to improve health and functionality. The most appealing aspect of this treatment is that it’s painless.
- The Thompson Chiropractic Treatment
The Thompson Technique, often referred to as the Drop Technique, uses a specialty table to “drop” patients by a small increment while the chiropractor applies precise thrusting motions to adjust the spine or other extremities.
The gentle dropping motion is hardly noticeable by patients and feels more like a slight vibration that rarely causes any pain or discomfort.
- Gonstead Technique
The Gonstead technique is an adjustment method used to restore mobility and normal disc alignment in the patient while realigning the spine. It is most known for relieving pain simply by having the patient sit upright or lay on their side. The Chiropractor will then adjust the lower back or pelvis with a hands-on thrust. This natural position allows for the relief of pain, stiffness, or joint mobility.
- The Activator Method
The Activator method uses a handheld instrument where the chiropractor can identify specific areas outside of the spine to alleviate neck and back pain. It works to adjust the tone of the nervous system by sending gentile impulses to the extremities of vertebral segments of the spine.
Unlike other manual techniques, the speed of the activator prevents the body from tensing up, which is a natural reaction.
- Spinal Manipulation (Spinal Mobilization)
Spinal Manipulation, otherwise referred to as spinal mobilization or manual therapy is a technique that most people associate with a chiropractic visit. Simply put, it is a gentle adjustment that requires stretching and a passive range of joint motion to improve function and restore mobility in the spinal column. Spinal mobilization is applied at varying rates and amplitudes, with both high velocity/small amplitude therapeutic movement.
Feel Like You Again
The 6 most common chiropractic adjustments are known to bring pain relief, comfort, mobility, and overall wellness to patients for short-and-long term goals.
https://www.tualatinchiro.com/servicesChiropractic adjustments are unique to each patient. There are many different methods of holistic, natural chiropractic adjustments that Dr. Aaron Davison can advise on and implement for pain management. If you would like more information on the best chiropractic adjustment for you, call our team at 503-941-5351 or contact Tualatin Optimal Wellness online.
