3 State-Of-The-Art Techniques For Adjusting Your Spine

Spinal adjustment has helped countless individuals overcome joint pain, other unpleasant symptoms, and even systemic ailments ever since the earliest days of chiropractic care, when D.D. Palmer adjusted a patient's cervical spine to relieve a case of hearing loss. But while the term "chiropractic" means "done by hand," a variety of non-manual spinal-adjustment techniques have sprung up over the years — and one or more of them could turn out to be just what the doctor ordered for your condition. Check out the workings and advantages of three such instrument-based techniques.

1. Activator Method - Traditional manual spinal adjustments employ high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust to shift joint components back into position. But even the most precise manual adjustments can suffer limited success if the muscles react against the force by tensing up. The Activator Method sidesteps this obstacle by making use of a handheld device (the Activator) that makes quicker, subtler adjustments than any manual technique can provide. The adjustments are so quick and easy that the muscles literally have no time to resist them, allowing the adjustments to make a greater effect.
2. Thompson Drop-Table Technique - Also known as the Thompson Terminal Point Technique, this chiropractic method achieves its special benefits through the use of a specialized segmented treatment table. When a patient lies on the table, the chiropractor can check for unequal leg length, a sign of a potential spinal misalignment, or other musculoskeletal problem. During the actual adjustment, the segment supporting the part of the body to be adjusted drops slightly, reinforcing the effect of the adjustment. This lets the chiropractor apply less force, resulting in a more comfortable experience for sensitive patients.
3. Spinal Decompression Therapy - Spinal decompression therapy serves as a safe, non-invasive alternative to spinal surgery for treatment of painful conditions such as herniated or bulging discs. When these discs push against nerve tissue, you may experience tingling, numbness, pain, or weakness in the hands and arms. Instead of removing these bits of disc material surgically, spinal decompression therapy helps them find their way back into their correct place in the spinal column. A motorized treatment table employs small degrees of outward-pulling force, or flexion distraction, to the spine. This creates a vacuum to form between vertebrae, pulling those discs away from the nerve tissue.

Don't assume that manual "back-cracking" is all there is to chiropractic care. Ask your chiropractor about the benefits of instrument-assisted spinal-adjustment techniques. You may find that modern technology has made this time-tested healing modality more effective than ever for the treatment of your specific health, wellness, and pain management needs!