There are a lot of people in the world who choose natural therapies over medicines or surgeries. Without any doubt, natural methods of treating ailments and injuries are more appropriate because they hardly involve any kind of side effects.
Chiropractic is one such natural therapy that involves use of appropriate pressure on certain areas of the body. In chiropractic, the adjustment technique is perhaps the basic technique of the whole stuff.
So, what is chiropractic adjustment? In simple words, the adjustment technique, which is also known by different terms such as spinal manipulation, manual manipulation, or chiropractic manipulation, is a common healing procedure for the lower back of our body. And, this treatment can definitely help us get rid of lower back pain.
What It Is
In the spinal manipulation technique, a chiropractor (one who specializes in chiropractic therapy) applies a controlled amount of pressure to the vertebrae. This is done in order to re-position or properly re-align the spine in its place.
In scientific terms, the prime aim of chiropractic care is to lower down the state of subluxation. Subluxation is the state in which the position of the vertebra gets altered due to some reason, or stops functioning in its usual capacity. So, with the help of chiropractic therapy, one can overcome the state of subluxation, which in turn is done by improving the range of motion, bringing down nerve irritability as well as by enhancing function.
Talking about the spinal adjustment therapy in details, it basically involves the below mentioned techniques:
- A short lever arm combined with high velocity pressure is applied on the vertebra.
- At the same time, gas is released from the joint cavitation, which can be heard clearly. The gas released mainly comprises of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen, which get released from the joint pressure.
- During the entire procedure, the patient or person experience pleasurable and relaxing snsation. However, one can also expect to experience some minor discomfort, though the phase of discomfort generally lasts for few minutes. The reason behind the discomfort can be due to the surrounding muscles that are in spasm. In addition, it may also happen if the patient is tensed up during the treatment procedure.
It is important to keep in mind that the cracking sound or join cavitation does not happen all the time. Basically, it is an outcome of considerable muscle immobilizing or the person not being sufficiently relaxed when being treated with chiropractic adjustment. In such situations, it is usually appropriate for the professional to apply ice, and allow the patient to have some rest, or give massage and electrical stimulation before applying the adjustment technique.
So, what can spinal adjustment techniques do for us? Well, lower back pain, headache and neck pain are the most usual issues for which people look to be alleviated by this therapy. Advanced chiropractic is a development of beliefs in these ideas:
- Our body has the ability to heal itself naturally.
- The structure of our body that is bones, nerves, muscles and joint, as well as the capability for hale and hearty function are closely interlinked.
- Chiropractic care helps maintain the balance of our body’s function and structure, and also encourages self-healing.
The Techniques Involved
In the field of chiropractic, there are more than 100 kinds of adjustment techniques or methods used by chiropractors all through the world.
Usually, chiropractors will concentrate on and make use of 8 to 10 various methodologies in their practice. The general aim of most of the chiropractic techniques is curing inflammation in the joints and lowering down pain.
The techniques used for spinal manipulation are a little gentle, while the ones for other body parts are somewhat vigorous. Chiropractic adjustment methodology comprises the H-igh V-elocity and L-ow A-mplitude thrust, i.e. the HVLA thrust.
Present adjustment techniques, also known as advanced chiropractic, are a deviation from the existing technique. So, here we mention some of the main techniques related to spinal manipulation, along with their significance:
- Diversified technique – High velocity accompanied with low amplitude pressure is the main aspect of this technique. In this method, chiropractors use short, quick pressure over hampered joints, but one at a time. The motto of this technique is to restore the normal level of motion in the bone’s joint.
- Gonstead adjustment – This technique is also similar to the above mentioned one. Based on the HVLA adjustment, this advanced chiropractic method involves the use of specially designed tables and chairs, such as chest-knee table and the cervical chair. The purpose of the Gonstead adjustment is to do away with problematic joints as well as to correct the body posture.
- Thompson Terminal Point technique – In this technique, specially designed treatment tables are used which have sections or divisions that drop a little distance when applying HVLA thrust. And, this is the reason why it is also referred to as drop technique. The dropping effect of the table encourages the movement of the joints in a better way.
Who Can Benefit From It
In case you are thinking that chiropractic care can be beneficial only for those who suffer from joint pains or poor body posture, then you need to rethink this belief.
Basically, this therapy is for anyone who wants to improve his/her body’s ability to heal itself naturally. So, it is a way to improve your way of living.
However, there are many cases in which chiropractic therapy can be quite useful, such as back pain, spine injury, joint pain, headache, low back pain, multiple sclerosis, otitis media, carpal tunnel syndrome, autism, blood pressure, chronic neck pain, cerebral palsy, spinal alignment, disc herniation, subluxation, and many more. All we have to do is find a skilled and experienced chiropractor, who can understand our issues, develop a perfect strategy and work accordingly.
