Chiropractic techniques

If you have visited several different chiropractors, you may have noticed some differences in how they perform their work. This is because each chiropractor may study and learn several different techniques. It takes many years of training to learn and fine-tune how to apply these techniques well, which is why chiropractic is sometimes considered an art. Remember, the main goal of chiropractic is to improve the overall function of the body, but the path to achieving our goal can be taken in many ways.

How chiropractic works

Regardless of what problems we come with, the chiropractor will usually first look at our spine and check for so-called subluxations, or poorly moving areas. These areas are never chosen by chance or because you feel pain around them. The chiropractor will carefully check the mobility in individual segments and the sensation to the touch. He will also check the position of the body and how we move in general. The above-mentioned subluxations are not capable of much mobility and are usually painful to the touch - sometimes we don't even notice this until someone touches them.

Individual chiropractors specialize in different techniques that help improve the functioning of the spine and the body in general. For example, a chiropractor may ask you for an X-ray to help them find the cause of your pain. They may also test the strength of your limbs or specific muscles. Some chiropractors focus only on the upper neck, while others focus on the function of joints throughout your body, including your jaw, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and so on.

Which technique to choose?

There are no bad or good techniques, they are just different, just like individual chiropractors. Therefore, it is important that we find the method that helps us the most. Each chiropractor is trained in several different methods so that they can choose the type of therapy that they feel is best and safest for a given client. They can use their hands or various types of tools that have been tested and proven over many years. Some of these tools will help the chiropractor work faster, more gently and sometimes more effectively. Some use these tools as an addition to working with their hands, some as their main tool. For example, a tool that looks like a thick pen or gun is called an activator.

A study looked at chiropractic techniques and methods to see which ones were most effective. It turned out that for acute pain, the most effective and fastest relief was achieved after chiropractic manipulation with the hands, as opposed to the activator.

Another aid is special tables where individual sections of the table can be lowered slightly and at once. These special tables take advantage of a small drop where one part of the spine lies firmly on the table while the adjacent part of the spine is not supported on the table. It does not always have to be spinal segments, but also any other part of the body, such as the pelvis. This style of manipulation has several different methods that are proven and safe. There is an entire protocol related to the use of these special tables, while others use them simply as a means to make the correct adjustment for the person they are working with.

Many other tools can be used by a chiropractor to make the examination more effective. For example, special blocks that support individual segments of the body and, thanks to our body weight, can loosen or stretch the joints between the joints.

Our bodies are one huge, intricately connected system, and chiropractors know that it's important to focus on the whole. Some chiropractors can provide you with specific exercises to do at home, while others specialize in nutrition, homeopathy, breathing, and more. No one approach is better than the other, but it's good to know what options are available to you and what you can choose from.