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Initial Assessment and Diagnosis
The first step in your treatment will be a brief assessment, taken by the Chiropractor, that determines the cause of your pain and discomfort. Getting an accurate diagnosis is essential in making sure the condition is treated accurately as possible so that you get the most relief without a lot of 'trial and error'.
Most assessments only require a brief medical history, including a description of your pain, some basic Range of Motion testing, a quick analysis of your postural stances, and palpitation of the area affected by pain. In rare cases, the doctor may prescribe x-rays or an MRI; however, many cases do not require anything additional to a simple vital office assessment.
Chiropractic Manipulation
Chiropractic Manipulations can be done in virtually any movable joint in the body. They are gentle movements intended to restore mobility to joints that become stiff and lose their range of motion over time. There is a common misconception that joints are 'out of place' when in fact the issue is usually a lack of movement that is causing other joints, especially in the spine, to become hyper-mobile and unstable. This is why, when you 'pop' your own neck, you may get temporary relief; however, in reality you are worsening the fixed position of the vertebrae usually above and below the hyper-mobile site. Ultimately, this can lead to increased dysfunction of the painful condition and will affect the nerves and muscles in the area.
Chiropractic Manipulation is safe, usually painless, and gentle. Often times you may hear a 'popping' sound as the carbon dioxide bubbles that naturally reside in the joints burst. In many cases you may feel an instant relief and will often feel a warming sensation as the blood flow is restored to your spine. If the area is inflamed it may take a day or two for most of the pain to completely subside. Most people have no other side effects after an adjustment, with the exception of some very minor muscle soreness, as the body adjusts to its new natural, healthy position.
The ultimate goal of a Chiropractic Manipulation is to restore mobility to joints that are pressing on nerves and causing muscles to spasm. Because the nerves that exit the spine ultimately end at organ systems, a spinal adjustment helps restore proper natural and vascular function to those organs.
K-Laser Therapy
At Word Chiropractic we are one of the few providers of K-Laser Therapy. The K-Laser is a type IV laser that is used in both patient and veterinary practice to aid in the reduction of inflammation and pain. K-Laser Therapy increases the speed at which cells absorb oxygen and eliminate waste, therefore, reducing the time in which the body heals damaged tissue. The K-Laser is an excellent tool that can be used both with or without Chiropractic Treatment, which makes it ideal for soft-tissue conditions that are too sensitive for adjustment or difficult to treat through Chiropractic adjustment alone. If you would like to learn more about K-Laser you can watch a short video on how it facilitates healing by clicking here.
Intersegmental Traction Table
Often called "The Roller Table", this is one of our patient's favorite therapies. The purpose of the table is to gently manipulate the vertebral column in the opposite direction of what the spine is normally accustomed to. While you lay on the table the machine 'rolls' up and down the length of the spinal column gently stretching the spinal ligaments and massaging the muscles to restore mobility to your back. In addition, the effects of Intersegmental Traction ensure that your Chiropractic adjustments last longer, resulting in longer relief from symptoms.
Activator Methods
Activator Adjustment Methods are used when a normal Chiropractic adjustment cannot be used due to extreme tenderness or when there is bone or joint disease, such as osteoporosis, that may not be responsive to more forceful adjustments. The instrument is placed directly into a position where it will be most accurate to move the joint with a minimal amount of force and when the instrument gently pushes into the surface of the skin it reverberates through the tissues causing the joint to gently move back into proper alignment. The Activator Method is gentle but effective and makes adjustments possible for those that may not ordinarily be able to tolerate a standard adjustment.