Your Winchester Chiropractor, Max Atkinson, can tell you from experience that more than 85% of us will suffer from back pain at some point. At his Bradford House practice, treatment for patients with back pain is a holistic, complete approach to back pain. Treatments that work well for one person, do not work as well for others so it is vital that after a thorough assessment and diagnosis, combination of treatment approaches are offered in each case.
The aim of Chiropractic is to address the underlying cause of back pain and to advise on the treatment options and alternatives available with the aim of getting the patient out of pain and back to normal, as quickly as possible. In conjunction with Chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue work, joint mobilization and other techniques form part of the Chiropractor’s arsenal.
What Is An Adjustment?
Chiropractors assess their patients for dysfunction within the spine and other joints. They do this through the skills they develop as part of their training that allows them to assess and detect problems in the movement of the spinal joints.
The spine itself is a series of complex joints, from the intervertebral discs that act like cushions between the vertebrae, and the smaller zygapophyseal or facet joints to the back. Each vertebrae has 4 of these facet joints. Chiropractors assess the movement of these joints and if they fail to move freely they will often apply an adjustment.
An adjustment can take many forms. The most well known form is when the chiropractor puts a small, fast and directed force into the joint making it go “pop” or “crack”. This noise is a normal physiological phenomenon and is nothing to be concerned about.
Sometimes the chiropractor will use an adjusting instrument, or other so called “low force techniques” to adjust the spine. These do not normally produce any popping sounds.
What Does An Adjustment Do?
The exact mechanism of action of an adjustment is not exactly known. It is thought input causes reflex relaxation of muscles in the area. The increased movement that normally results would help clear inflammation.
Sometimes an adjustment is not the right therapy for you. In that case, the Chiropractor may well use other therapies like ultrasound, or things like mobilisation. Ultrasound also acts to improve blood flow and clear inflammation, and can be used in conjunction with an adjustment.
Mobilisation is a different way of increasing movement within the spine. It doesn’t tend to be as dramatic in its results but can be appropriate if your situation means an adjustment isn’t indicated.
Getting Help.
If back pain is a problem for you and you would like to discuss the treatment options and alternatives available to you at Bradford House Chiropractic, please call to arrange an appointment on 01962 861188 today.
