The Most Common Chiropractic Adjustment Techniques

Chiropractors use adjustments to realign your spine and joints. Adjustments reduce pain and inflammation, promote healing, and improve circulation, mobility, and flexibility. Are you wondering what you can expect at your visit to the chiropractor? Your doctor may use one or more of these adjustment techniques.

Diversified Technique:

Also called spinal manipulation, the diversified technique is the most well-known chiropractic treatment. Why? This is an amalgamation of manipulative techniques or movements that have been found to help patients. Over the last 140 years many different chiropractors have worked on patients and have found unique ways to adjust people. The chiropractor would then brand his unique style of making an adjustment and name it after their name. Diversified means taking from different chiros what worked and not following to a tee what any one individual chiropractor did to help patients. During the adjustment your chiropractor applies force to realign the vertebrae in your back or neck with quick thrusts from his hands. As your chiropractor adjusts your back, you may hear a popping sound. Contrary to popular belief, your back doesn't crack when you hear the sound. The popping sound is produced when gases in your joints are released.

Spinal manipulation provides a natural way to treat back, neck, and other types of pain. A narrative review published in Frontiers in Pain Research noted that spinal manipulation therapy may be as effective as standard medical therapy, physical therapy, and other traditional therapies for managing non-specific and chronic back pain.

Activator Technique:

The activator technique offers an alternative to high velocity spinal manipulation. This technique involves the use of a handheld, spring-activated device that realigns the vertebrae. The gentle, low-force, high-speed adjustments can be used to adjust specific vertebrae rather than the entire spine. Activators are best suited for geriatric patient care as they are frail and unable to tolerate quick forceful manual adjustments. I think most activator chiropractors are elderly and have become unable to use their hands, wrists due to joint damage from working on patients. The chiropractor wears out their backs from bending over patients and their own joints trying to help patients that need their help. Making the chiro functionally disabled but needing to make a living so they resort to using tools to (make adjustments) not great but there it is.  

Spinal Mobilization/Stretching:

This treatment, your chiropractor or chiropractic assistant uses his or her hands to apply slow, steady pressure to your spine. The controlled movements mobilizes and can realign joints, often will ease muscle tension, and improve joint range of motion. Both spinal manipulation and spinal mobilization offer proven results for pain control. According to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Spine Journal, spinal mobilization and manipulation reduced pain and improved function in patients with lower back pain.

 

Gonstead Technique or Adjustment:

X-rays of the entire spine provide information chiropractors need to identify misalignments or changes in the spine. After reviewing the X-rays, the Gonstead chiropractor performs an examination to find tender spots, analyze vertebral motion, and look for any problems that restrict normal joint movement.

A differential skin temperature meter is also used to find hot spots on the spine. The spots can occur if the area is inflamed or a nerve is irritated. Once problem areas are identified, chiropractors use precise adjustments to target these parts of the spine. Gonstead was a man who created his own methodology of adjusting people. A little dated but still very popular with chiropractors. 

Spinal Decompression:

Spinal decompression opens up the joints; it does not realign the spine but can reduce pressure on nerves. It can ease pain caused by spinal stenosis, facet joint syndrome, sciatica, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and other conditions. Spinal decompression therapy can also reduce pressure inside a herniated disc, allowing the bulging area to return to normal. The therapy is performed on a motorized table that gently stretches the spine.

Flexion-Distraction:

Flexion-distraction is performed on a segmented table that moves as your chiropractor adjusts your spine. Gravity improves the effectiveness of the treatment and helps decrease pressure in the spine. Flexion-distraction is often used to treat bulging herniated discs, relieve chronic back pain, reduce pressure on discs and spinal nerves, improve range of motion, and reduce stiffness. It can also be used to decrease pain caused by sprains, strains, muscle spasms, arthritis, and sciatica.

Thompson Drop Table Technique:

Your chiropractor might perform an adjustment on the Thompson drop table during your visit. The table consists of padded segments that drop slightly during treatments. The technique allows your chiropractor to target specific areas of the spine and use minimal force when performing adjustments. Thompson drop table adjustments can be helpful in treating herniated discs, sciatica, joint pain, scoliosis, and chronic back and neck pain.

Tired of living with pain? Chiropractic adjustments relieve pain while reducing stiffness, inflammation, nerve irritation, and muscle spasms. Call our office to schedule a visit with the chiropractor.

Sources:

Frontiers in Pain Research: Clinical Effectiveness and Efficacy of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Spine Pain, 10/25/2021

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35295422/

The Spine Journal: Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 5/2018

https://www.thespinejournalonline.com/article/S1529-9430(18)30016-0/fulltext

Medical News Today: Chiropractic Adjustment Techniques, 5/28/2024

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/chiropractic-methods

SPINE-Health: Understanding Spinal Manipulation, 7/19/2013

https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/understanding-spinal-manipulation