Spinal Manipulation Vs. Manual Manipulation

There are a lot of myths and false information running around our society when it comes to chiropractic care. On top of all of these falsehoods, such as the widespread beliefs that chiropractic can become addictive (simply not true), or that anyone can be a doctor of chiropractic (you need to go to school and get a license, just like any other medical professional, before you can practice chiropractic), there is just a lot of misunderstanding on what exactly chiropractic is, and how it works with your body.

Fortunately there are some very helpful and informative resources we can all turn to in order to better educate ourselves on the nature of chiropractic care. One post in particular, written by the experts at Spine Universe, does what I think is a great job of breaking down the differences between the two most common treatments a doctor of chiropractic may use on his or her patients, depending on the condition being treated. Read on to learn some more about spinal manipulation techniques versus manual therapy techniques in the chiropractor’s office.

Spinal manipulation therapy techniques are probably the ones you have heard more about, if you know even just a little bit about how chiropractic care and treatments work. Within the umbrella of spinal manipulation, there are three common techniques that are used to bring pain relief and restore mobility and flexibility to any affected joints or soft tissues of the body. Flexion distraction therapy involves the use of using a pumping action on an intervertebral disc in order to treat the affected area of the spinal column. Specific spinal manipulation targets precise areas of the spinal column and uses a thrusting technique to coax the spine back into its proper position and alignment. Sometimes, instruments are used to allow the chiropractor to adjust the spinal column without the use of too much force.

When it comes to manual manipulation, there are a few key therapies chiropractors will turn to. Therapeutic massage and trigger point acupressure therapy both work to release tension in tightened areas of the body. Manual joint stretching and resistance therapy techniques work to target specific areas such as the neck in order to bring pain relief and restore mobility and flexibility to the area. Finally, the soft tissues of the body that may be affected by inflammation are often helped by instrument assisted therapy, in which various instruments can be used to relax tension in the muscles.

Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Tony Alter