Chiropractic Technique Our office continues to use Chiropractic Biophysics procedures. We no longer have an in house x-rays but can send our patients to the Chiropractic College which uses modern digital x-rays. Biophysics procedures include both osseous, drop table, and instrument adjusting to make corrections with an emphasis on structural changes. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching is a stretching technique that involves a combination of stretching and contracting muscles to improve flexibility and range of motion. It is commonly used by athletes, Chiropractors, physical therapists, and fitness professionals to enhance athletic performance, rehabilitate injuries, and improve overall flexibility. This method of stretching is used in our office to enhance the adjustment and taught to our patients to facilitate improvement at home.
Traction is defined as the process of deflecting tissue. Adjustments alone do not deflect the soft tissue long enough to make changes. We therefore use traction to put enough force to make structural modifications. Think of it as a board being hit over a fulcrum. It will not deflect permanently. Let’s say we took that same board, put it over the fulcrum and put a weight on one end and left it there for some time. This board can and will deflect over time to see a bend that is permanent. Our soft tissue deflects and changes in a similar way.
Vertetrac vs. Decompression A new procedure utilizing a long axis decompression traction table has been advertised to the public as treatment for many back conditions including herniated disc, fail back surgeries, and degenerative disc. This table, while effective for some patients, is expensive. Our office has been using the Vertetrac as well as flexion distraction procedures for more than 25 years. The Vertetrac has some distinct advantages. It is an ambulatory traction device which means you can walk while you are being tractioned. The motion at the same time as traction benefits the effect and can be utilized for all the same things the decom-pression traction table is able to. Cost is dramatically less for our procedure, often included in our normal treatment cost. Decompression procedures often average from $150-200 per treatment.
Electrical Stimulation One of our primary physical therapy modality used to manage pain and accelerate healing is Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS). EMS is capable of deep penetration using interferential stimulation (crisscrossing), or electrical modification to simulate the interferential stimulation. Some of our patients have used portable Tens units that are similar in that they are electrical. The main difference is the penetration. Tens units are used to block pain but rarely penetrate below the skin. This helps to block pain signals to the brain while it is on but rarely has long lasting effects. The inter-ferential current is able to penetrate deeper which allow the effect to touch the source of the pain. Our EMS is also capable of many different frequencies like micro-current which can also be used for tissue healing.
Low Level Therapeutic Laser Low level or Cold laser produce a form of light energy when inputted into the cells of our body will convert to chemical energy to promote natural healing and pain relief. It is a safe procedure, causes no cutting or heat production and is used for inflammation reduction, pain relief, antibacterial, increased circulation and accelerated tissue repair. Laser treatment is an attended modality (Requires direct patient treatment) and therefore has a separate charge from our regular Chiropractic fees.