Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic Adjustment
A chiropractic adjustment is a technique used to release joint restrictions and restore smooth pain free motion. An adjustment or manipulation may result in a “pop” or “crack” noise. This noise is the result of pressure being released from the joint in the form of gases. Throughout our daily life pressure builds within the joints of our body, which may contribute to a joint restriction. There are many reasons a joint can become restricted including:
poor posture
poor sleeping position
too much time sitting
past or present injury
poor body mechanics
muscle tension or spasm
muscle imbalance
overuse
During the adjustment the restricted joint will be targeted and brought close to the end range of mobility where a small thrust will act to release the joint and provide a quick stretch to the surrounding ligaments and muscles. Muscles that feel tight or sore typically have higher muscular activity (EMG activity) do to small receptors called muscle spindle fibers and Golgi tendon organs we sense the stretch and tension of the muscle. If that muscle is over active you will feel the tension in the muscle. Studies have shown that their is a decrease in muscular activity following a chiropractic adjustment, leading to less tension felt throughout the muscle. Due to the controlled nature and the low amplitude of the thrust a chiropractic adjustment takes advantage of this response by safely creating a signal of relaxation through the surrounding musculature.
It is important to realize that our joints work together to accomplish movement. A simple example is demonstrated when by the leg of a soccer player kicking a ball, the leg is pulled forward by flexors of the hip followed by extension of the knee to make contact with a ball. If you do not have full range of motion in your hip you need to get that extra motion from somewhere else, perhaps your knee. Now that extra range of motion in the knee may increases the chance of knee injury.
This holds true with your spine as well. We have 7 vertebrae in our neck, 12 in our upper back and 5 in our low back. All of these joints help to accomplish movement in the back and neck. If you have restricted joints in the spine all of a sudden the movement that is suppose to be shared by all the vertebrae is being accomplished by the remaining joints that are not restricted. This puts much more stress on these joints and may lead to hypermobility and injury. Imagine your spine is similar to a train with each car representing a vertebrae. when all the connection points are functioning properly movement around a corner is easily accomplished. now think of welding a few of those cars together so they cannot hinge. All of a sudden the movement around that corner becomes difficult and may derail the train all together.
Chiropractic care helps to release the joints that are not moving. Thus taking pressure off the compensating joints. We aim to keep your joints moving well and address a joint restriction before it becomes an injury.
Muscle release therapy
Muscle release therapy is used in conjunction with chiropractic adjustment, stretching and exercise. Muscle release therapy uses knowledge of anatomy to isolate a muscle and its function. Compression and tension will be added to the muscle to increase stretch and friction throughout the layers and connective tissue as that particular muscle is taken throughout its movement.
By varying the length of the muscle and adding manual compression we are attempting to release any tension or “knots” throughout the muscle and break up any adhesion that can form in between layers of the muscle and connective tissue. Fascia is connective tissue that is present throughout the body. This creates whats called fascial lines, chains or trains, meaning that tension felt in one muscle may be created or the cause of tension further up or down these lines. This is why it is so important to assess the whole body and not just the site of injury.
Stretching and Exercise
Stretching and exercise are a crucial part of a healthy active life. Research has shown that adding 150 minutes of moderate exercise to your week can drastically lower your blood pressure and your chances of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and much more. At Peak Integrated Health we will promote a healthy lifestyle and help you integrate home stretches and exercises that will benefit you in your road to achieve your goals.
In our office we will focus on proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), which is a fancy way to say we will couple muscle contraction and stretching protocols to help improve flexibility and range of motion. Using contractions of certain muscles during the stretch protocol we are able to take advantage of specific neurological reflexes in the body to increase range of motion.
