What are Spinal Adjustments: Techniques and Benefits

Many patients ask us, “What are spinal adjustments?” A spinal adjustment is among the several treatments a chiropractor uses to help relieve back pain, neck pain, and even pain in other areas of the body. It helps relieves pressure on the spine by repositioning joints and vertebrae to their proper positions. This should only be done by a trained chiropractor who knows how to apply pressure to the right areas to get the results needed for a patient.

What Are Spinal Adjustments, And How Do They Work?

Spinal adjustments are a particular spinal manipulation method a chiropractor uses on the vertebrae to treat unusual joint placement or subluxation. It involves the use of hands-on manipulation along with other alternative therapies.

A chiropractic adjustment is a highly accurate and skilled movement designed to improve function in a joint. It helps to provide pain relief and restore normal movement in the body. This allows you to enjoy everyday outdoor activities as quickly as possible.

Adjustments help to reestablish a proper range of motion to a joint. When a joint is adjusted, the pressure is released from within the joint. In the process, a cracking sound may be heard.

The vertebral column is one continuous structure made up of many parts. Chiropractic treatment may be necessary to effectively reestablish good alignment and function throughout the connections of those parts in the spine. I recommend a course of treatment that fits your specific needs.

Chiropractic techniques include joint mobilization, muscle release, stimulation, and therapeutic exercises. Specific treatments might vary depending on the needs of each patient. Each technique has a specific procedure to reinstate the spine to its normal function.

Spinal or Chiropractic Adjustment Types and The Conditions They Treat

Gonstead Adjustment Treatments

This spinal adjustment is one of the common techniques being used by chiropractors. This adjustment is a hands-on technique used to diagnose and fix specific issues. For example, it is used when there is a need to restore maximum movement and the disc’s normal alignment.

During this treatment, your spinal region is examined thoroughly. Next, the spine is carefully readjusted to ensure accurate and painless adjustments. This procedure effectively reduces inflammation and pain. This treatment guarantees quick recovery without endangering the life of the patient.

In addition, Gonstead adjustment treatment also fixes problems such as interferences with the nervous system and long-term back pain caused by vertebral subluxation. Finally, it is also used to restore and maintain optimal health.

Activator Treatments

This is another chiropractic treatment that involves the use of a hand-held mechanical instrument. This mechanical instrument is known as the activator adjusting instrument. The chiropractor uses this activator to apply a gentle impulsive force on the vertebral segments of the spine, which eventually restores motion to a targeted joint and vertebra.

One of the benefits of this procedure is that the activator pulses quickly so that the patient won’t have the chance to tense up as they might with other procedures. It is also very effective because the activator works fast before your muscles tense up and resist treatment. Most chiropractors use this procedure for conditions like migraines, neck pain, or lower back pain.

Thompson Technique Treatments

This is a full-spine chiropractic adjusting technique known as the drop technique. This technique involves unique treatment tables with drop mechanisms to provide high-velocity, low-amplitude, and low-force adjustments and apply pressure to the patient’s spine.

This procedure results in stability, comfort, and less forceful adjustments for the patient. It reduces stress, restores normal nerve function, relieves pain, improves sleep, and increases body function.

Flexion-Distraction Treatments

Flexion-distraction technique is a low-force, gentle, and safe chiropractic treatment that focuses on relieving pressure off spinal nerves that may be dysfunctional or injured. The adjustment technique is non-surgical and causes disc herniation and disc bulges. However, it also decompresses the spine and increases spinal movement within the disc and spinal joints.

Diversified Technique Treatments

This is also another commonly used adjustment procedure used by chiropractors. It is also known as the direct thrust technique, and chiropractors use their hands to apply a rapid thrust to a different part of your spine at a time. This technique also relieves tension around the affected area and allows fluids and issues to restore circulation, spine alignment, and proper movement.

Logan Basic Technique Treatments

Logan’s basic technique, as the name implies, involves the application of pressure on a leverage spot on the sacral bone. The pressure realigns the spine bones and treats the back and pelvis muscles. This technique also releases tension in the body, relieves migraines and headaches, balances the entire spine, and relieves stress.

What Are the Benefits of Spinal Adjustments?

Relieve Stress

Your body will likely feel out of line if the nervous system is stressed and your muscular and skeletal systems are poorly positioned. This may lead to physical and mental stress and interfere with your health.

The ideal adjustment will help restore balance within your body. Your body can be relieved of any stress or tension. Once your body is relaxed, the brain recognizes the relief, helping you relax physically and mentally.

Improves Posture

One of the most advanced ways of improving posture is chiropractic care, especially for older people. With proper adjustments, your professional chiropractor can help you restore and maintain good posture. They can advise you on ideal lifestyle changes for you.

With chiropractic techniques, you can decrease joint wear, conserve energy to avoid overusing your muscles, minimize stress on ligaments, prevent muscle strain, and maintain proper alignment of joints and bones.

Improve the Immune System

Chiropractic procedures are very resourceful in improving the immune system. The nervous and immune systems are very related. They work hand in hand to develop optimal responses that help the body to heal properly.

Spinal misalignments are known to cause stress to the body. Consequently, the immune system’s ability is disturbed, and the body cannot effectively heal itself. However, when the misalignments are corrected, normal spinal function is restored, the immune system is improved, and the body is better able to heal itself.

Promote Better Sleep

Research shows that chiropractic care positively affects the quality of sleep. Apart from diagnosing and correcting spinal misalignment, a chiropractor can advise you on essential life changes that you can make to enhance your sleep quality. Feeling better after an adjustment is a significant release that will make anyone sleep better!

Specific spinal adjustments help to restore the body to its full potential. In turn, the nervous and immune systems can more efficiently, helping you to achieve quality rest and sleep.

What are Spinal Adjustments: Key Takeaway

Spinal adjustment is safe and effective, when done correctly, for certain forms of recent onset neck and back pain, as well as for longer-lasting or recurring musculoskeletal disorders. Your chiropractor is trained to locate any serious underlying conditions that preclude spinal manipulation or, perhaps, manual therapy. They are highly trained to determine if you’re a candidate for spinal manipulation and can offer alternative forms of manual therapy and active self-treatment recommendations.