What To Expect During Treatment
Follow up treatments usually take an average of 15 minutes. During your treatment you will likely be exposed to a few different types of therapy. The most common used in the clinic are:
It may be relevant for your chiropractor to use different treatment methods at different appointments; this is down to what is happening with your clinical presentation on each visit and is to maximise the benefit you receive.
- Manipulation (a.k.a adjustments)
- Massage
- Trigger Point Therapy
- Passive and Active Muscle Stretching
- Exercise Prescription
It may be relevant for your chiropractor to use different treatment methods at different appointments; this is down to what is happening with your clinical presentation on each visit and is to maximise the benefit you receive.
Manipulation
Manipulation or adjustments form the basis of chiropractic care. These consist of quick thrusts of movement into specific joints and in precise directions to stimulate movement of the joint segments; this can be done either manually (with just the hands) or with a spring loaded tool called an Activator. Manipulation aims to restore joint movement and in doing so it also causes a stimulation of the surrounding nerves which helps to correct the body's recognition of movement and pain in that area. It is not uncommon to hear pops or clicking noises when manipulation is performed; this is a vacuum created in the joint as the capsule is stretched and is the same noise as heard when a wellington is pulled from wet mud, it therefore is not the sound of anything breaking, but equally absence of this noise does not mean that manipulation has not achieved its goal.
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ExercisesIt may be deemed necessary for you to perform certain exercises at home. These exercises will be specific to you depending on what your chiropractor advises. It is important to note that exercises help to correct the movement patterns which have often become faulty leading to the symptoms people develop, and that in order for complaints to resolve properly the exercises must be performed. Treatment visits will help to alleviate your symptoms and increase the functions of the musculoskeletal system, but strengthening the joints to allow full recovery and reduce the chance of a relapse is your side of the deal – your chiropractor is there to give you the correct tools and guide you through this, they can't do it for you.
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