Chiropractic TherapyDouglas Morris2024-03-14T19:32:31-07:00

Chiropractic

Overview

What does chiropractic care treat?

Is chiropractic safe?

How you prepare

before the procedure

How are chiropractic treatments administered?

After spinal adjustment

Success

Overview

If you have back pain, you may benefit from chiropractic care provided by Arizona Chiropractic & Holistic Health Center, serving Scottsdale, Arizona and the surrounding area. Chiropractic care is a traditional, non-medicated approach to health care that focuses on getting to the root of the problem. And at Arizona Chiropractic, we believe in taking a modern approach to the traditional.

Woman Receiving a Chiropractic Adjustment

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic care is an alternative medical approach that consists of a specialist correcting “subluxations,” which occur when the vertebrae in your spine shift, leading to pain and pinched nerves.

What is an adjustment?

A chiropractic adjustment or alignment is a quick maneuver in which a force is applied to a joint in a specific vector or line. The joint is pushed past restricted ranges of motion but not far enough to cause any damage or dislocate the joint.

^[1]

Trusted Source

Academic textbook

Backed by various research articles

Written for professionals

Go to source

Why is it done?

This dynamic thrust of sudden force may be accompanied by an audible release and is intended to increase range of motion,

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Trusted Source

American Chiropractic Association

Respected United States Organization

Go to source

reduce pain and improve performance.

Bone, Articular Cartilage, Joint cavity containing synovial fluidSynovial Membrane, Articular Capsule,

What’s a joint?

The points of the body where two bones come together are called “Joints.” These joints have two main functions: allow mobility of the skeletal system and to provide a protective enclosure for vital organs.

^[3]

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Academic textbook

Backed by various research articles

Written for professionals

Go to source

There are a variety of reasons why joints to lose their normal function and motion. D.D. Palmer hypothesized that these small misalignments impeded the body’s functions; specifically, the ability to self-heal.

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Joseph C. Keating, Jr., Ph.D

Respected author in the field

Go to source

Goals of Care

Chiropractic care aims to prevent or reduce pain and injury, increase or restore range of motion, improve joint function, aide the nervous system

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Trusted Source

Chiropractic & Manual Therapies

Peer-reviewed journal

Go to source

and increase performance; while keeping treatment conservative and trying to avoid excessive drugs, surgery or other more invasive measures.

Where did it come from?

Chiropractic has been in the United States, Canada, and Australia for many years.

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Chiropractic Diplomatic Corps

International Organization

Go to source

In 1896, D.D. Palmer was working in his office in Davenport, Iowa when he came across the building’s janitor, Harvey Lillard. Mr. Lillard had severe hearing problems. Palmer had a theory that there was a connection between Mr. Lillard’s hearing problems and a lump in his back;

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Academic textbook

Written by the founder of chiropractic

Go to source

so, when Palmer treated Mr. Lillard,

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Technology and Culture

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Multi-disciplinary journal

Go to source

his hearing was restored and chiropractic was born.

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Trusted Source

Spine

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Leading journal in the field

Go to source

Typically, chiropractic care uses a combination of manual manipulation and exercise therapy to get to the root of the problem, so you no longer have pain and are able to move comfortably.

What does chiropractic care treat?

While chiropractic care is great for accidents, falls and trauma causes the joints to lose their normal function and range of motion, many everyday activities such as poor posture, desk ergonomics, poor sleeping habits, improper lifting technique, chemical imbalances, and emotional stress are also common culprits.

When the joints lose their function, they also affect additional anatomical structures including surrounding muscles, ligaments, soft tissues, bones, discs, and delicate nerves.

Chiropractic adjustments are great for treating conditions like:

Lower back pain

Neck pain (including whiplash)

Pain in the middle of your back

Headaches

Sports injury

Car accidents

Chiropractic care may also benefit:

Asthma

Dizziness

Disequilibrium

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Low energy levels

Headaches

Migraines

Ulcers

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Is chiropractic safe?

Since Chiropractic care is all natural, you won’t typically experience any side effects, except for possibly minor discomfort that goes away over time. This particular treatment works with your body to get to the root of your problem. It doesn’t mask it like pain relievers do.

Risks associated with chiropractic adjustments are listed below as summaries of both common and rare side-effects/complications associated with chiropractic care:

Common.

^[10]

Trusted Source

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Multi-disciplinary journal

Written by experts

Go to source

^[11]

Trusted Source

Spine

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Leading journal in the field

Go to source

(usually will self-resolve within 48 hours)

local soreness/discomfort (53%)
headaches (12%)
tiredness (11%)
radiating discomfort (10%)
dizziness

Rare

^[12]

Trusted Source

Spine

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Leading journal in the field

Go to source

^[13]

Trusted Source

World Health Organization

Respected International Organization

Go to source

Fractures or joint injuries in outlying cases with latent physical defects, deformities or pathologies
Physiotherapy burns caused by some therapies
Disc herniations
Cauda Equina Syndrome
^[11]

Trusted Source

Spine

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Leading journal in the field
Go to source

(1 case per 100 million adjustments)
Compromise of the vertebrobasilar artery (i.e., stroke) (1 case per 400,000 to 1 million cervical spine adjustments).

This risk is additionally found with consulting a medical doctor for patients under age 45 and is higher for those over age 45 when seeing a medical doctor.
Make sure to let your doctor know if you have headache or neck pain that is the worst you have every felt
^[12]

Trusted Source

Spine

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Leading journal in the field
Go to source

How you Prepare

What you need to know.

There is no special preparation needed before a chiropractic adjustment; however, attire can be important.

While you can be treated in a variety of different clothing styles, there are some general guidelines. If you are getting soft tissue work done, the area of treatment should be easily accessible.

After your first few visits, you will get an idea of good attire.

You will have to fill out intake paperwork and you’ll need to schedule an evaluation.

What you need to know.

There is no special preparation needed before a chiropractic adjustment; however, attire can be important.

While you can be treated in a variety of different clothing styles, there are some general guidelines. If you are getting soft tissue work done, the area of treatment should be easily accessible.

After your first few visits, you will get an idea of good attire.

You will have to fill out intake paperwork and you’ll need to schedule an evaluation.

What you need to know.

There is no special preparation needed before a chiropractic adjustment; however, attire can be important.

While you can be treated in a variety of different clothing styles, there are some general guidelines. If you are getting soft tissue work done, the area of treatment should be easily accessible.

After your first few visits, you will get an idea of good attire.

You will have to fill out intake paperwork and you’ll need to schedule an evaluation.

Tips on what to wear:

Clothes that are loose fitting
Sneakers or flats
thin/stretchy fabric (leggings, yoga pants)
sweatpants
gym shorts
shorts
pants

Tips on what to wear:

Clothes that are loose fitting
Sneakers or flats
thin/stretchy fabric (leggings, yoga pants)
sweatpants
gym shorts
shorts
pants

Try to Avoid:

tight clothing
dresses or skirts
high heels
pantyhose or shape-wear
work boots
jewelry
a suit jacket or tie
tight belts
layered clothing
bulky or delicate clothing

Before the Procedure

Examination.

During the initial visit, your chiropractor will ask questions about your problem and do an exam.

After the exam, your chiropractor will give you a diagnosis, discuss treatment options, answer any questions you may have, or refer you out to another healthcare provider.

The initial visit is the longest due to the need for examination. Subsequent visits are much shorter.

Goals of Evaluation

Diagnosis of the problem
Identify anything that would be a contraindication to care

Specific tests/procedures.

Orthopedic testing
Reflex testing
Range of motion testing
Imaging studies such as x-ray
A general health exam

How are chiropractic treatments administered?

A traditional spinal alignment, or high-velocity (quick), low-amplitude (short) thrusts done by hand and are a skill dependent upon the practitioner’s level of skill and ability to control duration and magnitude of the load

^[13]

Trusted Source

World Health Organization

Respected International Organization

Go to source

Alternative chiropractic adjustments include a “low force” category and may involve the use of a tool such as an activator or an arthostim. There are a variety of adjustive techniques used by chiropractors. Our chiropractor uses the following chiropractic techniques:

Diversified technique.

the most common technique used by chiropractors

^[14]

Trusted Source

Academic textbook

Backed by various research articles

Written for professionals

Go to source

involving the chiropractor realigning the spine manually. As mentioned above, it is your “traditional” chiropractic adjustment

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Trusted Source

National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

National governing board

Go to source

involving its signature high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust. The movements are forceful, but not hard and damaging. The deep thrusts often cause the “popping” noises people associate with chiropractic care. The technique was largely delineated due to Joe Janse, DC in 1947 when he wrote the book, Chiropractic Principles and Technic.

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Trusted Source

Journal of Chiropractic Humanities

Peer-reviewed journal

Go to source

Thompson drop technique.

uses a special treatment table researched and developed by Dr. J. Clay Thompson. The treatment table is segmented and has mechanisms that allow these segments to raise the patient’s body about one-quarter of an inch. Next, the chiropractor drops your spine back down to realign it. The drop segments of the table increase the speed of the adjustment as well as allow for some specialized adjustments. The table also eliminates the need to move you during your alignment, so you experience limited discomfort.

Activator technique.

uses a device-assisted technique known as The Activator Method. This particular alignment uses a tool known as the Activator Adjusting Tool developed by the creator of the technique, Arlan Fuhr, as an alternative to the traditional chiropractic adjustment. The Activator is a small, hand-held, spring-loaded instrument.

^[17]

Trusted Source

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

Peer-reviewed journal

Internationally recognized journal

Multi-disciplinary journal

Written by experts

Go to source

The activator method is also one of the most researched adjustment methods. Since the activator is a low force technique, it is a great alternative for people looking for a gentler adjustment or who prefer not to be adjusted by hand.

Arthostim

another handheld adjusting instrument. It varies from the activator in that instead of delivering a single thrust through a spring mechanism, it can deliver multiple incremental thrusts per second. The total energy of a single thrust of the instrument is divided over multiple smaller ones which modulates the force making it feel gentler.

Y-strap

a chiropractic treatment that uses a Y-Strap tool. The Y-Strap, also known as the Y-Axis Traction Strap, is a type of traction strap. This is because the tool resembles a Y. The Y strap’s bottom is wrapped around the back of the person’s head at the base of the skull. The strap is cinched in the middle, forming a Y-shape at the top of the strap and leading into the handgrip. This is done so that the y-axis and the y-axis of the body are vertically aligned with the spine. The chiropractor grasps the handgrip with both hands and pulls the strap up and away from the patient’s body. After that, our chiropractor will use a specific amount of force to pull on the strap to help elongate or realign the spine.

After a spinal adjustment

What to expect.

After your Chiropractic adjustment, you may experience some minor side effects such as headaches, fatigue or local pain at the treatment site. These symptoms are normal and usually last 24-48 hours.

Restrictions.

There are typically no restrictions after chiropractic adjustments. You will be able to resume normal activities or go back to work after receiving a chiropractic adjustment.

Chiropractic adjustment success rate

Does it work?

People generally have a sense of relief, a decrease in tension, decreased pain and increased range of motion after chiropractic adjustments.
When chiropractic is coupled with additional therapies such as massage or soft tissue work people experience improved results.

In order to back up the information in our articles, Arizona Chiropractic & Holistic Health Center exclusively cites high-quality sources such as peer-reviewed research. We strive to provide accurate, dependable, and trustworthy content based on the best evidence avaliable.

Keating JC Jr(2005). "A brief history of the chiropractic profession". In Haldeman, S. (2012). Principles and Practice of Chiropractic, Third Edition. McGraw-Hill Education. pp. 23–64. ISBN-13: 978-0071811569.
Winkler K, Hegetschweiler-Goertz C, Jackson PS, et al. (2003). "Spinal manipulation policy statement"(PDF). American Chiropractic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
Fapta, D. D. P. P. L. K., EdD, P. C. N. C., & Pt, M. L. D., PhD. (2019). Joint Structure and Function: A Comprehensive Analysis (Sixth ed.). F.A. Davis Company. ISBN-13: 978-0803658783
Keating, JC Jr. (1998). D. Palmer's Lifeline. https://chiro.org/Plus/History/Persons/PalmerDD/PalmerDD's-Lifeline-chrono.pdf
Nelson, C. F., Lawrence, D. J., Triano, J. J., Bronfort, G., Perle, S. M., Metz, R. D., Hegetschweiler, K., & LaBrot, T. (2005). Chiropractic as spine care: a model for the profession. Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-1340-13-9
Tetrault M (2004). "Global professional strategy for chiropractic"(PDF). Chiropractic Diplomatic Corps. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
Palmer D.D., The Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic. Portland, Oregon: Portland Printing House Company, 1910.
Martin, S. C. (1993). Chiropractic and the Social Context of Medical Technology, 1895–1925. Technology and Culture, 34(4), 808. https://doi.org/10.2307/3106416
Thiel, H. W., Bolton, J. E., Docherty, S., & Portlock, J. C. (2007). Safety of Chiropractic Manipulation of the Cervical Spine. Spine, 32(21), 2375–2378. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e3181557bb1
Rubinstein, S. M., Leboeuf-Yde, C., Knol, D. L., de Koekkoek, T. E., Pfeifle, C. E., & van Tulder, M. W. (2007). The Benefits Outweigh the Risks for Patients Undergoing Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain: A Prospective, Multicenter, Cohort Study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 30(6), 408–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2007.04.013
Cassidy, J. D., Boyle, E., Côté, P., He, Y., Hogg-Johnson, S., Silver, F. L., & Bondy, S. J. (2008). Risk of Vertebrobasilar Stroke and Chiropractic Care. Spine, 33(Supplement), S176–S183. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e3181644600
Boyle, E., Côté, P., Grier, A. R., & Cassidy, J. D. (2008). Examining Vertebrobasilar Artery Stroke in Two Canadian Provinces. Spine, 33(Supplement), S170–S175. https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e31816454e0
World Health Organization (2005). WHO guidelines on basic training and safety in chiropractic(PDF). ISBN 978-92-4-159371-7. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
Ma Dc, C. R., & Dc, B. G. J. (2004). Technique Systems in Chiropractic (1st ed.). Churchill Livingstone. ISBN-13: 978-0443074134
Christensen MG, Kollasch MW (2005)."Professional functions and treatment procedures" (PDF). Job Analysis of Chiropractic. Greeley, CO: National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. pp. 121–38. ISBN 978-1-884457-05-0. Archived from the original (PDF)on October 2, 2008.
COOPERSTEIN, R. (1995). ON DIVERSIFIED CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUE. Journal of Chiropractic Humanities, 5, 50–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1556-3499(13)60046-7
Fuhr, A. W., & Menke, J. M. (2005). Status of Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique, Theory, and Practice. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 28(2), e1–e20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2005.01.001

Chiropractic

Chiropractic

Overview

What is Chiropractic?

What is an adjustment?

Academic textbook

Why is it done?

American Chiropractic Association

What’s a joint?

Academic textbook

Joseph C. Keating, Jr., Ph.D

Goals of Care

Chiropractic & Manual Therapies

Where did it come from?

Chiropractic Diplomatic Corps

Academic textbook

Technology and Culture

Spine

What does chiropractic care treat?

Chiropractic adjustments are great for treating conditions like:

Chiropractic care may also benefit:

480-585-5577

Is chiropractic safe?

Common.

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

Spine

(usually will self-resolve within 48 hours)

Rare

Spine

World Health Organization

Spine

Spine

How you Prepare

What you need to know.

What you need to know.

What you need to know.

Tips on what to wear:

Tips on what to wear:

Try to Avoid:

Before the Procedure

Examination.

Goals of Evaluation

Specific tests/procedures.

How are chiropractic treatments administered?

World Health Organization

Diversified technique.

Academic textbook

National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

Journal of Chiropractic Humanities

Thompson drop technique.

Activator technique.

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

Arthostim

Y-strap

After a spinal adjustment

What to expect.

Restrictions.

Chiropractic adjustment success rate

Does it work?

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