Chiropractic Articles

Physiotherapy is primarily performed as a remedy for impairments and disabilities. The practice of physiotherapy promotes mobility, functional ability, quality of life, and movement through examination, evaluation, diagnosis and physical intervention. This involves working with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles, providing services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. The effort to ensure this to our best ability includes providing therapeutic treatment in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors.

Active Therapeutic Movement (ATM) is a concept developed for normalization of movement impairments related to the client’s complaints. It provides clinics with a way to integrate passive and active therapy for treatment of muscle disorders. During treatment, the patient is constantly monitored to ensure they don’t experience any symptoms. The treatment is performed until the pain is eliminated. Afterwards, various neuromuscular testament may be prescribed.

Many beneficial outcomes are expected for athletes who use ATM. These benefits include lasting, consistent, immediate, and predictable increase in range of motion and increase in strength due to optimized muscle activation patterns.

ATM is suitable for all ages.

Active release technique is a massage technique that focuses on soft tissue system/movement. It is used to treat problems related to muscle, ligament, tendon, fascia, and nerves. Most symptoms that ART is used to treat are the result of overuse of particular muscles, such conditions include:

• headaches
• back pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• shoulder pain
• sciatica
• plantar fasciitis
• shin splints
• knee problems
• tennis elbow
• and much more

Overused muscles often result in pulls and tears in muscle tissue. Often the result can be an accumulation of many small tears that cause pain symptoms. It also inhibits the flow of adequate oxygen to your muscles. All of these factors can result in the production of rough scar tissue on the affected area which causes the muscles to become shorter and weaker, reducing the range of motion and strength of that muscle. Numbness and tingling may also be felt in the affected area if this occurs. 

ART sessions involve both examination and treatment. While the doctor uses their hands to massage the patient’s muscles, they are simultaneously evaluating the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves in that area. Specific application of tension and movement are applied to treat abnormal muscles. Over 500 specific, unique, and actually patented movements are utilized by providers of ART to identify and correct specific problems for each individual patient.

ART was developed, refined, and patented by P. Michael Leahy, DC, CCSP. He now teaches and certifies ART to health care providers all over the world.

In the natural sciences, the term diathermy means “electrically induced heat” the use of high-frequency electromagnetic currents as a form of physical or occupational therapy and in surgical procedures. It is commonly used for muscle relaxation. It is also a method of heating tissue electromagnetically or ultrasonically for therapeutic purposes in medicine. Diathermy is used in physical therapy and occupational therapy to deliver moderate heat directly to pathologic lesions in the deeper tissues of the body.

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It is common for a doctor to take an X-ray of their patients so that they may get an inside look to see with is going on with their patient’s bone structure, including the spine and its surrounding skeletal structure. Using the information provided from an X-ray, the doctor can see any current irregularities with the spine that may need to be addressed and will also let them know if any further insight needs to be taken, such as through the use of an MRI. 

Ultrasound is an oscillating sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit of the human hearing range. Ultrasound is thus not separated from ‘normal’ (audible) sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it.

The use of ultrasound can induce hyperemia, which increases blood flow as tissue is heated. This thermal effects speeds up the healing process while reducing inflammation. Ultrasound is also used to vibrate tissue, stimulating cell membranes and heightening their repairing effects. Chiropractors often use ultrasound therapy to help their patients reduce swelling, increase blood flow, and decrease pain, spasms, and stiffness.

Microcurrent Therapy involves a device that is used to send weak electrical signals into the body. These currents are very small and nearly go unnoticed by the patient receiving them. Microcurrent therapy is primarily used to enhance the body’s healing and recovery.

If spasms are being experienced in the back or neck muscles, Microcurrent Therapy may be an excellent choice as a means of relaxing your muscles and quickly returning them to their normal state. Microcurrent therapy sessions are rather quick and an excellent way to get rid acute and chronic pain.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. EMS has received increasing attention in the last few years, because it has the potential to serve as: a strength training tool for healthy subjects and athletes; a rehabilitation and preventive tool for partially or totally immobilized patients; a testing tool for evaluating the neural and/or muscular function in vivo; a post-exercise recovery tool for athletes. The impulses are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes on the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to be stimulated. The impulses mimic the action potential coming from the central nervous system, causing the muscles to contract.

Ask Us About Electrical Muscle Stimulation Today!

DTS therapy is a gentle, non-surgical therapy that provides relief for lower back pain, sciatica pain, neck pain, a pinched nerve, bulging or degenerative disc disease, and lumbar pain. DTS therapy is used to decompress the spine to allow improved blood flow and nutrient exchange to the injured area. This occurs in a series of stretch and relaxation that takes only a number of minutes to reach its peak.

Sessions of DTS therapy are typically less than 20 minutes and take place three times a week for a period one month. Most patients feel relief after 6 treatments and are usually released after 8 weeks.

It is vital that patients of DTS therapy undergo a complete program that targets the function and stabilization of their muscles. This can include other therapies such as heat, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and cold therapy. The goal of the entire process is not only to heal the disc, but to also enhance control of the back and neck as well as overall muscular control.

Over 75% of patients have found DTS therapy effective and usually experience long term results. Regular exercise at home and a continuation of periodic visits to your chiropractor will help ensure and maintain your spinal health as well as reduce the possibility of pain reoccurrence.