Most people have used heat at one time to sooth normal aches and pains — such as the use of a hot bath, a heating pad or even an old-fashioned water bottle.
Even today, these types of heat therapy play an important role in chiropractic practice to increase circulation and relax the muscles. At the same time, heat therapy can help reduce pain.
The types of heat therapy vary, from simple methods such as the use of warm wraps and heating pads to more advanced techniques such as the use of therapeutic ultrasound. All of these, though, are designed to relax muscles and promote healing.
Some of the most common heat therapies used by chiropractors include:
Heat has long been used for its healing and soothing benefits. But heat therapy may provide other benefits, such as:
Heat therapy can also be used before other healing therapies, including stretching, exercise, massage and physical adjustments. The heat can increase how easily scar tissue or tight joints will move.
Some muscle spasms are caused by a lack of blood flow to the tissues. Heat applied to the area can bring more blood to the tissues, along with extra oxygen and glucose needed by the cells.
Heat therapy also reduces inflammation and swelling by speeding up the activity of the cells, lowering the pH inside the cells and stimulating the release of helpful chemicals. These chemicals cause the blood vessels to widen, allowing more blood flow to the injured, inflamed or painful tissues.
Although heat therapy can improve many symptoms, some people may experience negative side effects after treatment. They may experience greater pain, achiness or stiffness. If you experience any of these symptoms, tell your chiropractor, who may suggest other treatments.
Applying ice after an injury is a common method for reducing pain and swelling. It is especially effective for athletes, who often experience sudden, painful injuries. This type of cold therapy, also known as cryotherapy, is used by chiropractors for the same purposes.
Many types of cold therapy are available to reduce pain and swelling after an injury, including the use of:
Cold temperatures cause blood vessels to narrow, which reduces the flow of blood into an area. As a result, cold therapy:
Cold therapy may also keep cells in the injured area from dying due to the lack of oxygen. This is because an injury can reduce blood flow — and oxygen — to the area. However, cold therapy slows the activity of cells, which reduces how much oxygen they need to stay alive.
For cold therapy to work, cold packs should be applied as soon as possible. Pain and inflammation are common within 72 hours after an injury.
To avoid frostbite, cold packs should be applied for only 10 minutes at a time, with breaks of at least an hour in between. The ice can be applied several times a day, for three or four days after an injury — or as directed by your chiropractor.
Also, cold packs should never be applied directly to the skin. Instead, a towel should be placed between the skin and cold pack.
Cold therapy may not be appropriate for everyone. Some people respond to cold temperatures by breaking out in hives or developing pain in the joints.
If you have questions about cold therapy or think you might benefit from this type of treatment, please contact our office to schedule an appointment and receive more information.
Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), uses light to treat various conditions. Unlike other types of laser light, cold laser therapy does not produce heat or vibration in the parts of the body being treated.
Many therapists, including chiropractors and physical therapists, use cold laser therapy to treat conditions such as joint disorders, low back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
During treatment, the light source for the cold laser therapy is pressed against the skin. The light passes through the skin to reach the tissue that is being treated. Unlike surgical lasers, cold laser therapy does not cut the skin.
Doctors do not know exactly how cold laser therapy works. It is thought that as the body’s tissues absorb the light, it is converted into another type of energy. This may stimulate the natural healing process in the cells.
It also increases the flow of blood and lymph (fluid in the body outside the blood vessels) in the area being treated.
The treatments are painless, and you will be awake during the entire session. Afterwards, you will be able to return to your regular activities immediately.
You may require more than one treatment to receive the full benefits. Some people may also need two to four treatments per week. The total number of treatments depends upon the problem being addressed and how severe it is.
Chiropractors use cold laser therapy to treat many different conditions, such as:
To find out if cold laser therapy will work for you, contact your chiropractor today.
Manual therapy, also known as manipulative therapy, is a physical treatment primarily used by chiropractors to treat musculoskeletal pain and debility.
This form of physical therapy takes a hands-on approach rather than using devices or machines. When a chiropractor uses their hands during manual therapy, they apply pressure on the muscle tissue and maneuver the joints in an effort to reduce pain associated with muscle tension, muscle spasm and joint dysfunction.
When a person has insufficient movement and range of motion in their joints, it can lead to pain, discomfort and an interruption in function, movement and posture.
By implementing manual therapy, the following can occur:
There are many manual therapy techniques, and, as a group, they aim to relax tense muscles and ease restricted joints. Overall, however, these procedures exercise three main types of movement:
Mobilization and manipulation are often talked about together. They use calculated movements of various speeds (slow to fast), force (moderate to strong) and distances to pull, rotate or thrust joints and bones into position to help release stiff tissues around the joint, minimize joint pain, reestablish alignment and assist with flexibility.
Prior to executing manual therapy, the chiropractor will typically do an assessment of the nerve and blood supply in the treatment area, as well as look at the bone and muscles themselves. This helps him or her determine whether this physical therapy is appropriate for the patient’s needs. Contingent on the assessment, the chiropractor may perform one or more of the following manual therapy techniques:
Please contact your chiropractor with any questions.
Forceful spinal manipulation is not always necessary to treat conditions of the lower back, mid-back and neck. Gentle chiropractic treatment, such as drop table techniques, involves less powerful spinal maneuvering and slower, low-velocity movements that allow the affected joint to stay within its passive range of motion.
Also known as the Thompson technique, the “drop” approach uses a special chiropractic table. The table used has segments that can be lifted up and then dropped when a thrust is applied by the chiropractor. The drop allows gravity to assist and work in combination with the manual adjustment, and all of this provides a lighter adjustment than that which comes with some other chiropractic techniques, such as those that involve twisting positions.
To further clarify, the table has various sections that are raised between 1 to 2 inches relative to the rest of the patient’s body. Once the section of the table is lifted, it is fastened in place and the stiffness of the table is altered based on the patient’s body weight. When the chiropractor applies a gentle thrust to the area needing adjustment, the table releases and drops down, causing that segment of the body to fall too. The drop table comes to a rest, but the patient’s body momentum continues for a short period. This momentum is equally as critical to the drop table technique as the thrust and dropping of the table are, because it aids in alignment.
The number of sessions needed depends on the type of condition the patient has and its severity. However, in general, the patient should have better range of motion and less pain with each treatment.
To learn more about the drop table technique and how it can help, contact your chiropractor.
When there is damage to muscles and other soft tissues including pulls, tears, or not being able to get enough oxygen (hypoxia), it can result in the body producing rough, thick scar tissue in the affected area.
Scar tissue restricts the tissues from moving freely because they bind them and tie them down, and as scar tissue builds up, muscles shorten and become weaker, nerves become ensnared and tendinitis can develop due to tension on the tendons. This can lead to reduced range of motion, pain and loss of muscle strength. Should a nerve become trapped, the person may additionally experience numbness, tingling and weakness.
Active release techniques (ART) attempt to address problems in individual tissues, since one tissue or structure can affect another structure both directly and biomechanically. With this method, the chiropractor identifies problems with movement, pressure and stiffness between the nearby tissues, and then addresses them.
While scar tissue and muscle tension can be addressed with massage, electrical modalities and applying pressure to trigger points, ART seek to take a different approach. It is not just about treatment; it’s also about understanding the muscles and how they have been affected.
After the chiropractor has gotten a feel of the tissues and their texture, motion and tension, he is able to understand and assess the motion of each tissue relative to the one adjacent to it. Now equipped with this knowledge, he can determine whether to:
By doing one or more these, movement can be restored; fibrous adhesions can be broken down; trapped nerves or blood vessels can be released; pain can be reduced; and oxygen and blood can be efficiently delivered to the muscles and tissues.
There are more than 500 specific moves associated with ART, and each allows the chiropractor to recognize and rectify problems that affect each individual patient. For this, ART do not take a cookie-cutter approach, nor do they only treat problems with muscles. In addition, these “soft tissue system/movement-based massage techniques” treat tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.
However, unlike massage, the patient does not lie motionless, and neither pressure nor movement is lateral to the muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons. Instead, ART use longitudinal movements, and they require the patient to be both a participant and non-participant in their care. In some levels of treatment, movement of the patient’s tissue is done by the chiropractor. In other levels, the patient must actively move the affected tissue in a specific way while the chiropractor employs tension. So, in many ways ART are not strictly a massage; instead, they are a form of manipulation.
Because the muscles and other soft tissues can be manipulated, a variety of conditions — all of which are typically the result of overused or overworked muscles — can be resolved with this technique:
Please contact your chiropractor if you have any questions about ART.
Not all pain is caused by obvious injuries like broken bones or cuts. Some pain may stem from the myofascial tissues. These tough membranes are wrapped around your muscles to provide support and connect them to other parts of the body.
When myofascial tissue becomes stiff, it may restrict movement in both the muscles and joints. This can lead to joint and muscle pain. During myofascial release, your chiropractor will locate and release areas of myofascial tissue that are stiff and tight.
Myofascial pain can be caused by trauma — such as a car accident — repetitive motions or muscle tension due to stress. In fact, people who are often stressed or anxious may be more likely to develop myofascial pain. This could be due to frequent clenching of the muscles.
The symptoms of myofascial pain include a deep ache or pain in the muscle, pain that continues or worsens, or a sensitive knot in the muscle. The source of the pain is stiffness in specific areas of myofascial tissue — known as “trigger points.” Normally, myofascial tissue is elastic and moves when light pressure is applied. Trigger points, though, feel tight and rigid.
Unlike pain caused by broken bones or cuts, myofascial pain can occur over a wider area of your body. Also, the trigger points may not be located near the area where you are experiencing the pain. This is called referred pain.
During a physical exam, your chiropractor will identify areas of myofascial tissue that are stiff and rigid. This is done by applying light finger pressure to the body, looking for tissue that does not feel elastic or move easily. Again, the trigger points may not be located near the source of your pain.
After identifying the trigger points, chiropractors can use myofascial release therapy to reduce the stiffness in the myofascial tissue. This technique involves stretching and applying manual pressure to areas of the myofascial tissue that are tight.
During the treatment, your chiropractor will carefully observe your body’s response in order to know how much and where to apply the pressure. Loosening up the myofascial tissue can allow the muscles to move more freely. This may reduce your pain symptoms.
Muscle pain can result from many different causes. If are experiencing pain, consult your chiropractor to help you determine your best treatment options.
