Although their main method of treatment is the spinal manipulation, many chiropractors also use other therapies to treat their patients. The following is a brief description of some of the most common therapies chiropractors offer.

Therapeutic Exercise

Chiropractors commonly prescribe specific strengthening exercises for their patients with back, neck, and extremity problems. These exercises can decrease pain, prevent muscle deterioration, promote joint health, increase strength, stability and range of motion, and protect against new or recurring injuries.

Your chiropractor will show you how to do the exercises and supervise you until you are comfortable doing them on your own. It’s important to keep up with your exercises as prescribed (similarly to drug prescriptions). Studies show that individuals who follow their exercise instructions heal faster than those who do not.

Therapeutic Stretches

Following an injury, therapeutic stretching is an important way to prevent scar tissue from forming. Even after the injury has healed, maintaining a regular stretching program helps keep tissues flexible, increases mobility, and protects you from new injuries. As with exercise, your chiropractor will instruct you on proper stretching techniques and will supervise you until you are comfortable enough to do them on your own.

Traction

Many chiropractors use traction, in which traction devices are applied to distract areas of the spine. This treatment helps separate the vertebrae resulting in disc decompression, reduced nerve root pressure, and decreased.

Soft Tissue Manual Therapy

Physical Therapy Modalities

This type of therapy uses light electrical pulses that are transmitted to specific areas of the body through electrodes placed on the skin. There are many different types of electrical stimulation. Some are more beneficial for pain relief or to reduce inflammation, some best treat muscle spasm, and some actually cause muscles to contract in order to reduce muscle atrophy. Some forms of electrical stimulation have combination effects.

TENS

Ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound is a form of deep heat therapy created by sound waves. When applied to soft tissues and joints, the sound waves are a form of micro-massage that help reduce swelling, increase blood flow, and decrease pain, stiffness, and spasms.

Ice and Heat Therapy

Ice and heat have long been used to treat many painful conditions. Ice therapy is often used to reduce swelling and help control pain immediately after an injury. Heat therapy is used to relax the muscles, increase circulation, and can provide relief to patients with chronic pain. Depending on the patient’s condition, a combination of ice and heat can be used.

Diet and Nutritional Counseling

Studies have shown that poor diet and nutritional imbalances contribute to a number of serious illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Chiropractors are specifically trained in diet and nutritional counseling. Your chiropractor can design a nutritional program specific to your needs that can help you maintain good health and minimize the risk of developing these serious health conditions.

Lifestyle Modification Counseling

Good health is much more than the absence of pain or disease. The lifestyle choices you make on a daily basis can greatly affect your long-term health. We now know that years of seemingly small unhealthy lifestyle choices can, over time, turn into very large health problems. Examples of lifestyle choices and behaviors that can have negative effects on your health include:

• lack of regular exercise
• smoking
• poor diet
• excessive mental stress
• over-reliance on medication
• excessive consumption of alcohol
• poor posture
• improper lifting

Your chiropractor will talk to you about your lifestyle choices, help you sort through and identify unhealthy health habits, and give you practical strategies to deal with and manage them.

As you can see, chiropractic medicine is more than just spinal manipulations. Chiropractors use a variety of treatment modalities to help the body to heal itself and return the patient to a pain-free and healthy life.

Written by Ron Grassi, DC MS ACFEI; Reviewed by Stephen M. Perle, DC, MS