The Different Types of Chiropractic Adjustments That Exist Today

Did you know that more than 35 million American adults and children receive chiropractic treatments each year?

Are you experiencing any types of back pain, joint pain, neck pain, or headaches? If so, you might want to consider chiropractic adjustments for yourself.

Choosing the best chiropractor largely depends on your specific symptoms. This brief guide will explain the different adjustments that exist today and help you determine if you should find a local chiropractor for a procedure.

Diversified Technique

This is one of the most common techniques and it is used on more than half of all chiropractic patients. This technique can restore spinal alignment, repair joint disfunction, and improve mobility.

The goal of this procedure is to realign joints and bones to increase the patient’s range of motion using hand precise series of hand thrusts.

Chiropractic Corrective Care

Chiropractic Corrective Care is a focused approach designed to address the root causes of spinal misalignments and postural imbalances. Unlike regular maintenance care, it involves a series of targeted treatments and exercises aimed at restoring proper spinal function, reducing pain, and preventing future issues. This type of care helps improve long-term health by correcting structural problems and promoting optimal nervous system performance.

Spinal Manipulation

This procedure relieves pressure on joints, improves nerve function, and reduces inflammation. Spinal manipulation is hands-on like the diversified technique, but it’s more gentle and focuses more on stretching.

It’s a procedure used for many pains but it’s especially beneficial if you’re managing sciatica pain or shoulder pain.

The Gonstead Adjustment

This adjustment realigns discs and helps patients regain full mobility. The patient is either sitting up or on their side for this adjustment. The chiropractor then works the lower back or pelvis.

The Flexion-Distraction

This procedure flexes and distracts the spine in a pulsing motion. It’s often used to help disc injury symptoms causing leg pain and back pain.

The adjustment is painless and preferable for patients who are sensitive to pain or those recovering from recent injuries.

The Thompson Drop-Table Technique

A table made of padded platforms uses a dropping mechanism to lower the patient a fraction of an inch as the chiropractor applies gentle thrusts.

The slight dropping motion does not cause any pain and feels like a gentle vibrating sensation.

The Activator Method

An activator is a spring-loaded device used to send a gentle pulse to segments of the spine or extremities. This adjusts the nervous system and treats conditions such as headaches and lower back pain.

Spinal Decompression

This technique primarily focuses on lower back pain caused by herniated, bulging, slipped, and degenerated discs. A special table is used that stretches the spine to help the circulation of oxygen and water reach discs and the spine.

Muscle Energy Technique

This technique stretches weakened or tightened muscles. It can minimize back pain and improve musculoskeletal function. It can also relieve soft tissue pain and reduce muscle spasms after an injury.

Chiropractic Adjustments for You

Now you know some of the most common types of chiropractic adjustments, how they’re performed, and what pains they can relieve.

Schedule an appointment if any of the symptoms you’re experiencing were mentioned in this guide. With hundreds of adjustments in existence and over 70,000 chiropractors in the US, there’s no reason to live with pain!

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