There are many different techniques that a chiropractic physician may offer a patient in treating many different types on structural and muscular problems within the body. One such technique is called the Activator Method. The art of chiropractic’s in regards to using an activator is done by measuring leg length, detecting joint dysfunction in the spine, locating any problems with body mechanics and performing specific neurological tests. Once done, a chiropractor may wish to use an activator for treating any issues that are identified. An activator is a small hand-held low force spring-loaded instrument. It can deliver a low force, gentle adjustment at any point in the body needing manipulation. This tool can be used on adults as well as children, and provides a quick and painless manipulation. Patients suffering from osteoporosis and arthritis are more likely to receive this form of care as it can be gentler in relieving their discomfort.

Activator

The activator method can also be used on extremity joints. There are different schools of thought regarding this treatment, some believe that there is little effect on a patient who receives activator care and still some who believe the results are present and positive in nature. Not all chiropractors use this method, but according to wikipedia.org, it was reported in 2003 that 69.9% of practicing chiropractors offered the activator method in the clinics, with 23.9% of their patients receiving the care. Within chiropractic colleges, the Activator Method course is generally offered as an elective that can be taken by students who wish to eventually offer the service while in practice. If uncertain about this method and its possible effects, contacting a chiropractic physician who offers the service is recommended to learn about additional information about the possible benefits of receiving an activator manipulation.

References Cited in this Article

www.chirobase.org

www.coccyx.org

www.activator.com

www.wikipedia.org

About Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care provides natural healing techniques for adjusting the misalignment of the vertebrae. Chiropractors believe that problems within the spine, nervous, and muscular systems, reduce an individual’s ability to fight disease. Since chiropractors are natural health practitioners, many people are seeking these physicians as an alternative to medications and treatment for injuries.  Chiropractors appeal to health-conscious Americans because they promote healthy lifestyles and don’t conduct operations.  According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, chiropractic careers are expected to see growth through 2016, making the industry promising for aspiring doctors.    

Licensing and Education

Chiropractors are required to have a license in all 50 states.  Agreements between different states recognize mutual requirements for licensure, despite each state having different education requirements.  To acquire a license, Chiropractors must complete a 2-year undergraduate degree.  Bachelor’s degree is required in some states including Florida, Kansas, Montana, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.  In addition to a bachelor’s degree, various states require a degree from a 4-year accredited chiropractic college. Applicants in a chiropractic institution are also mandated 90 credit hours of undergraduate study. 

Chiropractic Adjustment

Patients may need chiropractic adjustments if they have a subluxation, a misalignment in the vertebrae which can cause a lot of back pain for some people.  Chiropractors complete full examinations to locate a subluxation and will proceed to perform the appropriate chiropractic adjustment.  In order for a chiropractor to fix a misalignment, they must apply pressure to the bone.  The bone will then realign itself in the proper position.  It may take several treatments for the correction to take place because the muscles have a tendency to restore the bone back to its old position.  There are many different techniques a chiropractor can use to perform an adjustment.  Some physicians will ask their patients to lie down, while others will require that patients sit up for treatment.  Some physicians will use movable tables with adjustable head and foot rests, and some will use stationary tables.  Whichever technique the physician chooses to use, it is important to remember that every chiropractor has studied and practiced adjustments very precisely to give the patient the most pain relief possible. 

Is the Process Painful?

Very few patients feel discomfort from a spinal adjustment because there is little pressure applied and minimal force is used.  Patients may hear a popping sound, but there is no reason to worry.  The popping noises are completely normal and are caused from tiny pockets releasing gas.  The treatment may cause discomfort for patients who are tense, but are typically are pain free for most individuals. 

Massage Therapy for Neck Pain

Neck pain can be caused by various reasons including sitting at a desk for long hours, poor posture, or blunt force trauma.  Massage therapy can relieve neck pain temporarily.  Some types of massage that have shown to help neck pain include Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, and Trigger Point Therapy.  Swedish massage focuses on releasing tension by applying pressure to the surface muscles.  This helps reduce emotional stress that may be adding to your neck pain.  Deep Tissue Massage is performed to release tension deeper in the muscles in the upper back and neck area.  This massage is more intense and focuses on removing knots or scar tissue that causes pain.  Trigger Point Therapy uses pressure to promote blood flow in the sore area.  Knots are a common reason for neck pain, and Trigger Point Therapy works to remove them. 

What You Can Do To Eliminate Neck Pain

It is important to get out of bed and stay active as bed rest will not cure a stiff neck.  Lying in bed will not cure a sore neck because the muscles need movement to relieve tension and soreness.  People with stronger neck muscles tend to have fewer problems, so it is a good idea to strengthen neck muscles when possible. If your physician gives you a neck brace, try not to wear it for more than two days because the muscles need to be active.  Avoid activities that require turning your head quickly such as driving.  Neck pain is rarely caused by a serious illness and typically fades away in several days.   If pain persists for a long period of time, consult a chiropractor to determine the cause.      

Are you suffering from back pain and discomfort?  Do you wish you had increased range of motion in your back and extremities?  Well, the answer is back rehab. 

Back Rehab options

Back rehab can come in the form of many different areas, including but not limited to chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, acupuncture, weight lifting and tailored exercises, physiotherapy, and massage therapy. 

Chiropractic care

A chiropractor’s job is to assess the spine through the use of static and kinetic palpation to find misalignment, or areas of subluxation, within the spine and/or extremities.  He/She then delivers a thrust in a specific line of drive to correct this subluxation.  This allows the taught muscles to relax and restore range of motion to the fullest potential. 

Subluxation

A subluxation may cause local inflammation and pain in the joint.  Subluxations to the spine cause an interruption of nerve flow to the overall nervous system.  The nervous system controls and coordinates every organ and body system in the human body to maintain homeostasis.  When this is disrupted, disease can enter the body in the form of many different illnesses.  Once the area(s) of concern are evaluated, the chiropractor will come up with a specific treatment plan tailored to the patient to be carried out depending on the severity of the injury at hand.  Sometimes, further diagnostic testing is needed to make the diagnosis, such as radiographic imaging and laboratory testing.  A medical referral is sometimes given in these instances, and co-management of the case may be available.  Back pain is a very treatable condition that doesn’t need to take over someone’s everyday life-back rehab is available.

Almost 90% of all Americans will experience some sort of back pain within their lifetime and many of those are chronic sufferers.  There is no need to suffer in silence.  People are constantly looking for a back pain remedy. 

Causes of Back Pain

Back pain can be caused from a number of problems or be insidious in nature.  Some conditions that cause back pain are sciatica, disc herniations, scoliosis, wedged vertebras, metastasis, autoimmune disorders, rib subluxations, sprain/strains, increased thoracic kyphosis or lumbar hyperlordosis, spondylolisthesis, piriformis syndrome, fractures, and many more.  While many individuals have experienced the positive results of Chiropractic care, many more shy away from their treatments and reach out to their allopathic physicians for pain medication.  Although the pain medication will eliminate the pain for an undetermined amount of time, it will not eliminate the cause of the underlying condition from which the pain surfaces. 

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic will not only reduce or eliminate the patient’s pain, but correct the underlying condition of why the pain started in the first place.  The nervous system controls and coordinates every organ and body part in the human body.  Chirorpactors will use static and kinetic palpation to find hypertonicity, restriction of individual segments, and decreased global range of motion in either the cervical, thoracic, lumbo-pelvic, or extremity.  After determination of the involved area, the chiropractor will deliver a high velocity low amplitude thrust to the segment to correct the subluxation, or mis-alignment.  This restores motion to the joint, decreases inflammation, and also decreases or eliminates the patient’s pain. 

Have an Aching Back?

Do you suffer needlessly from back discomfort?  There is no need to anymore!  Most Americans will experience some sort of back pain within their lifetime, with many suffering from chronic conditions.  Most Americans are taught at a young age to administer pain medication either from over-the-counter drugs or prescriptions.  This can lead to a more serious condition like drug dependency or liver failure.  Many conditions can cause back discomfort such as the following: scoliosis, fibromyalgia, disc herniations, thoracic outlet syndrome, headaches like tension or migraine, benign or malignant tumors, infections, upper-crossed syndrome, and poor posture. 

Who Can Help?

Chiropractors specialize in the science of diagnosing musculo-skeletal conditions like the ones mentioned above.  First, they will evaluate the patient to make sure they are indeed a candidate for chiropractic care.  Next, the chiropractor will administer static and kinetic palpation to effectively locate and treat the area of misalignment, or subluxation.  A subluxation is an area of fixation that causes the muscles, ligaments, and joints around the area to become restricted and decrease normal range of motion function.  This can ultimately lead to disease processes because the nervous system will in turn not function at full capacity.  The nervous system controls and coordinates all organs and body parts of the human body.  A chiropractor will administer an HVLA (high-velocity low-amplitude) adjustment in the correct line of drive to effectively correct the subluxation.  This will improve nervous system function, improve blood circulation, decrease muscular stress and tension, and improve range of motion and posture.  He/she will develop a treatment plan tailored specifically to each individual patient and their complaint or condition.   

Most Americans will suffer from some sort of back discomfort or pain in their lifetime.  Back pain is a common complaint for absenteeism from work among adults in the United States.  Many adults take over the counter or prescription pain medications.  This not only puts the patient’s health in jeopardy, but the safety of innocent bystanders when too much medication is taken due to pain.  Many medical doctors would rather write a prescription for a pain reliever, whether it’s mild or narcotic in strength, than refer the patient to a Chiropractic Doctor for spinal manipulation for the back discomfort. 

Chiropractor

The goal of a Chiropractor is to not only treat the symptoms, but determine the underlying cause of the condition and the pain.  Chiropractor’s assist in eliminating or reducing many conditions such as: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Whiplash, headaches/migraines, Torticollis, Brachial Plexus Syndrome, various types of Arthritis, Scoliosis, Disc herniations, spinal stenosis, shin splints, knee injuries, and autoimmune diseases. 

Static and Kinetic palpation

When back discomfort is due to a more severe condition such as metastasis (cancer) the Chiropractor will refer the patient to the appropriate oncologist for co-management and necessary treatment.  Most back pain episodes can be completely eliminated or greatly reduced by spinal manipulation.  A Chiropractor will use static and kinetic palpation to locate restriction or subluxation in the spine.  He or she will then apply a specialized thrust in a determined line of drive to correct this mis-alignment.  Back discomfort doesn’t need to consume someone’s daily life and permit them from doing the activities that they love.  Help is out there, and Chiropractic is the answer. 

Have you been involved in a car accident injury that left you with residual pain and limited use of your body?  You’re not alone.  Many people get into what they like to call “fender-benders,” where the cars are traveling at low-speeds.  However, once they leave the scene the passengers begin experiencing pain, headaches, inflammation, loss of motor control and range of motion. 

Whiplash

Whiplash is a very common complaint in Chiropractic offices, as well as emergency rooms.  Whiplash or WAD (Whiplash Associated Disorder) is due to extreme hyperflexion and hyperextension injury causing forceful tearing of the muscles and ligaments in the anterior and posterior cervical spine.  Common symptoms of whiplash include: severe headaches, restricted range of motion, extreme pain and inflammation, and even sometimes fractures called “tear-drop” fractures in the radiology community.  These fractures are extremely unstable and the patient must remain in a cervical collar with possible surgical intervention. 

Seek Proper evaluation

While not all auto accidents leave the driver(s) or passenger(s) debilitated, it is important to realize and seek out proper evaluation and treatment immediately following an accident to prevent further debilitation down the road. 

Seatbelts

Wearing seatbelts is still the best predictor of survival and decreases the severity of the patient’s injuries following an automobile accident.  Seatbelts restrain the individual from hitting the dashboard or even going through the windshield.  Commonly bruising will occur from the seatbelt, or even fractures called “chance fractures” will appear in the spine where the seatbelt restrained the individual.  This is still much better than the alternative of being paralyzed or killed.  If you or someone you know has been involved in an automobile accident, seek medical evaluation by a Chiropractor and follow an established treatment protocol. 

Whiplash or WAD (Whiplash Associated Disorder) is a serious condition that can affect an individual’s activities of daily living and their overall quality of life.  Most people associate whiplash with an automobile accident and that of course is the number one way to receive whiplash.  However, whiplash (WAD) can also be from other accidents including: falls from ladders, roofs, horses, bicycles, etc. 

The Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of WAD can be very vague immediately following the accident.  Some sufferers don’t even seek medical care because they are completely pain-free.  However, in the hours following the accident and the next day, victims complain of increased pain in the neck, head, shoulders, headaches, pins and needles in their neck that sometimes travel down their arm into their hands, and even light sensitivity. 

WAD

The muscles and ligaments of the neck get stretched with the acceleration and deceleration of an accident.  The tiny cervical spine bones can fracture, dislodging segments into free space.  This type of injury, called a tear-drop fracture is extremely unstable and must be treated with a hard cervical collar and possible surgery to correct.  In contrast, most whiplash cases are not severely unstable and can be treated through the use of Chiropractic care.  The Chiropractor will assess the extent of damage through palpation, range of motion evaluation, orthopedic testing, and x-rays if needed.  He/she will then establish a treatment protocol based on the severity of injury and whether it’s acute or chronic.  They will most likely apply some form of hydrotherapy and manipulate the cervical spine.