Chiropractic
Adjustment
The spine is the framework which keeps you upright is known as the vertebral column (spine). It is composed of 24 movable vertebras (bones), along with the surrounding muscles and tissue that connect and stabilise them. Running through the spine is the most amazing two-way communication system in the universe known as the ‘Nervous System’. These nerves originate in the spine and exit through the foramina (holes between the vertebra) to supply every organ, system, function and cell of the human body. A person cannot take a step without the brain telling the body to move.
Causes
In our everyday busy lives, stress is placed on the spine in 3 different forms:
- Physical (heavy lifting, poor posture and trauma from car accidents)
- Chemical (bad diet, drugs and smoking)
- Emotional ( relationship and work stress)
Effects
Since these nerves supply the entire body, pressure on the nerve leads to problems within the human body. Irritation of the nerve anywhere through its course will cause issues down the track.
Treatment
With Chiropractic care, the goal is to relieve the stress placed on the nerve, hence reducing pain and discomfort and allowing the brain and body to communicate efficiently.
Muscle Release
Muscle relaxing techniques range between long, smooth strokes, kneading and other movements focused on superficial & deep layers of muscle.
Muscle release improves circulation by bringing oxygen and other nutrients to body tissues.
It relieves muscle tension and pain, increases flexibility and mobility, and helps clear lactic acid and other waste, which reduces pain and stiffness in muscles and joints.
Chiropractic and Muscle Release therapy work together
Its very beneficial to have the muscles around the spine addressed and to have the chiropractor realign the spine. Likewise, if your are receiving regular massage therapy treatments, releasing muscle tension and the increase in circulation and lymphatic flow are some of the benefits, but may not be addressing the issue if some of your bones are misaligned.
Chiropractic assessment of spinal problems can identify more serious conditions. Muscle release techniques and chiropractic care are extremely complementary to each other and can enhance the healthcare benefits of both types of treatments
Dry Needling
At Back to Health, Our chiropractor is trained in Dry Needling therapy. Dry Needling involves multiple advances of a fine filament needle into the muscle in the region of a “Trigger Point’. The aim of Dry Needling is to achieve a local twitch response to release muscle tension and pain.
Dry needling is an effective treatment for chronic pain of neuropathic origin with very few side effects. Dry needling is often used in conjunction with chiropractic, and can deliver safe and effective pain relief and assist in recovery.
The needle used is very thin and most patients do not even feel it penetrate the skin. A healthy muscle feels very little discomfort with insertion of this needle. However if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject will feel a sensation like a muscle cramp ’the twitch response’. The patient also may feel a reproduction of “their” pain which is a helpful diagnostic indicator for the practitioner attempting to diagnose the cause of the patient’s symptoms.
Dry needling results in deactivating the trigger point, reducing pain and restoring normal length function to the involved muscle.Some conditions treated include: tennis elbow, tension headaches, piriformis syndrome, sciatica, low back pain, hamstring strains, and many other conditions.