Ancaster Chiropractor Services & Techniques

A chiropractic adjustment is a gentle “low-force” technique to introduce movement into joints that may be “hypo-mobile” or “restricted”.  A joint or spinal segment that is not moving correctly may contribute to excessive strain on the surrounding ligaments, muscles and joints as they compensate for the lack of movement.  The adjustment is designed to improve range of motion and flexibility, while decreasing muscle spasm and pain.  This is achieved through stimulation of spinal reflexes and modulation of the pain perception areas of the central nervous system.  Some effective adjunctive to chiropractic care are core stabilization exercises, medical acupuncture and active release techniques®.

Rehabilitation, (a.k.a corrective exercise or active care or function conditioning), is an essential component to a patients treatment plan.  Our bodies adapt to the demands placed upon them.  An individual’s occupation, age and lifestyle place certain demands on the body and ultimately the body responds accordingly.  This is seen through postural changes, gait abnormalities and muscle imbalances.  Often these adaptations can place abnormal biomechanical stress on the structures of the body.  This can lead to injury, decreased performance and painful syndromes.  The objective of rehabilitation is to not only restore functional capacity but to improve performance levels.  This in turn, is beneficial in the prevention of subsequent relapses in their condition.  Rehabilitation is conducted in a graded fashion.  The provider works within the patients limits, gradually incorporating exercises that mimic the activities of the patient’s work related duties or sport.  It allows to patient to “take ownership” of their ailment, since most of the exercises can be performed safely at home.  The benefits of such are improved posture, improve core stability, improved performance and reduced fear about relapse of injury.

Flexion Distraction is a form of chiropractic therapy that requires the assistance of a “flexion” table. It may also be referred to as “spinal distraction” or “decompressing traction”. The patient lays face down on the table and the bottom half of the table moves up and down and from side to side isolating the individual segments and ultimately reduces pressure within the disc. This is a non-invasive form of treatment for acute and chronic spinal pain syndromes. It has become a common non-surgical approach in the management of disc problems such as herniated discs, disc degeneration, sciatica and pinched nerves. Patients typically describe feeling “looser” post treatment and the objective of flexion distraction is to:

1. Increase intervertebral disc height
2. Decrease pressure within the disc
3. Allow the nucleus pulposus (the center of the disc) to assume its central position and relieves pressure of the spinal nerves
4. Transiently increase the saggital diameter of the vertebral canal
5. Restore physiologic motion to the vertebral joints
6. Improve nutrient transport to the disc
7. Decompresses the space (foreamen) where the spinal nerve roots travel

For more information regarding the goals of flexion distraction please visit CoxTechnic.

Medical acupuncture is a biomedical adaptation of traditional Chinese acupuncture methods. This is done through inserting needles and applying low voltage electric stimulation at precise acupuncture points. The paradigm of medical acupuncture is based on neurophysiology and neuroanatomy. In simplest terms, acupuncture stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain. These chemicals will assist in the “neuromodulation” of the pain experience. The benefits of acupuncture include (but not limited to): pain relief, reduce muscle spasm and improves muscle function, breaks up fibrous adhesions (scar tissue) and diminishes swelling. Most patients feel minimal or no pain at all with needle insertion, once the needles are in place there is typically no pain felt. Medical acupuncture is performed with sterilized disposable needles which are discarded after the treatment.

You can learn more about medical acupuncture from this article.

Active Release Technique (A.R.T)® is a form of manual therapy specifically designed to diagnose and treat the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the body. Essentially the practitioner will take the structure through a range of motion while contacting the area of dysfunction. The objective of this is to break down “scar tissue” or “fibrous adhesions” within the muscle or between the muscle and its surrounding soft tissue structures. This allows normal blood flow to the area assisting in the formation of healthy tissue. Scar tissue may form as a result of repetitive strain injury, trauma or postural demands. Scar tissue prevents the muscle from achieving optimal function. For example, it may inhibit strength, diminish the ability to lengthen, compromise blood supply and/or nerve function and inhibit the ability of the muscle to stabilize the surrounding joint. A.R.T is an effective option for the management of soft tissue related injuries.

Instead of focusing solely on pain management, we focus on function, goals, optimism and coping strategies. Studies suggest that the majority of patients with low back and neck pain have some degree of “de-conditioning” or weakened spine / core musculature. It is important that patients learn to how to safely strengthen their back and core musculature. This will help prevent further or subsequent injury, enhance functional capacity, and ultimately a decrease in symptom severity. This is achieved through a unique combination of core stabilization, therapeutic exercise, chiropractic, soft-tissue treatments and coping strategies. The treatment plans are catered to each individual’s condition, health profile and functional status. The goals are improved strength, flexibility, range of motion, posture, activity tolerance, and an improved quality of life.