Most people know that chiropractors adjust the spine as their main form of treatment. However, here at Advantage Chiropractic, we have much more to offer patients! When it comes to manual therapies, we also offer specific therapeutic exercises, myofascial release, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching. Therapeutic exercises are assigned as a sort of “homework” for patients to help compliment and accelerate the healing process. Similar to a dentist’s instructions to brush your teeth twice a day and floss once a day, exercising/stretching should be a part of your daily routine if you want your spinal health and overall wellbeing to be maximized. Sometimes if a patient does repetitive movements for extended periods of time, there can be scar tissue adhesions that develop within muscle bellies and their surrounding fascia (connective tissue). This is where myofascial release comes in, combining movements specific to a muscle group and your provider running their fingers along the muscle. Benefits of this therapy include pain reduction and increased range of motion. PNF stretching sounds complex due to the mouthful of the title but it is a really simple process! Each muscle has a muscle or a group of muscles that does the opposite action. They work together, so when one is working the other is relaxing. PNF stretching helps target tight muscles by combining a stretch to the tight muscle and then activating/using its opposite to move against the tight muscle’s movement to force it to relax.
We also offer several passive therapeutic procedures at our office including: electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), therapeutic ultrasound, and low–level laser therapy (cold laser). These modalities are called passive because they require nothing out of the patient. Because of that, they are typically used on patients who are experiencing high levels of pain and unable to do the more active manual therapies we offer. EMS is similar to a TENS unit that some people may be more familiar with, but there are a few differences. TENS targets the skin’s sensory nerves to help desensitize them which can result in temporary pain relief. EMS targets the muscles themselves which is often the source of the pain whereas the skin sensitivity is downstream from a tight or fatigued muscle. Therapeutic ultrasound uses sound waves to increase blood flow, cell metabolism, collagen synthesis, as well as decrease joint stiffness and muscle spasms. Using different intensities, the ultrasound can reach different depths which helps target the specific anatomy we are trying to treat. Cold laser therapy utilizes light waves to stimulate different cells within tissues to promote increased blood flow, tissue repair and decrease inflammation.
If you would like to take a multimodal approach to your care or know someone who just isn’t getting better from chiropractic adjustments alone, reach out to Dr. Kennedy and he can help discuss other angles and possibilities!
Comments