Joint manipulation is often refered to as a chiropractic adjustment. This is the specialty of doctors of chiropractic (DC), but is also increasingly being performed by doctors of osteopathy and physiotherapists, especially as research continues to show areas where it has value.
What does the research say ?
-Research has shown that joint manipulation IS effective for:
Low Back pain; neck pain; migraine and cervicogenic headache; cervicogenic dizziness; and several extremity joint conditions.
-Research has shown that joint manipulation MIGHT also be effective for:
Mid back pain; sciatica; tension-type headache; coccydynia; temporomandibular joint disorders; fibromyalgia; premenstrual syndrome; otitis media; and enuresis.
-Research has shown that joint manipulation is NOT effective for:
Asthma; dysmenorrhea; stage 1 hypertension; and infantile colic.
Reference:
1) Bronfort G, Haas M, Evans R, Leininger B, Triano J (2010). Effectiveness of manual therapies: the UK evidence report. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 18 (3).
PERSONAL STORIES:
Yes most definitely. My son suffered terribly from headaches (when he was about 15 years old). After a week they were still there. Took him to normal Doctor Who said must be stress of exams. Good night sleep will do him good!! like heck. Asked my chiropractor about headaches .. took my son to see him, 40 minutes later .. no headache and that type did not occur again. Apparently when my son fell off his horse he damaged his lower back which in turn made him stand not quite straight which then put strain on the neck muscles etc etc which ended up giving terrible headache.
I had a swollen knee for months. Very painful. Ended up seeing normal doctor who said "bursitis" (housemaid's knee) take antinflammatories and if it doesnt go in a month they will have to drain the fluid from the knee. Saw my chiropractor for a different matter and just casually mentioned I had housemaids knee .. he did some simple tests on me and said no it wasnt ... put some "blocks" under my body to realign the sacroiliac and hey presto, no more knee pain and over next couple of weeks the fluid disappeared.
I originally went to the chiropractor as I had torticollis or wry neck. And yup, he got rid of that when the doctors and specialists couldnt.
rhutus tox
Yes. I've hear from a Dr. at UCSF that he has seen more than a few tears caused by chiropractic adjustments
Three adjustments per week does sound a bit excessive. It would be best to get a second opinion.
Chiropractic massage is a great way to manage chronic back pain. It is best in combination with regular adjustments, It is a legitimate treatment and can often be billed to your insurance provider.
Alternative therapies for knee injuries focus on supporting the body's ability to heal itself. Various therapies may include bodywork and postural adjustments such as chiropractic and Rolfing work, in addition to physical therapy.
There is no set fee or standard for the price of an adjustment, prices are set by the doctor of chiropractic. I have personally seen chiropractic adjustments as low as in the $30s (especially at a chiropractic school) or upwards of $100 or more. Many chiropractic physicians set there fees based on CMS guidelines that determined fees based on region and other professional and technical variables. Often these fees are also based upon how many regions of the spine are adjusted and whether or not extremities (arms or legs) are involved.
Dr Amit Sharda has been practising as a renowned Chiropractor in Bowmanville, offering chiropractic adjustments for back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more.
An exercise instructor in this setting instructs patients in exercises that help their adjustments hold and strengthens their muscles. This may involve the TENS units as well.
DC after a name typically indicates that the individual is a Doctor of Chiropractic. Chiropractors specialize in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions through manual adjustments of the spine.
If you continue to grow, improve your training, perfect your technique, replace or repair your equipment regularly, ensuring that your intensity and duration does not exceed your body's ability to adapt to the demands of training, that you may add years to your life and life to your years? Research by Schwartzbauer et al showed significant improvements in muscle strength, long jump distance, and capillary counts after 14 weeks of chiropractic care in 21 male college athletes, and research by Brennan and Kokjohn showed that chiropractic adjustments to your thoracic spine significantly increases your polymononuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and monocytes demonstrating that chiropractic adjustments affect your cells involved with immune function? Did you know that Zhang found that after one year of chiropractic care, patients showed significant improvements in your heart rate, more peace, increasing cardiac reserve, and nutrient supply to your heart muscles? Miller et al found that chiropractic adjustments to your cervical and thoracic spine demonstrated a 6.1% increase in V02 max, a 3.9% increase in overall work, and 2.6% increase in peak heart rate and peak systolic blood pressure. Research by Kessinger showed that after 2 weeks of upper cervical adjustments patients demonstrated significant improvements in pulmonary lung function (6% Forced Vital Capacity). Are you aware of the research by Goff, McConnell, & Paine that showed chiropractic adjustments facilitated a considerable decrease in your muscle tension? What separates Usain Bolt, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Jessie Owens, and Michael Jordan from the pack? Did you know that today, according to the Professional Football Chiropractic Society, 31 out of 32 NFL teams have at least one dedicated chiropractor for their players? Chiropractic Economics April 18, 2011 Vol 57 No 6Is faster better? Speed of thought and reaction? Do you have self control and discipline? The ability to think faster and more efficiently than your opponent, reacting decisively and logically at the proper time? Did you know that research by Kessinger and Boneva showed significant improvements in your attention/mental control, memory, reasoning/calculation, spatial processing, reaction time, information processing speed, information processing accuracy, general cognitive functioning, and general cognitive proficiency? Did you know that Dr. Carrick conducted a double blind study involving 500 subjects involved in a post doctoral neurology program demonstrating that upper cervical chiropractic adjustments activates specific neurological pathways associated with your cortical hemisphericity and may not be limited to your musculoskeletal or neuromuscular conditions? Did you know that Kessinger found that after 6 weeks of receiving upper cervical chiropractic adjustments showed significant improvements in your visual acuity demonstrating that vision changes do occur following upper cervical adjustments? Did you know that Unger showed that chiropractic SOT pelvic blocking resulted in a significant difference in your pectoralis major, clavicular anterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi, psoas, tensor fasciae latae, adductors, and gluteus medius muscles, demonstrating that chiropractic SOT pelvic blocking procedure produced a general increase in your muscle strength?
There are some disadvantages to chiropractic treatment: 1) it often is not as quick of a fix as some other options, sometimes 10-15 adjustments may be required to resolve a problem completely 2) it cannot fix everything 3) due to the adjustments during the treatment there is a chance to break the bones. On the other hand, the side effects that are possible from other forms of musculoskeletal treatment are far worse and much more common (example: NSAIDS like aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding).
Traction, or distraction, is the term used to describe the method used to "stretch" the spine. It is meant to simply relieve pressure on nerves, disks, joints, etc. This can not be used 'instead' of chiropractic services, as it is often one component of chiropractic treatment. There is variety between different doctors of chiropractic, but total chiropractic care may include nutritional advice, exercise advice, mobilization, adjustments, physiotherapeutic modalities (laser, ultrasound, shockwave, etc), traction, postural advice, vitamin supplements, acupuncture, myofacial release (deep tissue massage), etc. Which of these treatment modalities are used is unique to each condition and/or patient.