3 Gentle Chiropractic Techniques
Going to a chiropractor can be scary for the first time, especially if you are experiencing pain in either your back or neck. You know that the chiropractor is going to manipulate your spine so that it is back into place, but you have no idea how intense the pain is going to be or how gentle the chiropractor is going to be. Your anxiety over potential pain can make you tighten up, which increases the chances that you will feel pain during the process. In order to keep yourself from tensing up, consider asking for a gentle chiropractic technique in order to ease your body into the practice. There are three main gentle techniques that chiropractors often use.
1. Cervical Mobilization
Cervical mobilization is the process where the chiropractor makes it easier for you to move your spine without pain. You lie on your back. It involves the chiropractor taking your head in his or her hands and then manually moving it back and forth, as well as side to side. By doing this, the chiropractor is able to manually move each of your vertebra into the place where it will be able to move without causing you discomfort. The reason why this is considered a gentle maneuver is because it doesn't involve any thrusting and is not likely to cause a person pain.
2. Cervical Manual Traction
This chiropractic technique requires you to lie on your stomach. While you are in this position, the chiropractic will take the base of your head and gently pull on it, lengthening your neck. Once your neck has been lengthened, the chiropractor will proceed to touch the parts of your neck that need to be adjusted and push on them with medium force. This will force the vertebra back into a position that will allow you to move comfortably.
3. Cervical "Drop" Technique
This requires a special sort of table known as a drop table. You will place your head at the top of the drop table and lie on your stomach along its length. The chiropractor will then apply medium force thrusts along your spine. After a certain period of time, the head of the table will drop slightly, causing your head to be lower than the rest of your body. When this happens, you spine will experience this sudden movement and become more accustomed to it, but will not cause you any pain.
For more information on getting comfortable with your chiropractor, contact a chiropractor's office (such as Dimond Chiropractic).