Chiropractic Manipulation

Different Manipulation Techniques

Activator

This is a very gentle treatment, so ideal for children, the elderly and small joints such as those in the wrist, ribs and jaw. It is a small handheld device which delivers a quick controlled thrust, similar to manipulation but with no joint popping.

Thompson Drop

The patient lies on a special table with sections that drop down. We apply a quick thrust at the same time that the section drops a few in order to restore mobility. The dropping of the table allows for a lighter adjustment without the twisting positions and joint popping that can accompany other techniques.

Blocks/ SOT

This gentle technique uses wedges called blocks which are slid under the pelvis. They affect pelvic alignment and the lumbar spine mobility (6) by altering the small pelvic rocking motion which occurs during breathing. This effects different nerve fibres from the thrust type manipulation. Patients just have to lie on them, which Ideal for treating pregnant women and people in severe pain who can’t turn easily while lying down.

Cranial

The cranial or skull bones include the bones containing the sinuses, the inner ear and the jaw bone. These move subtly even when sutures have closed. (7) If we detect restrictions in these bones we may use cranial manipulation to attempt to restore motion.

Effects of Manipulation

The ligaments and muscles are quickly stretched during a manipulation. Every muscle in the body has many small, spring like receptors called muscle spindles, which “tell” the brain where the body is. Each muscle spindle in every muscle will send about 10 signals a second to the spinal cord and influence the tightness and strength of the muscles. They also interact with pain nerve fibres that travel from the surrounding joint and muscles up to the brain; the signals from the muscle spindles block or diminish the pain signals.

Proprioception is the awareness of where the body is, it comes from the muscle spindles and mechanoreceptors (in ligaments). When a joint becomes restricted the signals from the muscles spindles and mechanoreceptors are diminished. The number of muscles spindles and mechanoreceptors also seems to diminish with more wear and tear. Over time the brains awareness of where the joint is will also diminish, reducing the fine control the brain has over the muscles that orientate and protect the joint. This would theoretically:

• Increase the chance of injuring or spraining the joint. particularly when something unexpected happens.
• Increase the wear on the joint because the muscles would respond to changing positions slower, allowing the joint to slop around or grind during movement.

Chiropractic manipulation seems to activate muscle spindle signals to the brain, recent research has found the manipulation to improve joint awareness.