Your chiropractic care at Paulding Spinal Clinic will usually consist of more than an adjustment. Your treatment plan will also consist of one or more of the following: cryotherapy, moist heat, traction, decompression therapy, massage, electric muscle stimulation and ultrasound.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy helps with muscle spasms in the body by numbing painful areas and providing a cooling relief to affected soft tissues. It consists of applying cold pacs to reduce inflammation as well as constrict the blood vessels in the affected area.
If you are suffering from a muscle spasm or recent soft tissue injury, cryotherapy is an excellent way to help reduce swelling and prevent further injury in the early stages of your healing process.
Electrical Muscle Stimulation
Electrical Muscle Stimulation sends small electrical currents into soft tissue. This therapy reduces swelling, relaxes the muscle allowing it to return to its normal function and helps releases trigger points by helping the body to release natural pain relievers often referred to as endorphins.
Inferential Electro-Therapy is a type of electrical muscle stimulation that uses a different type and wave of electrical current. It is an excellent treatment to help the body deal with spasms, sprains, and issues related to soft tissues.
Short therapy sessions are excellent at facilitating healing from acute and chronic pain and an exceptional way to help the body in the healing process.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a therapy used to treat injuries related to joints and muscle spasms, as well as most soft tissues. It is not the same as the ultrasound utilized to screen internally in the body. This ultrasound uses small sound waves that vibrate and massage soft tissues and muscle. These sound waves do an excellent job in facilitating the body’s healing process. In addition to decreasing scar tissue formation, ultrasound therapy aids in the healing process at the most basic cellular level speeding up your road to recovery.
Decompression Therapy
Decompression therapy is a gentle non-surgical state of the art therapy. It uses computer controlled traction that applies de-compressive movement during several cycles of stretching and relaxing, increasing to a peak over a period of 10-20 minutes. DTS therapy is unique in that the system uses progressive pulling to overcome the protective muscle response. With conventional traction therapy, this response reduces the ability to create a vacuum effect generating decompression within the disc. In the DTS system, the computer controlled forces are slowly added to reduce the guarding effect of the spinal stabilizer muscles. The other advantage DTS has over conventional traction is the ability to create a “pumping effect” on the disc by increasing and decreasing the load as the treatment is given.
Patients with acute and chronic neck and low back pain, those with syndromes of the lumbar and cervical areas, as well those with pain that radiates down the leg or arm can benefit from DTS Therapy. The system provides a program following specific protocols to ensure maximum, lasting improvement. The protocols use a combination of static, intermittent, and cycling de-compressive forces to relieve pressure on the structures that may be causing the pain. Other therapies such as heat, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and cryotherapy are usually applied to assist in rehabilitation of these structures.
The DTS System treats a wide variety of conditions including:
- Cervical Radiculopathy (radiating pain or pain down the arm)
- Disc Herniation
- Discogenic Pain
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Facet Syndrome
- Sciatica (pain down the leg)
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis (Grade 1)
Clinical results of this type of therapy have been effective in over 70% of the patients treated and most patients find long-term relief or effective management of their pain utilizing the DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy.
We are frequently asked if DTS can help after spinal surgery. DTS Therapy at a certain period of time following surgery has been used as follow-up therapy or dual approach for patients that continue to have post-surgical back pain. This therapy is not appropriate for unstable post -surgical conditions or if there is surgical hardware.
DTS Therapy System is an inherently safe procedure that can be used, without complications, for a wide variety of anatomical dysfunctions of the neck and low back, which are commonly associated with back pain. However, patients with the following conditions should NOT be treated with DTS therapy:
- Any kind of surgical hardware
- Severe Osteoporosis
- Spondylolisthesis (Grade 2 or higher)
- Spondylolysis
- Vertebral Fractures
- Unstable Post- Surgical Conditions
- Certain Lesions or Congenital Deformities of the Spine or Ligaments, such as fractures, tumor, severe osteoporosis, or spina bifida
- Certain progressive disease or inflammatory processes of the spinal joints or muscles
Decompression Therapy may be the answer for you and your condition.
Massage Therapy
The pain that brings you to a chiropractor often involves your muscles. Massage prior to an adjustment helps you to relax, relieves muscle tension and warms the soft tissue. Many muscles are attached to the spine. If these muscles are relaxed, your body will receive optimal results from your adjustment.
Nerves run between, through and alongside your muscles. Tight muscles can put pressure on nerves. This pressure interferes with normal nerve impulses causing pain. Tight muscles also restrict blood flow causing pain.
Accidents can cause damage or scars in the soft tissue. A massage helps to clear cellular debris and toxins by improving the circulation through the affected area. Massage therapy, by working along and against muscle fibers helps to loosen and break up scar tissue and adhesions. This improves movement and flexibility.
Chronic stress and tension from our modern day lives contribute to many of today’s health problems. Too much stress has also been proven to impair the immune system leaving us vulnerable to many diseases and slower to recover as well. Driving or sitting for long periods of time cause stress to our bodies. Repetitive movements required on certain jobs or hobbies lead to chronic muscle tension, dysfunction and pain. Muscles shorten with chronic tension leading to loss of flexibility, misalignment and poor posture.
Massage aids you by helping identify and then correct tension holding patterns. The relaxation effect of massage relieves the negative effects of stress and helps to restore balance to the body.
Massage therapy and stretching helps you regain and maintain proper alignment by relaxing muscles and restoring them to their optimal length and function.
Make the choice to complement your regular chiropractic care with therapeutic massage for a more complete health maintenance program.
Print out and complete our Massage New Patient Paperwork and bring it in with you for your first massage.