I’ve had a handful of conversations recently that sparked the topic of this article. It seems many people think that chiropractic is just one technique where all doctors are doing the same thing. This is not the case! There are over 150 different chiropractic techniques and all have different benefits. For this week’s article we’ll discuss the different types of chiropractic techniques we use in our clinic and why.

Activator

The first technique is the Activator. This technique uses an instrument to adjust the patient. This is beneficial for babies, kids that move around a lot when trying to adjust, patients that do not like to get manual adjustments, patients with extremity issues and pregnant women.

Knee-Chest

Speaking about pregnant women, we use different techniques depending on the stage of pregnancy. We use a regular table for women who are 1 – 16 weeks pregnant. From 16 – 30 weeks we use a table that has movable parts. Starting at 30 weeks we use the knee-chest table. The knee chest table is a great way to allow the women to get adjusted, it allows a chiropractor to work with the hips and lower back.

Websters

During the whole pregnancy we use a technique called Websters. This technique works on the round ligaments to prevent the baby from becoming breech.

An important thing to note is that regular adjustments throughout the entire pregnancy are very important to prevent breech. We find that a lot of pregnant patients sometimes wait until it’s too late and their baby is in breech around week 30. At this stage is can sometimes be too late to help with chiropractic care. Regular adjustments starting in the early stages of pregnancy can help prevent this from happening.

Diversified & Gonstead

Diversified and Gonstead are two similar techniques that we use often. Diversified is the more widely used technique. However, when a patient needs a deeper adjustment, we will use Gonstead. Both techniques are predominantly used because of their benefits when we are changing neurology patterns.

Thompson

Thompson is another technique we use. This technique uses drop pieces to adjust the patient. We tend to use this technique for elderly patients or those with bad sacral problems.

Applied Kinesiology

While not a chiropractic specific technique, Applied Kinesiology helps identify what muscles and/or vertebrae are involved specifically in a patients case. It allows us to evaluate, treat and then retest the problematic area.

Conclusion

These are just a handful of chiropractic techniques. We’ve chosen to specialize in these to provide the best care for a wide range of patients across varying age groups and conditions. We suggest you ask your local chiropractor about their techniques and the benefits for your specific conditions. Feel free to leave questions or comments below!