WHY HYBRID CHIROPRACTIC?
Hybrid Chiropractic is a combination of manual therapy techniques used together to provide the best possible opportunity for your body to respond, adapt and repair any musculoskeletal dysfunction. A good way of describing what you can expect and how we are different from a chiropractic appointment you may have had in the past is illustrated below in the form of a sample appointment for the common complaint of lower back pain.
A SAMPLE APPOINTMENT AT HYBRID CHIROPRACTIC
One of the most common reasons people book a chiropractic appointment is due to lower back pain. It can be a debilitating limitation that many of us know all too well. During each and every appointment, you will be assessed using passive and active movements, along with orthopedic and neurological examinations to find the root cause of your pain. Once the problem area has been located, Active Release Technique is utilized to treat the tension and provide a directed soft tissue influence to any areas restricting your function. During the soft tissue portion of treatment, you will also be stretched (actively and passively) while being continually monitored for possible changes in presentation. With continued assessment, hidden symptoms or troubling areas are often found. Oddly, these hidden symptoms often prove to be the X-factor in improving your function.
COMBINING WHAT WORKS
After the soft tissue portion of treatment is concluded, your movement is assessed more segmentally as the general tension you presented with has now been reduced. It is at this point that the clinical decision is made whether to perform a chiropractic adjustment or not.
The chiropractic adjustment is a powerful tool that may provide countless benefits while limiting adverse effects. Perhaps the most power in the chiropractic adjustment lies in what we do immediately afterward. The chiropractic adjustment provides a window of opportunity where our brain allows slightly more joint and tissue mobility. If you combine newly acquired joint mobility with reduced surrounding muscle tension, you have a winning combination to a healthy joint(s). However, before you get excited, we need to understand that this window closes relatively fast! Luckily, that window can be kept open longer through the employment of corrective exercise, another cornerstone of Hybrid Chiropractic.
Now, returning to your sore lower back. We assessed you, worked the affected muscles, stretched, and possibly adjusted your spine. Now we need to capitalize on the open window! This is where corrective exercise comes in. With specific instruction, you will be sent back into the world with new ways to work on your back pain. Upon returning for a subsequent visit (if needed) you will be reassessed and treated based on your presentation that day.
