Is Your Osteopath Putting Your Bones Back In Place

It is exceptionally common for many people to visit their chiropractor or osteopath in order to have traditional manipulations. These are technically referred to as High Velocity – Low Amplitude thrusts (or HVLA), and aim to produce a small movement at a high speed in order to relieve the stiffness and restricted range of motion associated with a stiff or stuck joint. This practice is one of the oldest chiropractic and osteopathic techniques, and still the one most favoured.

If you’re not putting your bones back in place, what is happening?

Many of our patients have previously experienced these traditional techniques before coming to the clinic, and believe these manipulations to be beneficial because they are ‘putting their bones back into place’. Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t actually what is happening when a chiropractor or osteopath performs this kind of adjustment. Manipulations are commonly performed on the neck, lower back or the hips, as this is where most back conditions reside, and it’s just not possible for one treatment to put a spinal joint back into place. 

The ‘crack’ or ‘pop’ that is often produced during an adjustment or manipulation is actually the release of gas from an air pocket between two joints. This often makes you feel relief because it is actually releasing the body from a stiff joint, rather than putting it back, and as a result can make you increasingly dependent on this method – rather like the act of cracking knuckles. One of the additional effects that you get from this manipulation is the release of dopamine, a “feel good” chemical which is partially why people go through the rather uncomfortable process of the manipulation.

Realigning your spine and what causes mis-alignment

With that in mind, what is possible is for a chiropractor or osteopath to is realign the spine when it is the spine as a whole that is out of alignment, rather than one joint. Our spines have a natural alignment that gives us the most optimal and efficient way to distribute the force of gravity, as well as forces from everyday activities such as walking, running, sitting and lifting. When we repeatedly have poor posture, or we experience a sudden trauma, we may overcompensate on one area of our spine that is not designed to bear a significant amount of weight. This can mean that over time as we repeat this behaviour, our spine realigns itself. When you go to visit a chiropractor or osteopath they may identify that you have a misalignment that needs fixing, but it is imperative that they confirm their suspicions with the use of x-ray imaging before performing manipulation – in order to perform the right treatment for you. Otherwise it is realistically just guess work, if there is the claim that they are “putting your joints back”

With spinal impulse adjusting technology, we most commonly combine this treatment with one or both of our other therapies to enhance its effectiveness. In cases where the patient has a disc problem as well as misalignments, our spinal decompression therapy can help treat an underlying condition that may be affecting your ability to walk as well as your range of movement. This treatment uses a controlled amount of your body weight to perform a gentle stretch on the affected area in your neck or lower back, so in cases where a patient is experiencing a symptom such as sciatica, this can immediately relieve the pressure and pinching on the nerve. The stretch also allows nutrients back into the disc space, to help its ability to heal in the long term as well as during the treatment. In cases of degenerative disc disease this treatment can be beneficial in helping the discs to rehydrate – a vital step in reducing its symptoms.

A more sophisticated approach to treating your spinal bones and joints

With spinal impulse adjusting technology, we most commonly combine this treatment with one or both of our other therapies to enhance its effectiveness. In cases where the patient has a disc problem as well as misalignments, our spinal decompression therapy can help treat an underlying condition that may be affecting your ability to walk as well as your range of movement. This treatment uses a controlled amount of your body weight to perform a gentle stretch on the affected area in your neck or lower back, so in cases where a patient is experiencing a symptom such as sciatica, this can immediately relieve the pressure and pinching on the nerve. The stretch also allows nutrients back into the disc space, to help its ability to heal in the long term as well as during the treatment. In cases of degenerative disc disease this treatment can be beneficial in helping the discs to rehydrate – a vital step in reducing its symptoms.

Improving circulation & healing for a well rounded treatment

For cases such as arthritis, long-term (or short-term) injuries that are struggling to heal, or where you’re generally feeling a lot of pain, it may be that there is a significant amount of inflammation present. Our K Laser uses light therapy to penetrate an area down to the cells, this starts to affect the rate of cell activity which in turn helps the area to develop new blood vessels, bringing an increase in circulation to the area to help get the body healing again. It can often be difficult when you injure yourself for the area to heal completely due to the scar tissue that forms. The K Laser therapy can help your body to experience a more complete healing process – which means that the chance of relapse in conditions is dramatically reduced.

Contact us for a unique consultation & treatment experience

Every case of back or neck pain is different, so it’s vital you receive a treatment completely tailored towards your condition. It’s important that you trust your chiropractor or osteopath so make sure that their diagnosis is based on concrete findings, preferably backed up with x-ray or MRI imaging to make sure there are no contraindications for you to receive the therapy. To discuss your case and how we can help your condition, our expert team are available on 0203 947 3222 or email us details of your case to info@themayfairclinic.com.