Chiropractic Adjustments and Techniques
We have given tens of thousands of adjustments to patients ranging from little children to a 95-year-old, all of varying activity levels, and all successfully without adverse reactions. Learn about the latest techniques we utilize.
Chiropractic adjustments have a tremendous potential to help patients. From a biomechanical and neurological perspective a chiropractic adjustment can make a rapid, positive response. After their first adjustment most patients have two statements: “That was it?” and “Wow, I feel better.” The first statement because most adjustments are quick and painless. The second statement is due to an almost immediate improvement in the patient’s range of motion and a decrease or elimination of pain.
There are many different techniques, or ways to adjust the joints of the body, and Dr. Justin McLeod believes that each patient should be treated using the technique that is best suited for that patient. He does not believe in using the same technique for each patient. He has treated top CrossFit athletes and a 95-year-old osteoporotic female. They certainly did not get adjusted in similar manners. Below is a description of some of the adjusting techniques that we are trained in and uses on a regular basis at Santa Cruz Spine & Sport.
Sports Chiropractic
Most professional and Olympic athletes receive sports chiropractic care regularly. NFL players such as Aaron Rodgers, Vernon Davis, Jerry Rice, Patrick Willis, and Justin Smith praise chiropractic for helping them to play at the best of their ability and without aches or pains. The elite athletes of the world get the latest and most advanced medical care. Dr. Justin McLeod feels that every person, regardless of age, profession, or athletic ability, deserves to have access to the best medical care. To that end, we are Santa Cruz Spine and Sport believe that although the adjustment by itself is powerful, we find it equally import to treat and balance the muscles, tendons, fascia and joint capsules with soft-tissue techniques like HMT, Graston, ART. After mobilizing the joints and soft tissue we stabilize and correct incorrect movement patterns using a progression of exercises.
Extremity Adjustments
The benefits derived from adjusting the joints of the spine are equally shared by gently adjusting the bones of the upper and lower extremities. Indeed, fifty percent of the bones of the body are found in the arms and legs and fixations in joint motion can cause pain in our shoulder, wrist, hand, feet etc. Dr. Justin McLeod has taken hundreds of hours of advanced training in extremity adjusting which helps him bring relief to many patients who have previously not found relief from “spine-only” chiropractors. At Santa Cruz Spine and Sport we are trained to be able to deliver extremity adjustments using a variety of technique styles including gentle manual manipulation, and instrumented assisted/Activator.
Instrumentation Adjusting with Activator or Neuro-Impulse
The Activator Method chiropractic technique is a gentle, low-force approach to chiropractic adjustments. The technique has been used safely on patients of all ages since the late 1960’s, bringing relief to people with a variety of health concerns. We like having the option of using “instrument adjusting” in the office with patients who are contraindicated from other forms of adjusting. Examples include a patient with severe osteoporosis or someone who is afraid of getting an adjustment. We use both the Activator and the Neuro-Impulse instruments in our clinic. If you would like to experience the many benefits of chiropractic care, but are “afraid of getting your neck cracked,” we invite you to come to contact our office to learn about low-force, instrument adjusting using the Activator and Nuero-Impusle.
For more information: Activator Methods