Do you crack your fingers, or toes, or neck? You get that “pop” and a feeling of instant relief. How many times per day do you find yourself cracking those joints?
That’s a quick snapshot of the difference between Chiropractic and Manual Therapy. Chiropractors manipulate your joints by applying a controlled, sudden force to realign your spine. The end-goal is to relieve pressure and manipulate nerves for greater mobility.
Manual Therapists performs manipulations, but take treatment further by also working on motor control, and strength. The end goal is to facilitate making your body move better to become self-sustaining.
The adjustment for Mobility isn’t enough. Without the components of Stability and Strength, you will need to return over and over to get that “pop” of relief. Your body will develop a dependency on this mobility instant gratification—but will not advance to a state of self-reliance. It’s sort of like cracking your fingers multiple times per day.
Manual Therapy
Manual Therapy care is focused on restoring normal, pain-free movement for individuals.
Manual Therapists specialize in the treatment of neurophysiologic mechanisms of the body. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) defines manual therapy techniques as “skilled hand movements and skilled passive movements of joints and soft tissue.” Manual Therapists are the experts in the body’s movement employing the practitioner’s hands rather than machines. Techniques are used to improve range of motion and tissue extensibility, mobilize soft tissue and joints, control pain, reduce soft tissue swelling, inflammation, and induce relaxation.
Every human body has sustained unique injuries, trauma, surgery, etc. Manual Therapists take all these factors into consideration to facilitate making your unique body move better. It’s an artform that encompasses adjustments; soft tissue, joint, and visceral mobilizations; and facilitation of the correct muscles. Often the dysfunction lies somewhere else and your body is simply overcompensating. Manual Therapists get to the root cause.
Chiropractic Therapy
Chiropractic care is focused on proper alignment for the body.
Chiropractors specialize in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system. They perform adjustments primarily to restore spinal alignment, to decrease pain, and improve functionality in the body. Chiropractors often employ machines to stimulate a desired response, these include: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Interferential Current (IFC), and Cold Laser.
Why Choose Manual Therapy?
The adjustment isn’t enough. Without the stability and strength focus, you’ll need to get that adjustment periodically until it becomes a reliance.
Maverick Manual Therapy & Performance
Dr. Clayton Labus knows first-hand the benefits of Manual Therapy after an injury. There are times when the body needs skilled and deliberate attention to the soft tissues and joints to heal properly, strengthen, and relearn movement patterns. If you are unsure about which treatment is best for you, give us a call and we’ll help you assess the best therapy for your situation.
Author Maverick Manual Therapy
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