Manual Manipulation, (also known as a chiropractic "adjustment"), can be a very effective tool that Dr. Smith can use to help reduce articular (joint) malpositions. Malpositions can cause pain, limited range of motion, weakness, and loss of functional ability. A good way to picture this phenomenon, is to think of the alignment of your car. When the car tire alignment is not in the right place, then the tires and your wheel bearings wear out faster than expected. This also happens to our joints!
Typically, when we get a sudden pain that slowly dissipates over a few days, we don't seek care, but this is precisely the time to SEEK CARE! These small incidents indicate that the alignment of that painful joint, (or a joint nearby), has been altered and is in need of correction. If a malposition from an injury, incident, accident, or just daily life is not corrected, then that affected joint begins to wear out prematurely. This is how osteoarthritic changes start. If the malposition happens in the spine, this can precipitate a disc herniation and facet joint degeneration.
Dr. Smith is uniquely able to utilize the best techniques of the manual mobilization found in Physical Therapy, along with the most bio-mechanically sound manipulation techniques of Chiropractic, to properly correct the alignment of ANY JOINT! This in turn, restores the proper movement of that joint, restores the previously lost function of that joint, reduces the pain of that joint, and reduces the risk if further joint degradation which could lead to the osteoarthritic changes of that joint.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE CHIROPRACTIC MANUAL MANIPULATIVE METHOD:
Dr. Smith also utilizes manipulation techniques of "The Gonstead Method" he learned in his training to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. "The Gonstead Method" is a very precise method of joint manipulation which is only utilized by approximately 8% of the Doctors of Chiropractic nationwide. This method does not perform the "twisting" motion that is typical of most manual manipulation techniques, but instead performs straight line, ("Linear and Translatory"), movement of the joint, making the correction less painful and more effective, requiring less manual correction of that joint throughout the course of treatment.
Some reasons for the low utilization rate of "The Gonstead Method":
1) The process of analysis is highly detailed and precise, demanding a high level of biomechanical knowledge and training of the Doctor, and also demanding that more time be spent with the patient to perform only the correction that is needed.
2) The method of performing the joint correction can be quite awkward for the Doctor of Chiropractic to perform, and takes significant amount of extra training to master.
PROVEN PHYSICAL THERAPY METHODS:
Dr. Smith may also utilize mobilization techniques from Maitland, McKenzie, Kultenbourn / Evienth, and others which he learned through Physical Therapy,