Chiropractors > Supportive Techniques
Listed below are some of the various techniques and support therapies experienced physicians may utilize with treatment:
Active Release Technique (ART)
Most healthcare providers use techniques of massage, trigger point, electrical modalities and ultrasound with varying degrees of specificity to treat soft tissue problems. These all provide reasonable results but there is a much better way.
ART is patented because it is different than anything else. This protects the public from healthcare providers who are willing to do it half way. To learn ART you must be serious enough to invest a great deal of time and effort to learn over 500 treatment moves or "protocols." More important than that, you must be able to develop a very advanced "feel" for the tissues and their texture, tension and movement. You must come to understand and evaluate the movement of each tissue relative to the one next to it and as an absolute value unto itself. This is an anatomy class like no other.
The basic premise is simple, just not easy. Shorten the tissue, apply a contact tension and lengthen the tissue or make it slide relative to the adjacent tissue. It's as simple as playing a piano and just as difficult. We will teach you to find every tissue by touch and to make fast permanent changes in them. We will practice every single treatment protocol with you. You work on the instructor and we work on you so that you can learn at a much faster rate.
CST was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics.
CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.
Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.
By complementing the body''s natural healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.
Graston Technique® is an innovative, patented form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation.
Originally developed by athletes, Graston Technique® is an interdisciplinary treatment used by more than 12,500 clinicians worldwide—including physical and occupational therapists, hand therapists, chiropractors, and athletic trainers.
GT is utilized at some 1,200 outpatient facilities and 33 industrial sites, by more than 200 professional and amateur sports organizations, and is part of the curriculum at 49 respected colleges and universities.
The Kinesio Taping Method is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion. It is used to successfully treat a variety of orthopedic, neuromuscular, neurological and medical conditions. Both Kinesio® Tex Tape and the training protocol have shown results that would have been unheard of using older methods and materials.
In the mid-1970s, Dr. Kenzo Kase was already a well-known Japanese practitioner licensed in chiropractic and acupuncture. He developed the tape, which has a texture and elasticity very close to living human skin, in response to limitations he encountered working with rigid sports taping methods on his own patients.
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
SpiderTech Inc. is a newly formed company focused on the creation of innovative and effective functional medical products designed to approach pain management and myofascial dysfunction through the use of specialized elastic tape applications called “SpiderTech”.
SpiderTech originated from the collaboration between a Chiropractor, Dr. Kevin Jardine and a client - an amateur athlete and successful industrialist. During a course of therapy to address a debilatative knee problem for the client, use of Kinesology Taping modalities led to two critical results:
- a remarkable efficacy, allowing the client to both regain pain-free mobility and resume his training regimen
- a partnership in the development of a complete range of engineered Kinesiology Taping solutions providing therapist and clients with effective, easy to use, treatment options utilizing the proven benefits of kinesiology taping.
Manufactured using the proven tape products of Nitto Denko – manufacturers of the original Kinesiology Tape - SpiderTech is now a line of 16 pre-cut therapeutic and performance enhancing supports. The SpiderTech Professional line of product is the next evolution in the clinical use of kinesiology taping.
With an ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation, combined with clinical feedback from therapist and clients, SpiderTech will be the industry leader in pre-engineered kinesiology taping solutions.
TRIGENICS® is a neuro-kinetic, sensorimotor assessment, treatment and training system which instantly relieves pain and increases strength and movement. It is currently practiced by over 2000 doctors, therapists and trainers in 20 countries worldwide. The complex procedures used in Trigenics® retrain the way the brain communicates it’s movement and/or pain signals with the muscles of the body. The treatments are either manual or involve the use of instruments or exercise equipment. The beneficial effects are instantaneous and seen immediately. If Trigenics® is what they need, patients having suffered with physical pain syndromes and/or movement dysfunctions always see strikingly measurable results on their first visit to a Trigenics® practitioner. (See videos) This will be the case; no matter how long they have had the condition and attended other therapies or how many doctors or therapists they have seen. Strength trainers using Trigenics® Power Augmentation training procedures on their clients see an unprecedented acceleration of muscle strength and size without drugs.
Zone therapy, also known as reflexology, is a type of alternative medical treatment that uses specialized hand and foot massage as a means of treating mental and physical ailments. Its central foundation rests on the notion that the hands and feet are made up of five major zones on each side of the body that correspond with various health conditions. By massaging a particular zone, a therapist believes he or she can treat the corresponding condition.
The first major zone in zone therapy is referred to as the center zone. This zone is simply the big toes and thumbs on both the left and right sides, which are meant to correspond to the body parts and organs that are located in the center of the body, including the brain, heart, intestines, and reproductive organs. A zone therapist will massage the big toes and thumbs as a means of treating any physical or mental conditions affecting these areas.
The rest of the zones in zone therapy represent either the left or right sides of the body and are ranked second through fifth. The second major zone is located on the left side of the body and includes the left index fingers and left second toes. Massaging these areas is intended to also treat some areas that the center zone treats, including the brain and intestines. The zone also represents the stomach, eyes, and spleen.