What is Chiropractic Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.   Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches. Doctors of Chiropractic – often referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians – practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling. The most common therapeutic procedure performed by doctors of chiropractic is known as “spinal manipulation,” also called “chiropractic adjustment.”   The purpose of manipulation is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become hypomobile – or restricted in their movement – as a result of a tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as improper lifting of a heavy object, or through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture for an extended period of time. In either case, injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that can cause inflammation, pain, and diminished function for the sufferer. Manipulation, or adjustment of the affected joint and tissues, restores mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness, and allowing tissues to heal. What is a Chiropractic Adjustment? Adjustments are done in many different ways based upon age, body type and Personal preference. The adjustment addresses five basic components: 1. Osseous component: Motion and position of spinal vertebrae. 2. Connective Tissue component: Muscle, ligaments, tendons. 3. Disc component : The cushion between the vertebrae. 4. Neurological component: Interference with nerve function. 5. Biomechanical: Posture, abnormal spinal curvatures-front to back (kyphosis) and/or side to side (scoliosis). Phases of Care          Phase I: Acute Care This phase of care lasts from fourteen to twenty-one days. Its emphasis is on pain relief, restoration of cervical lordosis, and A to P spine balancing. During acute care, patients receive training on their home care equipment and procedures. Each visit to the clinic includes a visual functional, neurological, and postural examination. Patients are adjusted based on the visual examinations and their x-rays. And those adjustments won't apply painful compressive forces typically associated with conventional chiropractic. Instead, they'll be distraction and accumulative type forces. These types of forces are more aligned with biological functions, more effective for relieving nerve compression, pain, and dysfunction, and most importantly, are necessary for spinal correction. At the end of acute care, patients are re-x-rayed to assess their progress and qualification for the next phase of care. Re-x-raying serves another purpose. If patients have been in an accident, it's only after their muscles are no longer in spasm, guarding the spine, that the exact damage can be seen. Phase II: Rehabilitation and Correction The goal of rehabilitation is to achieve permanent correction. This requires a minimum of three rehabilitation sessions per week in the clinic for a period of at least 90 days. Using the Linked Exercse TrainerTM gets added to patients' preparation for their examinations and adjustment. And, of course, patients are expected to be doing their home care procedures twice a day. Each of the three times a week visits includes a visual functional, neurological, and postural examination. Patients are adjusted based on the visual examinations and their x-rays. The clinic staff makes sure that patients are doing their home care procedures. Their compliance is formally checked after 30 to 45 days of rehabilitation. Based on the patients' height and cervical muscle strength measured at the beginning of treatment, there should be a height increase of ? to 1 ? inches and an increase of 30% to 50% in cervical flexor muscle strength. Rehabilitation continues until the correction goals are achieved. While many patients achieve permanent correction in the minimum time period, others may take 24 months or more, especially for those with torn ligaments. Phase III: Maintenance and Supportive Care The purpose of this last phase of care is to maintain and enhance patients' spinal correction and muscle strength and endurance. Once a week, for a year, patients come to the clinic to do a full workout using the Linked Exercise Trainer and receive a brief functional, neurological and postural exam by the doctor or staff. The doctor will only adjust patients if the exam indicates the need. As you can tell by now, for doctor, staff, and patients, The Pettibon System represents very different chiropractic care. Yet it's care that consistently gets results and kudos! Chiropractic adjustments rarely causes discomfort. However, patients may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching following treatment (as with some forms of exercise) that usually resolves within 12 to 48 hours. In many cases, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. When other medical conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition.   Doctors of chiropractic may assess patients through clinical examination, laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging and other diagnostic interventions to determine when chiropractic treatment is appropriate or when it is not appropriate.  Chiropractors will readily refer patients to the appropriate health care provider when chiropractic care is not suitable for the patient’s condition, or the condition warrants co-management in conjunction with other members of the health care team. Dr. Bryan W. Barry is available for a free postural analysis and to discuss how chiropractic care can help you feel better.                Call 203-288-2821 for your Free Health Screen

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