Our Techniques

We use a number of highly-effective adjusting approaches to help improve spinal biomechanics and reduce nervous system interference. The approach we use is based on our judgment and years of experience.

The primary adjusting techniques we use include:

Diversified

After identifying which spinal bones have lost their normal motion or position, a specific manual thrust is administered to free up “stuck” joints... read more»

Thompson

Thompson Terminal Point technique is a system of analysis and a special table that reduces the amount of energy needed to adjust your spine... read more»

Cox Flexion-Distraction

This non-force approach uses a special table so we can traction your spine, relieving pressure to compressed spinal discs and facet joints… read more»

Myofascial and Soft Tissue Techniques

Both long term muscle tension and sudden impacts, such as a fall or car accident, can pull and hold your joints out of normal alignment. These misalignments, called subluxations, can disrupt nerve transmissions especially in the spine which houses nerves affecting the entire body. The result is pain or other symptoms, such as numbness or tingling, both at the site of the misalignment and frequently at related sites elsewhere in the body.

Joint subluxations, troublesome enough on their own, are almost always accompanied by tension or injury in your soft tissue: muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia (connective tissue that permeates muscles and forms protective sheets throughout your body).

Addressing soft tissue problems is an important complement to Chiropractic care. This is because muscles move joints, while ligaments and fascia support them. If a subluxation is adjusted without addressing related soft tissue problems, you may still experience pain. In addition, your tight muscles and shortened fascia can pull your joint out of alignment again.

Nutritional Support

Nutrients play a vital role in the body’s healing process. Deficiencies of one or more of a wide range of nutrients can impair the healing process; conversely, ingestion of specific nutrients can help accelerate the healing process.

When the body is injured, it needs to be supplied with enough energy (calories) to meet the increased metabolic demands. These increases can range from 20 percent to 150 percent higher than basal metabolic rates, depending on the type and severity of the injury. Acute trauma, can result in a significant loss of body protein. At least 50 percent of the calories should come from complex carbohydrates, 20 to 30 percent from protein, with no more than 30 percent (preferably 20 percent) from dietary fat.

An injured individual is able to recover much more rapidly, and will be less prone to re-injury if they are healed properly. Manipulative care and a well-designed exercise program work together in the rehabilitation process. Proper healing also requires that attention be given to the nutritive biomechanical needs of the injured person.

Electrophysical Therapy

The use of electrophysical therapy can have a beneficial effect on the clinical outcome of patients in many cases.

The basic effects of electrophysical therapy (EPT) can be divided into three categories: thermal, chemical and kinetic. The type of effect desired is the basis for deciding what therapy to use. Many of the EPT modalities have more than one effect. For example if the desired effects are to decrease pain and soft tissue swelling, cryotherapy would be helpful in obtaining both.

Cryotherapy, the use of ice is used effectively for an anti-inflammatory effect and pain relief. Ice is used more commonly in the treatment of acute injury and diseases to reduce swelling, provide pain relief and reduce the secondary damage from an injury by lowering the local metabolic rate over which the coolant is placed.

A special form of cryotherapy, called ice massage is used in acute sprain / strain injuries. It is helpful in creating anaesthesia after massaging ice over an area for a period of 5-10 minutes.

Heat Therapy has a number of useful effects including increasing circulation, eliminating micro-organisms and damaged cells, relief of muscle spasm and pain relief.

Ultrasound involves applying high frequency sound waves to the body tissues to produce both a micromassage and deep heating, depending upon which type of ultrasound is used.

With chronic symptoms, ultrasound can be used for both massage and heating effects. The use of this therapy in acute injuries is confined to micromassage to reduce swelling.

Interferential Current, a form of electrical stimulation is characterised by crossing 2 electrical mediums using independent frequencies that work together to effectively stimulate large impulse nerve fibres. These frequencies interfere with the transmission of pain messages at the spinal cord level. The current can be adjusted to allow deeper tissue penetration or to increase blood flow.

Rehabilitation and Exercise Prescription

A spinal stabilization exercise involves the use of back exercises designed to teach patients strengthening and flexibility within a pain-free range of movement.

While the primary focus is to help the patient with efficient movement, it also improves the patient’s physical condition and symptoms. It provides the patient with a keen awareness of movement of his or her spine, knowledge of safe spinal postures, and functional muscular strengthening and coordination that promotes healthy management of back pain.

The components of this program include the use of an exercise ball, range of motion exercises, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and strength training exercises.

The exercise prescription includes aerobic, resistance and stretching components.

Aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, bicycling, jogging, running, swimming, aerobics and rowing will be prescribed depending on the patient’s level of fitness and health status.

Resistance exercise such as free weights or machines will be recommended, with a gradual progression under supervision and instruction until the techniques have been mastered.

Stretching exercises will be prescribed to perform during work activities and on completion of aerobic and resistance activities to improve and maintain flexibility, in addition to preventing a recurrence of symptoms.

Sling Exercise Therapy

Chiropaedic is at the head of the trend from passive to active treatment. The emphasis is on bridging the gap between treatment and personal exercise and to develop a unifying principle for the entire rehabilitation process. The goal is to make the process more cost-effective and reduce the risk of relapse.

Sling Exercise Therapy (S-E-T) is a new model that is helping to renew Chiropractic and greatly emphasizes on secondary prevention. S-E-T is used by elderly and weak patients as well as young and vigorous elite athletes, and is a very effective way to build a strong and stable body.

Neuromuscular reactivation is a new treatment model that is based on S-E-T and that often provides spontaneous improvement of functioning, relief of pain, and more long-lasting recovery from musculoskeletal ailments.

Chiropaedic is proud to be the first and only Chiropractic practise in Australia to utilize the S-E-T system, which aims to make preventive and performance enhancing training possible for ordinary people as well as elite athletes.

References:

1. “S-E-T is a new concept developed over a long time with a holistic approach to treating injuries and chronic ailments.” Kirkesola G. Fysioterapeuten, 2000; 12: 9-16.
2. “A specific exercise treatment approach appears more effective than other commonly prescribed conservative treatment programs in patients with chronically symptomatic spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis.” O’Sullivan P.B, D.M.G., Twomey L.T., Allison G.T.Spine; 1997; 22 (24):2959-2967. Evaluation of Specific Stabilizing Exercises in the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain with Radiologic Diagnosis of Spondylolysis or Spondylolisthesis.