What to expect

“What is a chiropractic adjustment? Is it like the what you see on online? You know the type, that crazy stuff you see on social media like youtube and tiktok with some crazy doctor yanking someone’s neck and dragging their entire body down the table?”

I don’t know where those docs got that kind of training but just know they do not represent ALL chiropractors. Being a good practitioner means we should be able to gauge what you can tolerate along with your comfort levels. Some bodies do need more force, but if there’s increased tension and rigidity due to patient apprehension (or simply trying something you’ve never done before!), then it’s my job to work with your tissue tone and render care that will give the best results.

I attended an evidence-based chiropractic program for my graduate studies at University of Western States in Portland, Oregon. This gave me the proper tools and diagnosis assessment skills to render care that is appropriate for you and your body.

Your treatment sessions

My typical treatment starts with increasing your blood flow with a massage gun, with focus in complaint areas. Then I manually assess your joints and feel more changes in tissue tone along with patient feedback of where it’s tender. This is when I apply manual soft tissue work using various massage techniques on complaint areas so that these areas move best after adjustment. Once we have worked on some muscles, I then deliver the chiropractic adjustment with my hands or my arthrostim tool. If needed, we will apply more focused tissue work post adjustment, then you’re all done!

Exercises are also given and taught to you based on what I would recommend and/or patient requests.

While I do prefer to be able to use my hands to manually adjust your joints into proper alignment, I also have tools to assist in adjustments.

Tool assisted manipulation

I mainly utilize a tool called an Arthrostim. Which is a handheld adjustment gun and the impulses sent to your spine or extremities are controlled by a trigger that I operate and only apply where its necessary. It delivers 12-14 incremental impulses per second, feeling like gentle rapid tapping.

Patient feedback is that is sounds like a woodpecker, and there is no “cracking” involved.

This is a common treatment request for neck work, as the cervical spine and surrounding structures are a sensitive area. There is no hyperextension of the neck with this method and it’s very common to be nervous about having your neck “cracked”.

But I assure you, my methods of applying soft tissue work before rendering chiropractic manipulation therapy (CMT) typically requires less manual force in general.

I’ll gladly change treatment based off patient preference and am happy to work with you and not against you.

This is YOUR body, and I am honored to assist you in your wellness.