Treatment Types

Adjusting Techniques

There are many different adjusting techniques in chiropractic. The types of techniques offered by a chiropractic clinic helps to define the type of care you will receive from your Chiropractor. Some clinics offer only one or two different adjusting techniques, while others will offer more. All techniques are effective in treating chiropractic issues depending on how much “expertise” your Chiropractor has in any given technique. No clinic does every technique, but the more effective clinics should be trained and practiced in a variety of adjusting techniques.

Wolfe Chiropractic Center believes that in order to properly administer an effective treatment, a Doctor of Chiropractic must be fully trained in great detail of how to apply an adjustment and must also practice that technique on a daily basis. Currently Dr. Wolfe is trained in and practices the following techniques (techniques are listed in alphabetical order):

• Activator Methods:
  Activator is a light force adjusting technique that has been thoroughly researched for over 40 years. It involves using a special adjusting instrument to administer the adjustment and uses simple body movement response to determine where a spine should be adjusted. Activator is a great technique for the type of patient who does not want to hear the “popping” noise that is typically associated with an adjustment. Activator can be used on any age group, especially the elderly patient where a typical chiropractic thrust would be contraindicated and on infants when a newborns spine is still mostly made of softer bone.
  
  
• Active Release Technique:
  Active Release Technique (ART) was developed by the Chiropractor for the Denver Broncos and is a soft tissue management system that helps to quickly and effectively treat trigger points found in muscles. A trigger point is when a specific area of a muscle goes into a mild to severe spasm. ART is used everyday at Wolfe Chiropractic Center to help release a muscle of its tension so that a patient’s joint will adjust easier and will hold in place longer.
  
  
• Cox Flexion Distraction:
  Dr. James Cox developed Cox Flexion Distraction in the 1960’s and since its inception has become one of the most talked about techniques in treating low back pain. Cox Flexion Distraction is a stretching technique that helps to relieve disc pressure by increasing the amount of space in the joints of your spine. It has been a very effective tool in keeping people off of the operating table who have been diagnosed with a disc herniation or bulge. Medical Doctors are now beginning to utilize chiropractors for the use of this technique to help patients avoid unnecessary surgery. With this type of patient Cox Flexion Distraction has been 95% successful in preventing low back surgery and restoring a patient’s spine to optimal health. Special equipment in required to properly administer this technique. Wolfe Chiropractic Center is one of only a few clinics that has the proper equipment and practices Cox Flexion Distraction on a daily basis.
  
  
• Diversified:
  Diversified technique is considered the oldest of the chiropractic techniques and is without question the most widely used technique in chiropractic today. Students of chiropractor spend their entire education practicing the art of Diversified technique and it is the adjustment style most commonly associated with “making that popping noise” if done correctly. Contrary to popular belief Diversified is not a painful technique to administer. As a matter of fact over 90% of patients polled stated that receiving a Diversified adjustment is not painful at all. When pain does exist in a chiropractic adjustment it is typically due to the fact that there has been a trauma to the area causing muscles to be sore. All chiropractic adjustments are designed to relieve pain, not cause pain.
   
  
• Gonstead:
  Gonstead Technique was developed by Dr. Clarence Gonstead in the early days of chiropractic. It is somewhat similar to Diversified in that there is a controlled thrust into a joint in a very specific line of drive to help correct spinal subluxation.
  
  
• Myofascial Release:
  Myofascial Release is another soft tissue management system done at Wolfe Chiropractic Center that is excellent at addressing adhesions that can occur in the tissue in between muscles and organs. A person’s fascia is a very thin, lubricating tissue the encompasses all of our organs and tissues and is responsible for allowing tissues to slide by on another as they work instead of adhering to one another. When they adhere to one another scar tissue can form and cause major problems and pain to any individual. Myofascial Release is a very effective, pain free way to help release these adhesions so that tissue can move freely and without incumberment.
  
  
• Thompson:
  Thompson Technique was developed by Dr. Clay Thompson in the early years of chiropractic and requires a special adjusting table to be done properly. Thompson Technique is done by using drop pieces which are found in specially made tables. It is a “non-popping” technique and was developed so that a chiropractor could apply a specific thrust through a joint and have the drop piece portion of the table receive the brunt of the force instead of the patient. It is a vital technique for many patients at Wolfe Chiropractic Center and is a comfortable alternative for patients who don’t like hearing that “sound” when they get adjusted.