Chiropractic medicine is a form of alternative medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating problems of the spine, nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Chiropractors are specialists in holistic medicine and use natural therapies to help their patients to restore health to their backs. Chiropractors use a variety of treatments such as massage therapy to restore health to the back. Massage chairs are becoming increasingly prevalent in many chiropractor offices across the country.
Did you know the word chiropractor originates from Greek? This is a combination of “cheir” and “praxis” from the ancient Greek language. Together they mean a treatment done by hand. Technology has come a long way since the Greeks. I am sure the ancient Greek chiropractors would be enthralled with today’s high tech massage chairs.
Chiropractors receive three main types of conditions. People that have overstressed or injured their spine. Conditions where the parts of the spine are degenerating or wearing down. The third condition is certain pre-conditions of insufficient health from the beginning. They are trained by a college accredited by the Council on chiropractic education. To become a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic medicine, they must earn a D.C. degree and be licensed from the state.
Even though chiropractic medicine has been around since Egyptian times, it has not been covered by major health insurance plans. Big Medicine is covering more chiropractic treatments as now many state workers compensation systems are covering chiropractic treatment. This has forced Big Medicine to ante up and now many HMO’s and private plans have included chiropractic coverage.
Chiropractors are trained to understand a patient’s symptoms. They then test theories and validate them to find the root causes. They may take x-rays, perform certain tests or touch and feel what is going on. The spine is a complex arrangement of bones, muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments, etc. that must be looked at in unison.
Chiropractors are known for making manual adjustments to the spinal column. They use the force from their hands to exert pressure on the bones of the spine to align them. Most people are familiar with the cracking or popping sounds of getting an adjustment to their spine.
Massage therapy is being more commonly employed at chiropractor offices. Massage chairs have found a niche in providing a number of possible therapies in a convenient form. Massage chairs are programmed to deliver a targeted massage for a specific duration based on the patients needs.
Typically pressure on the spine is concentrated on a few of the vertebrae which puts undue pressure on the muscles, tendons and ligaments which hold the spine together. This concentrated force causes stiffness in these soft tissue areas. This can be caused by incorrect posture, improper lifting techniques or by an injury.
The chiropractor seeks to alleviate the concentrated pressure off of these areas. A doctor helps the patient to identify how they can better distribute the stress put on their spine. Patients may need to make changes to their posture or lifting to help the spine to recover and prevent future injury.
Massage chairs are being used extensively to deliver a variety of massage therapies in chiropractor offices around the nation. Massage chairs also provide the application of heat, traction for the legs and arms, air compression massage, music therapy, and vibration. The spine has many soft tissues like muscle, tendons and ligaments that need to maintain their flexibility. They become stiff and hurt. Massage chair therapy helps to reduce stiffness, while helping to restore flexibility and pliability.
