What's the Difference Between Chiropractic Adjusting & Exercise Therapy?
We commonly see many patients confusing chiropractic adjusting and exercise therapy. Both can be very helpful for musculoskeletal conditions, and there are are similarities between the two. However, there are significant differences between the two, which helps explain why patients can respond differently to these types of care. Let's see why:
1. Specificity - The diagnosis is in -- your back pain is primarily a result of a fixated/restricted right sacroiliac joint. Basically, a joint in your low back is stuck and not moving as well as it should. What do you do? You could perform some stretching and strengthening exercises for the low back. This general exercise can be helpful, but it doesn't isolate the problem area to restore proper motion in the specific joint that needs it. In contrast, a doctor of chiropractic can place his hand directly over the restricted joint and provide controlled movement (called manipulation or adjustment) to return it to normal function.
2. Speed - When performing stretching exercises, a slow and deliberate speed is most often used to gradually stretch the soft tissues. This slow stretch can do a fairly good job of relaxing the muscles to improve flexibility.
Now compare this slow stretch to a chiropractic adjustment. An adjustment is a controlled movement that usually occurs in less than a second. The speed is much faster than stretching, while the motion is controlled to be quite precise. You may hear a pop or click. That means the gas and fluid moved within the joint space. The important thing is how the body responds to this fast, but controlled movement. The body responds by rapidly sending a burst of nerve signals to the brain saying "hey, I'm moving all of a sudden!" These movement signals start to overwhelm pain signals, and they tell the muscles to relax because of the sudden increase in motion. Within one adjustment (or sometimes several), you start to notice less pain, less joint stiffness, less muscle tension, and better motion.
3. Gentleness - Those unfamiliar with chiropractic are surprised to hear that adjusting is actually more gentle than exercises, but think about the examples above. What sounds like it would be easier on the body -- the controlled, specific movement of one joint for less than one second, or repeated exercises of your entire back? Patients with acute pain often need to avoid certain exercise activities to avoid further aggravation. Once pain levels are less severe or less acute, exercises can be very helpful. That's why the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society (associations of medical professionals) recommended chiropractic spinal manipulation for acute and chronic back pain in their treatment guidelines based on current research. These guidelines recommend exercise therapy for chronic pain only.
Both chiropractic and exercise therapy can be beneficial for a variety of conditions. Sometimes the greatest benefit comes from a combination of the two. It's also important to realize that doctors of chiropractic are primary care physicians and can diagnose and treat your problems without referral from another doctor. They are trained to rule out emergencies and refer patients to other doctors when chiropractic is not the appropriate treatment choice. The best way to determine whether chiropractic adjusting is the appropriate treatment for you, is to consult a doctor of chiropractic.
1. Specificity - The diagnosis is in -- your back pain is primarily a result of a fixated/restricted right sacroiliac joint. Basically, a joint in your low back is stuck and not moving as well as it should. What do you do? You could perform some stretching and strengthening exercises for the low back. This general exercise can be helpful, but it doesn't isolate the problem area to restore proper motion in the specific joint that needs it. In contrast, a doctor of chiropractic can place his hand directly over the restricted joint and provide controlled movement (called manipulation or adjustment) to return it to normal function.
2. Speed - When performing stretching exercises, a slow and deliberate speed is most often used to gradually stretch the soft tissues. This slow stretch can do a fairly good job of relaxing the muscles to improve flexibility.
Now compare this slow stretch to a chiropractic adjustment. An adjustment is a controlled movement that usually occurs in less than a second. The speed is much faster than stretching, while the motion is controlled to be quite precise. You may hear a pop or click. That means the gas and fluid moved within the joint space. The important thing is how the body responds to this fast, but controlled movement. The body responds by rapidly sending a burst of nerve signals to the brain saying "hey, I'm moving all of a sudden!" These movement signals start to overwhelm pain signals, and they tell the muscles to relax because of the sudden increase in motion. Within one adjustment (or sometimes several), you start to notice less pain, less joint stiffness, less muscle tension, and better motion.
3. Gentleness - Those unfamiliar with chiropractic are surprised to hear that adjusting is actually more gentle than exercises, but think about the examples above. What sounds like it would be easier on the body -- the controlled, specific movement of one joint for less than one second, or repeated exercises of your entire back? Patients with acute pain often need to avoid certain exercise activities to avoid further aggravation. Once pain levels are less severe or less acute, exercises can be very helpful. That's why the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society (associations of medical professionals) recommended chiropractic spinal manipulation for acute and chronic back pain in their treatment guidelines based on current research. These guidelines recommend exercise therapy for chronic pain only.
Both chiropractic and exercise therapy can be beneficial for a variety of conditions. Sometimes the greatest benefit comes from a combination of the two. It's also important to realize that doctors of chiropractic are primary care physicians and can diagnose and treat your problems without referral from another doctor. They are trained to rule out emergencies and refer patients to other doctors when chiropractic is not the appropriate treatment choice. The best way to determine whether chiropractic adjusting is the appropriate treatment for you, is to consult a doctor of chiropractic.
