If a patient cannot fully relax or finds the general chiropractic treatments for neck pain, back pain, and sciatica pain to be emotionally uncomfortable, there are several gentler alternative options for chiropractic treatment.

At Bloomingdale Chiropractic, our patients’ comfort is our top priority. Spinal manipulation is a delicate process – a process in which we are proficiently trained. However, some patients are very nervous about general chiropractic techniques during the first few exams, so we have created several alternative methods that will still help treat our patients without sacrificing comfort.

Below is a list of alternative chiropractic methods for neck pain, back pain, and sciatica for patients who are unsure about the general chiropractic methods:

Neck Pain – Alternative Chiropractic Methods

• Cervical Mobilization. This gentle procedure allows the chiropractor to adjust the vertebras in the neck without any thrust motions. This is particularly good for people who cannot relax or do not like the sound of the neck “popping” or “cracking.”

Here’s how it works, according to spine-health.com: The patient is usually lying on his or her back and is relaxed while the chiropractor manually moves the vertebra in the neck left to right, and vice versa, alternating between the side to side motion and a figure 8 movement, applied at varying degrees of moving the head forward, backward, and to the side and in rotation. This is a smooth, non-thrust type of stretch, with the goal of reducing fixations or areas where motion is restricted between the cervical spinal segments. An oscillatory movement with the hands is also frequently utilized during cervical spine mobilization.

Back Pain – Alternative Chiropractic Methods
Spinal Mobilization. The goal of this gentle spinal manipulation is to decrease back pain and increase joint function. This particular form of spinal manipulation is great for people who suffer from back pain and have limited mobility caused from osteoporosis, arthritis, or any other movement-prohibiting ailments. Chiropractors might also use this procedure if the patient is in severe back pain and has a loss of mobility.

Here’s how it works, according to spine-health.com:

• Activator method: The Activator is a hand-held, spring-loaded, manual tool that provides a low-force impulse. With the patient lying face down on the adjustment table, the chiropractor evaluates leg length, performs muscle testing, and adjusts the spine or extremity joints using the Activator tool.
• Cox Flexion-distraction: This technique involves a gentle adjustment that is designed to adjust vertebrae by applying a gentle stretch to the lower spine, usually in a series of repetitive slow movements similar to a rocking motion.

Sciatica Pain – Alternative Chiropractic Methods

• Toggle Drop. Much like patients with back pain, people suffering from sciatica pain might require alternative methods of treatment due to lack of mobility from pain or other ailments. In these cases, chiropractors might use a “toggle drop” method to alleviate the patient’s pain without requiring much movement from the patient.

Here’s how it works, according to spine-health.com: Using crossed hands one on top of the other, the chiropractor presses down quickly and firmly on a particular area of the spine while a section of the drop table falls, taking advantage of gravity to apply the adjustment. The table has different sections that can be raised and dropped in accordance with the localization of the spinal adjustment.

If you are suffering from neck pain, back pain, or sciatica pain, we encourage you to explore a chiropractic solution for your problem. Call our office to set up a consultation with one of our chiropractors to find out if our treatments are right for you. We would be happy to discuss the gentle treatment options discussed in this article.