Soft tissue work after your adjustment
In most Chiropractic offices the treatment you receive will be an adjustment to reduce restrictions in joint movement. Then possibly a therapy or two that can reduce muscle spasm and pain. The difference in our office is that after your adjustment I will spend some time checking the muscles for trigger points. Think of these as small knots in a part of the muscle instead of whole muscle cramps like you may be familiar with if you have ever had a calf muscle spasm. They have the unique quality of causing pain in another area when pressure is applied. An example would be when I find a trigger point next to a shoulder blade. When pressure is applied, they often cause pain in to the persons neck or down their arm. Once I find a trigger point, I can cause the muscle to relax simply by applying light pressure to the point. Over the years I have found that if I can reduce these trigger points the patients pain reduces more quickly and the patient progresses more quickly.