We have a team of providers who partner on patients’ health to guide them on the path to wellness. For many of the conditions we see in clinic, a simple adjustment will not suffice. For example, low back pain from inactivity or sitting for long periods of time will reoccur if the tools to fix the weak areas and maintain proper alignment are not addressed.
Our Integrated Health model houses Medical providers, Chiropractors, and Physical Therapists who target the patient’s specific condition from all three pillars of care. If a patient arrives in severe pain to the point of not being able to move properly, medical intervention can be the first step.
Decreasing pain and inflammation by medical intervention may allow our Chiropractors and Physical Therapists to
- Make quicker improvements in joint mechanics
- Strengthen and stabilize the soft tissue injury
Examples of medical treatment are:
- Trigger Point Injections
- Prescriptions
- Ultrasound-guided Regenerative Joint Injections
- IV Infusion Therapy
A chiropractor works on the joint mechanics and performs the adjustment. In the case of a patient with low back pain due to inactivity there is most likely a misaligned pelvis. After evaluating the joints, spine and extremities, the Chiropractor restores motion to areas not moving properly. This compliments the work by the Physical Therapists on the muscles surrounding the adjusted areas.
Physical Therapists are focusing on the soft tissue and muscles. Their therapy helps to lengthen and strengthen muscles and help a patient develop muscle memory. In the case of a patient with an improper pelvic tilt, the Physical Therapist designates exercises to strengthen the newly adjusted bones and muscles. In this case, the glutes and core will need work to pull the back and spine back into a correct position.
Manual Therapists work in conjunction with the Chiropractors and Physical Therapists to do focused work on the areas that are tight and causing pain. A manual therapy session after an adjustment or physical therapy will free up tension and allow for mobility.
We want to get you out of pain, but we also want to provide you with the foundation and tools to maintain your improvement.
In summary, here’s how the soft tissue and joint work play out.
Chiropractic
- Treat the musculoskeletal system
- Spinal and extremity adjustments
Physical Therapy
- Strengthen muscles
- Manual therapy loosens hypertonicity and helps with muscle mobility
A patient’s progress will depend on the level of muscle strength and tone. “It’s about balance,” Michael Santina, Doctor of Chiropractic says.
“At the end of the day, it is never as simple as saying it is just a muscle or just a joint. We want a synergistic balance between the proper muscles strengthened, the proper muscles lengthened, and joints or groups of joints moving correctly.”
You can have an athlete come in presenting with low back pain and they are strong but have issues because she/he is off balance. For patients who come in for an adjustment and strengthening work but continue to sit for long periods or are inactive can expect the problems will persist or get worse.
The answer is to get up and move around. Some simple measures to help those confined to working from home and sitting in unsupportive furniture is to use standing desks.
Take a lunch break and put yourself first. If you aren’t able to go to a gym then take a walk or do a yoga class online. Take time to stretch the psoas after sitting for a while and try not to sit for too long without a stretching break.
Your path to wellness begins here.
