Staff Writer
Some people think there’s only a single way doctors of chiropractic do healthcare. This, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth. Chiropractic care always begins with a proper, extensive chiropractic exam. Chiropractors will take time to hear your health history, analyze relevant family health history, learn your activity preferences, and evaluate the reason you came in.
Following those assessment steps, and if your condition indicates the need, a specific care technique by your Doctor of Chiropractic may be the best course of action.
Of course, if you haven’t yet needed musculoskeletal care, you might not have known that chiropractic techniques have evolved over the years to include instrument-assisted devices and table-assisted methods.
Flexion distraction and Leander are two techniques commonly used by chiropractors, especially for lower back disc-related conditions. These two table-assisted techniques are gentle and have been shown to be safe for patients.
The spinal column’s discs, positioned between your vertebrae, don’t have a very good nutrient supply. When they are bulged or herniated, it is difficult for them to heal on their own.
The flexion distraction technique uses a specific table where the patient lies face down. Although this table looks similar to a standard chiropractic table, the difference is the bottom part of the table that holds your legs lowers and can move from side to side.
By using the flexion distraction technique, your chiropractor may be able to drop the intradiscal pressure significantly and widen the spinal canal by as much as 28%. These actions allow nutrients to be supplied to the discs and can help disc bulges and herniations repair themselves.
Chiropractic patients say the technique feels quite nice and relaxing! It is also an excellent option for patients with a history of spinal surgery or conditions that may limit the use of traditional manual chiropractic adjustments.
Additional benefits of flexion distraction can include
Another technique similar to flexion distraction is called the Leander technique. At first glance, the tables might look similar, but the bottom part of the Leander table that holds the patient’s legs is motorized to allow movements up and down. This allows doctors of chiropractic to use their hands to help stretch or adjust the patient while under controlled tension.
The table used for the Leander technique isn’t typically used for acute conditions like disc herniations and sprain strains. It can, however, give great relief to more chronic issues.
Patient management from doctors of chiropractic include
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), founded in 1922, is a private, nonprofit university in Overland Park, Kansas. Our mission is to educate and develop leaders in health promotion through our Doctor of Chiropractic and health science degree programs.
The CUKC on-campus Chiropractic Health Center is open to the public and treats tens of thousands of patients from Kansas City’s 15-county metro area every year. Our goal is to provide affordable chiropractic care and solutions for a better, more productive life for our patients.
