Chiropractic Tools and Equipment: What Do They Use?

Chiropractors are more than a means for relieving pain from accidents or sports injuries. They heal minor bodily inflictions like allergies, headaches, and other health problems while alleviating the origin of your pain, even if that means altering your diet. However, the appropriate chiropractic tools and equipment, from basic tables to digital machines, assist the chiropractors’ magical touch.

Running an efficient and reputable practice means having these tools to suit every patient’s needs. Ribley’s Woodstock chiropractor team in Georgia has 25 years of experience providing services with the best tools and equipment. Here are some of the most common equipment that no chiropractor should be without. 

Basic Chiropractic Tools

Although techniques and office equipment can vary with each chiropractor, the tools below are the most common ones you’ll see.

1. The Chiropractic Table

What are chiropractic offices without chiropractic tables? Since this is where the patients sit or lay during treatments, it’s a must. Still, each of the different table types serves a unique purpose.

• Stationary or portable tables are traditional, low-maintenance tables with multiple drop options useful for patient adjustments. 
• Elevation and Hylo tables are more advanced, with adjustable heights and widths that make treatments more accessible to those with limited mobility. 
• Distraction, traction, and decompression tables are more complex as they work to relieve pressure and stretch the joints around the spine. Parts of each table move with manual or automatic controls and provide power drops, rollers, vibrations, and sensors to determine and alleviate muscle resistance.

2. Adjustment Tools

Next on this list of chiropractic tools and equipment are activator adjustment tools, spring-loaded devices, similar to mini jackhammers, that thrust against the patient’s back or neck. The hand-held devices are precise enough to implement low force on stiff areas without troubling nearby muscles that would otherwise become sore from this procedure. 

This treatment method works at high speeds, not allowing the muscles time to seize or tense up and resist treatment. The controlled, low force also ensures treatments target certain areas accurately without bending or twisting the joints. 

3. X-Ray Machines

Like all medical spaces, a chiropractic office contains X-ray machines that identify bodily issues causing ailments like joint stiffness, back and neck aches, and dislocations. Pathology, the study of these injuries, allows chiropractors to reverse the issues at hand without furthering discomfort or pain. 

Once they diagnose the ailments, the chiropractors store the image in their systems, constantly referring back to it as treatments continue to ensure positive progress. 

Chiropractic Equipment

Chiropractic equipment comprises electrotherapy, or electromagnetic therapy, that treats pain by releasing endorphins. Without treatment, these endorphins send signals to the patient’s brain, causing them to perceive pain. Alongside cold lasers and electromyography, the following equipment is the most popular electrotherapy among chiropractors.

4. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

Of the numerous chiropractic tools and equipment, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS therapy, uses a belt of sticky electrode pads to stimulate patients’ muscles and nerves. Whether using it to relieve random bursts of pain along the neck and back or relax the muscles with battery-powered electrical currents, it’s perfect for chiropractic and home use. 

These TENS units come in numerous sizes and strengths, so consult your chiropractor to find the appropriate TENS unit for your condition when using it at home. 

5. Therapeutic Ultrasound

When people think of ultrasounds, they usually think of pregnancies and sonograms. However, ultrasounds are more than a diagnostic tool that allows doctors to see what’s happening inside a patient’s body. A therapeutic ultrasound distributes heat within the lower back, pulsating nutrients deep into the afflicted area.

Massaging the soft tissues loosens tight muscles, reducing spasms and stiffness that lead to painful swelling and joint aches. This heat therapy also improves circulation and blood flow, ensuring blood and oxygen reach every organ and body part. Better circulation helps with long-term relief, allowing the body to heal faster and function optimally, barring future ailments. 

Readjust Your Lifestyle with Adjustments in Woodstock, GA

The sources of physical pain are many, from the worksite or sports injuries and auto accident ailments to chronic headaches and seasonal allergies. The only thing worse experiencing unexpected ailments is refusing to undergo treatment and opening the door to unnecessary long-term pain. Instead, trust experienced chiropractors to relieve stiffness and perform readjustments. 

The doctors at Ribley have helped thousands of patients over the past 25 years achieve better sleep, reduce sickness and stress, and increase energy levels. Call to learn more about chiropractic tools and equipment and start feeling better in Woodstock, GA.