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Health

Chiropractor

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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A manual therapist is someone who literally carries out treatment with their own hands. With the help of special methods of manual therapy, massage, procedures, etc., the manual doctor successfully helps to eliminate unpleasant symptoms, and sometimes completely get rid of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Manual therapy is a specially developed system of receptions, which are carried out with the help of hands. Manual influence on the sore spots, it is possible to effectively solve the problems associated with any pathology of the spine, it is also possible to remove painful sensations in the joints, the muscular apparatus, with diseases of internal organs, disorders of cerebral circulation, etc. The advantage of such treatment is that its application helps to get rid of such diseases, which are often beyond the power of drug treatment. Manual therapist conducts in his work to begin examination, and then treatment of the spine, joints, muscles, as well as nervous diseases.

Manual therapy combines the latest techniques and techniques with massage, reflexotherapy, which allows to achieve the most effective result in the treatment of intervertebral hernias, vegetovascular dystonia, arthrosis of large joints, scoliosis, chronic headaches, musculotonergic syndromes and many others.

Manual methods show good results in the complex treatment of many diseases of internal organs. The health of our body depends on the condition of the spine. With problems with the cervical vertebrae, a person may suffer from dizziness, headaches, etc. This is due to the fact that the diseased organ sends a nervous impulse to a certain section of the spinal cord, and this is the cause of the disturbed blood circulation and muscle changes. As a result, the chronic form of the disease develops. During the impact on the muscles, ligaments, the manual therapist removes the pain syndrome, and often relieves the immediate cause of osteochondrosis. Treatment manual techniques in the power to relieve the cause of osteochondrosis in only one case, when the development of the disease is caused by a violation of the normal operation of adjacent organs to the damaged disc, without the formation of a hernia.

After the session of manual therapy in muscles, blood circulation noticeably improves, as a result muscles come to tone, tissue nutrition and metabolism becomes much better. On average, a full course of manual therapy takes 15-20 sessions. Before starting a course of manual therapy, you need to consult a doctor, since sometimes, with certain concomitant diseases, such treatment is not recommended.

The manual therapist in his work uses special procedures, massage techniques, physiotherapy. In each case, depending on the problem and the patient's condition, the specialist selects an individual set of therapeutic actions: thermal procedures, vibromassage, physical education, etc.

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When should I go to the manual therapist?

As a rule, the manual therapist is used for osteochondrosis (spine disease). Before you start a course of manual therapy, you need to undergo a test, and eliminate contraindications.

The reason to go to the manual therapist are pain in the muscles, joints, discomfort or stiffness when moving joints. Methods of manual therapy will help in the complex treatment of cardiovascular, urogenital, respiratory diseases, as well as problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

A manual therapist can help even with reduced vision, cerebral circulation, chronic prostatitis, impotence, menstrual irregularities, gynecological problems (ovarian cyst, uterine fibroids, etc.).

Help chiropractor may also be needed for women in the postpartum period. Pregnancy and childbirth have a strong effect on the female body, especially on the spine, which is the maximum load in this period. After giving birth, a woman often has pain in her back, a small pelvis, in the joints, and may be troubled by headaches or dizziness. In this situation, the manual therapist, is one of the specialists who can provide invaluable help. Often, women turn to the manual therapist, when the pain becomes pronounced, sometimes unbearable, when the process is badly started and requires long-term treatment.

What tests should I take when I contact a chiropractor?

When referring to the manual therapist, the doctor in each specific case may assign one or more tests in addition. What exactly it depends on the main and accompanying diseases, general condition, etc.

Additionally, you may need:

  • clinical blood test. Also called a detailed analysis. By the results of the analysis, it is possible to assess the level of hemoglobin, leukocytes, erythrocytes, platelets in the blood. With the help of clinical analysis, anemia (low hemoglobin) is determined, as well as the available inflammatory processes in the body.
  • blood chemistry. With the help of this analysis, the functions of internal organs (liver, kidneys), micronutrient imbalance, disturbance of water-salt metabolism, inflammatory process are determined.

If the tests showed that the body has an inflammatory process, it is necessary to find out the cause of the inflammation and exclude contraindications to manual therapy.

Women before starting a course of manual therapy should visit a gynecologist and pass the necessary tests, because in some diseases of the female reproductive system, manual therapy is contraindicated. These diseases include various tumors and vascular diseases in the small pelvis. Regarding various inflammations in women, an individual approach is required here.

You may also need a consultation with a neurologist or orthopedist.

What diagnostic methods does the manual therapist use?

First of all, the manual therapist should perform spine diagnostics with the help of additional methods, and only on the basis of the received information, proceed directly to the treatment.

First of all, it is necessary to undergo roentgenological examination of the spine. With the help of an X-ray, you can determine osteochondrosis, curvature (scoliosis, kyphosis, etc.), various changes in the intervertebral joints, the consequences of injuries. Unfortunately, X-ray does not allow you to evaluate some pathological phenomena in the spine. For example, it will not be possible to assess the state of the intervertebral discs, because x-rays are not delayed by cartilage, but still an indirect judgment of their condition on the height of the intervals between vertebrae can be done. For the same reason, it will not be possible to reveal an intervertebral hernia.

  • Duplex scanning of vessels. This is a modern method that allows you to diagnose cerebral circulatory disorders, with its help you can evaluate the functional parameters of blood flow, anatomical changes in blood vessels (bends, patency, malformation, wall condition, etc.). Also duplex scanning is carried out for the purpose of research of peripheral blood circulation, vessels of extremities.
  • Electromyography (EMG). With the help of this diagnostic method, the bioelectric potential in muscles is estimated. The condition of the muscle fibers of the nerves that conduct the impulses is due to the proper functioning of the muscles. As a result of violation of electrical muscle activity, muscle tissue disease develops. EMG is completely harmless, in some cases there is pain in the place where the needle electrode is injected.
  • Computer tomography of the spine. Modern method of examination, which has a high efficiency in determining the disease of the spine. As a result of the study, you can get a three-dimensional picture of the spine, spinal cord, spinal canal. You can also get a three-dimensional image.

At a computer tomography through the body the ionized radiation in a certain dose is carried out. Change of parameters of beams at passage of any site, is fixed by special gauges, and then are registered on the computer. After the computer processes the received data, a picture is displayed on the monitor. This digital information allows, if there is such a need, to reanalyze the state of the spine in the image, without recourse to a second examination of the patient. The method of diagnosis is absolutely painless and takes about five minutes, to that special training (diet, taking medications, etc.) for carrying out computed tomography is not required.

  • Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical department (MRI). This type of diagnostics develops quite rapidly and has a high efficiency in the study of the spine. With the help of MRI it is possible to estimate the condition of soft tissues in the spine as much as possible. As a rule, the hernia in the cervical spine develops in parallel with the osteophytes (bone growth along the edge of the vertebral bodies). Usually, hernias and osteophytes occur asymptomatically, and are detected only on the examination.

What does the manual therapist do?

The manual therapist should know the functions and structure of the body perfectly. He must be able to find an approach to each patient, taking into account not only his illnesses, but also his physical and mental state. Only in this case it is possible to avoid complications and achieve the maximum therapeutic effect. The goal of the chiropractor should be to relieve the patient of the painful sensations in the spine, to restore mobility to the joints.

In the office of the chiropractor, the musculoskeletal system is examined, and the congenital anomalies of the skeleton are revealed. The manual therapist after the examination, appoints a treatment course aimed at eliminating pain and restoring the motor function. A full course of manual therapy will help restore the work of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine, respiratory and other systems, improve blood circulation in the brain, increase the defenses of the body, and improve the psycho-emotional state of a person.

First of all, the manual therapist should have a diploma of a neuropathologist or orthopedist, and then already have the secrets of "manual" treatment.

Before treatment, the doctor should always learn the complaints, examine the sick body, if necessary, assign additional methods of research, primarily x-rays. Only after receiving a picture and conclusions of the radiologist, the doctor should start treatment.

For an effective result, it is necessary to conduct several sessions of manual therapy, solving the problem at once is simply not possible. In manual therapy should not be used harmful to human health effects, and many professionals now prefer milder treatments. During the work the doctor should control the patient's state of health.

Help manual therapy may be needed throughout the life of a person, beginning with birth. For example, in the baby during birth, the cervical vertebrae may move, which in the future may threaten problems with the head vessels, but in time the help provided will help to avoid this. Throughout life, a person faces a lot of problems of the musculoskeletal system, of which the most part is connected specifically with the spine (pain, stiffness, etc.). Among the patients of the chiropractor you can see both young and old people. Particular care in the treatment of children and older people, with such patients need to try to use the most gentle techniques.

The main goal of any manual therapist is to restore the biomechanical processes that occur in the spine, muscles or ligaments and arise for various reasons (injuries, bruises). As a result of this disorder, various kinds of diseases of the internal organs and the brain develop. It turns out that the methods of manual therapy are beneficial for the entire human body.

The need for manual therapy arises when there is curvature of the spine, pinched nerves, hernia between the vertebrae, etc. Of course, manual therapy does not always completely cure the disease (for example, vertebral hernia), but it is possible to relieve severe symptoms and ease the patient's condition. Also, the manual therapist helps to get rid of diseases that at first glance are completely unrelated to orthopedics or the spine, for example thyroid and lung diseases. This is due to the passage of lymphatic drainage, as well as the peculiarity of blood supply to organs.

The human body is a very complex and perfect single mechanism in which a malfunction in the work of one organ leads to disruption of the work of other organs. For example, as a result of a finger injury on the leg, a gait is broken that threatens arthrosis of the hip joint, problems with internal organs can begin due to displaced vertebrae as a result of incorrect posture, etc. The manual doctor will help to find out the cause and will consult about the prevention of the disease.

What diseases does the manual therapist treat?

Manual therapy will help get rid of many diseases. First of all, from pain in the back, in the cervical region, in the extremities, from the consequences of injuries or operations. The normal functioning of all organs depends on proper circulation. Even with the most insignificant disorders in the spine, blood circulation can be disturbed, which can lead to various diseases - migraine, visual impairment, diseases of the reproductive system, etc. The manual therapist will find the source of the disease and eliminate them.

Diseases that can be treated with manual therapy are quite a lot. Among them, osteochondrosis of all departments, disorders of posture, intervertebral hernia, joint pain, numbness or pain in the limbs, lung disease due to impaired blood circulation with vertebral displacement, vegetovascular dystonia, headaches, hypertension, cerebral circulation, insomnia, fatigue due to problems with the spine or joints. The organs with which the manual therapist works are the spine, muscles, ligaments.

Like all treatment methods, manual therapy has its own contraindications: systemic diseases, oncology, osteoporosis (brittle bones), diseases that require immediate medical treatment.

Advices of a physician chiropractor

It is necessary to begin prophylaxis of diseases of the spine before the onset of the disease itself, in order to prevent its development.

In order not to have problems with the back, you need to lead an active lifestyle, engage in therapeutic gymnastics, as much as possible in sports, do not lift weights, do not stoop and keep the posture correctly. A good relaxing effect have different applicators, massagers.

If you have a sedentary job in the office, you need to get up more often to walk a little, it would be ideal to do some exercises (for example, during a telephone conversation or sitting at a table). You need to use the elevator less often, try to walk more. The workplace should be made as convenient as possible, you can purchase special lining for a chair to unload your back. Very important is the location of the monitor, as well as the direction of the light. Such, at first glance, little things, can lead to significant problems with the back.

You should be extremely careful when practicing sports such as parachute jumping, running, aerobics, tennis, volleyball, fast dances, etc. Sharp movements and twists can provoke an exacerbation of diseases of the back.

Often, the intervertebral hernia gives complications in the form of pinching. In this case, therapeutic exercise can help, if you are planning independent studies, you should always consult a doctor. In addition to physiotherapy exercises, you can do exercises in the water or swimming, only necessarily under the supervision of the instructor.

With acute pain in the back, you need to observe the most sparing regimen, both motor and physical. It is necessary as much as possible to unload a backbone (for example, with the help of a corset). Also recommended is the complete rest of the diseased department, to relax the muscles, improve blood circulation, and lymph flow.

Manual therapist by using special techniques on the body, helps to get rid of osteochondrosis, scoliosis, arthrosis, headaches of various origins. Knowledge gained in the training process, skills acquired during work - help the manual therapist to render invaluable help to people, often even in cases when traditional medicine is powerless.

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