Chiropractic Care

With you lying on your back, front, or side, your doctor will apply pressure to your muscles and joints to stretch, adjust, or manipulate them to help them move better. This may be accompanied by a quick, shallow thrust. Following the procedure, your doctor will recheck the muscles and joints to see if movement has been restored and if pain has been relieved.

Fasciae are layers of tissue between our skin and muscles that facilitate movement. Sometimes with repetitive overuse or injury, the fasciae can stick to the muscles, resulting in pain and limited movement. Myofascial release therapy uses gentle pressure, either from your doctor’s hands or from an instrument, and guided motion to mobilize the fasciae and muscles to relieve symptoms.

Therapeutic ultrasound is a painless process in which the doctor places a small device on your skin that sends high-frequency sound waves into your body. The sound waves penetrate into the soft tissues, creating vibrations that improve circulation, calm inflammation, bring more oxygen to the area, and relax tight muscles.

Your doctor applies electrodes to the area of pain, then an electrical current is transmitted to that area to soothe muscle spasms and relieve pain.

Mechanical traction is a technique in which the doctor uses a machine to apply a gentle pulling or stretching force to the spine, with or without hand pressure, to relieve pain.

Your doctor may teach you how to avoid postures and patterns of movement that worsen your pain, and show you what to do instead.

If your condition is likely to respond favorably to yoga, core-strengthening, or other exercises, your doctor may teach you routines or poses that will help relieve your pain and improve your function.

Duke Health chiropractic doctors have extensive training, as well as backgrounds in working with other specialists to address issues collaboratively with their patients. They stay on top of current best practice recommendations and implement those recommendations in their daily practice.

When you come to Duke for chiropractic care, you get more than a chiropractor, you get an entire spine team. Should you require it, specialists with different types of training, including surgeons, physiatrists, and physical therapists, are available to make sure that your condition benefits from a comprehensive approach.