Common Chiropractic Treatments

The general reasoning behind an individual visiting a chiropractor is if they are suffering from neck or back pains. It is also not uncommon for people to seek treatment if they feel their muscles and joints are not functioning optimally. Because many of the justifications behind chiropractic care is related to the spine, it is quite often observed that the nervous system has been affected in some way. This can lead to other symptoms that may cause someone to seek help, such as tension headaches, migraine and chest pains.

Sometimes people suffer from referred pains. These are pains that are highly associated with back, neck or joint problems that may be aided by chiropractic treatment, however, they are not localised around where the actual condition is. This often leads people to believe they have something else wrong with them and attend an appointment with their doctor. From here, they may be referred to a good chiropractor to seek the source of the problem and relieve it using appropriate methods.


There are two key techniques involved in chiropractic treatment by a chiropractor are manipulation treatment and soft tissue treatment.

Manipulation Treatment

The most used and key technique employed by all trained chiropractors is manipulation with their hands. This is a manual method where the chiropractor will target the source of the condition with their hands and manoeuvre the joints in a way that the patient would be unable to do him or herself. Sometimes, the movements performed by the chiropractor are quite forceful, known as a ‘dynamic thrust’.

During a dynamic thrust manoeuvre, it is very common to here a popping or snapping sound radiate from the joint being manipulated. This is because in the fluid between the joins, there are small bubbles of gas. When the chiropractor is putting force onto these bubbles, they create the popping sound. This noise sometimes makes the patient concerned that the bones have been damaged or muscles have been torn, but be assured that it is just the bubbles. However, if this manoeuvre is carried out incorrectly, it can cause harm to the body.

Soft tissue treatment

The second key treatment carried out by chiropractors is performed on the soft tissues. These tissues consist primarily of the tendons and muscles. These are prone to tensing, twisting and causing discomfort. In order to relieve any pain or distress, the chiropractor can perform massages or stretching techniques. This treatment, however, is not the key practice of chiropractors.

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