Instruments Used by Chiropractors

Chiropractors use many instruments in their offices, including their own hands and bodies. Computerized instruments and massage instruments, including ice packs and heating pads, help a chiropractor relax muscles so manipulation of the patient's spine can occur. X-ray machines and ultrasound machines aid the chiropractor in helping patients. Doctors use posture and nutrition to assess and correct treatment.

Machines Used by Chiropractors

• Many of the tables in a chiropractor's office come equipped with helpful devices. Some tables use gravity to correct the posture of a patient so manipulation is more effective. Some tables have rollers that massage the patient's back while heating the back or hip that needs adjustment. Thompson technique occurs when the cushions on the table drop an inch or two, as a chiropractic thrust occurs. Ultrasound machines reduce inflammation in an affected area. A Blair-head clamp helps position the head and neck for X-rays.

Computerized Instruments

• TENS is a popular instrument used to reduce inflammation. TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator. It stimulates the nerves to move the muscle that is reluctant. Locators reveal where bones are misaligned. These work with imaging devices such as ultrasound. Thermocouple is a device that measures heat coming from the body.

Hand-held Instruments

• Activator Adjusting Instrument allows chiropractors to gently pound a misaligned vertebra back into the spine; arthrostim does the same thing with rapid speed. Nervo-cope measures temperature on both sides of the spine to find where spine needs adjustment. Toftness Radiation Detector identifies where pinched nerves and misaligned vertebrae occur.

Procedural Instruments

• For patients of a chiropractor, nutrition, exercise, and education go much further than the use of hardware. Teaching patients how to take care of their bodies, get proper exercise, and practice good posture are essential to the chiropractor's practice. Chiropractors desire that patients learn how to properly stretch tight muscles to relieve the pressure that causes the joints to misalign. Many don't even use tools, other than their hands, to manipulate and help a patient in pain. Chiropractors have lots of different techniques to help out patients who have injured themselves. Kinesiology is used by doctors to test muscle strength. Bio-Energetic Synchronization Technique reveals where leg length differs so a doctor can correct the imbalance. With bio-kinetics, a chiropractor uses a special instrument at the base of the skull to relieve many illnesses.