When most people picture a chiropractic adjustment, they imagine the chiropractor using their hands to adjust the spine, often accompanied by a popping or cracking sound. This image reflects the Diversified Technique, the most widely used chiropractic method in the world.
At Premier Chiropractic Center in Bessemer, Dr. Roshun Glover is skilled in multiple adjustment techniques, including Diversified Adjusting. Understanding how this technique works can help you feel more comfortable and confident about your chiropractic care.
What Is the Diversified Technique?
The Diversified Technique is a hands-on chiropractic method that uses manual thrusts to restore proper movement and alignment to the spine. It’s called “diversified” because it encompasses a wide variety of adjustments that can be applied to different areas of the spine and extremities, depending on what each patient needs.
This technique has been a cornerstone of chiropractic care since the profession began over a century ago. It remains the most commonly taught method in chiropractic schools and the most frequently used technique in clinical practice. Studies suggest that the majority of chiropractors use Diversified Adjusting as their primary method.
The Diversified Technique is characterized by high-velocity, low-amplitude thrusts. This means the adjustment involves a quick, precise movement over a short distance. The speed and precision of the thrust are what make the technique effective, not the amount of force used.
How Diversified Adjustments Work
When you receive a Diversified adjustment, here’s what typically happens.
Positioning
Dr. Glover will position you in a way that isolates the specific joint being adjusted. This might mean lying face down, on your side, or sitting up, depending on which area of your spine needs attention. Proper positioning is essential for an effective and comfortable adjustment.
Contact
Using his hands, Dr. Glover will place specific contact on or near the vertebra or joint that needs to be adjusted. The contact point is carefully chosen based on the direction the adjustment needs to go.
The Thrust
Once positioned correctly, Dr. Glover delivers a quick, controlled thrust. This movement is precise and targeted, moving the joint through its normal range of motion to restore proper position and mobility. The thrust happens in a fraction of a second.
The Release
As the joint moves, you may hear a popping or cracking sound. This sound, called a cavitation, is simply the release of gas bubbles from the fluid within the joint. It’s similar to the sound you might hear when cracking your knuckles. The sound is not bones cracking or grinding, and it’s completely harmless.
Not every adjustment produces this sound, and its presence or absence doesn’t indicate whether the adjustment was successful. What matters is whether proper joint motion has been restored.
Benefits of Diversified Adjusting
The Diversified Technique offers several advantages that have made it the most popular chiropractic method worldwide.
Versatility
Because the Diversified Technique encompasses many different adjustments, it can be applied throughout the entire spine and to extremity joints as well. Whether you need an adjustment in your neck, mid-back, lower back, pelvis, or even your shoulders, knees, or ankles, Diversified methods can be used.
Precision
Manual adjustments allow the chiropractor to feel exactly what’s happening with the joint being treated. This tactile feedback helps ensure the adjustment is delivered precisely where it’s needed and in the correct direction.
Effectiveness
Diversified Adjusting has a long track record of effectiveness for a wide range of conditions. Research supports its use for back pain, neck pain, headaches, and many other musculoskeletal complaints. Patients often experience immediate improvement in mobility and reduction in pain.
Direct Approach
For patients who want traditional, hands-on chiropractic care, Diversified Adjusting provides exactly that. Many people find the direct approach satisfying and appreciate feeling the adjustment take place.
Time-Tested
With over a century of refinement, the Diversified Technique is well-established and thoroughly understood. Chiropractors receive extensive training in these methods, and the technique has been studied extensively.
What Conditions Does It Treat?
Diversified Adjusting can be helpful for many conditions involving the spine and musculoskeletal system.
Back Pain: Whether your pain is in the upper, middle, or lower back, Diversified adjustments can help restore proper spinal alignment and joint function. This reduces nerve irritation, relaxes tense muscles, and often provides significant pain relief.
Neck Pain: Restricted motion and misalignment in the cervical spine respond well to Diversified adjustments. Restoring normal neck mobility can relieve pain, reduce headaches, and improve range of motion.
Headaches: Many headaches, particularly tension headaches and cervicogenic headaches, originate from problems in the neck. Diversified adjustments to the cervical spine can help reduce headache frequency and intensity.
Joint Stiffness: When spinal joints become stuck or restricted, Diversified adjustments restore normal motion. This can relieve the stiffness that makes it difficult to move comfortably.
Sciatica: Nerve compression in the lower back that causes pain radiating down the leg often responds to Diversified adjustments that restore proper alignment and take pressure off the affected nerve.
Postural Problems: Poor posture often involves spinal misalignments that can be addressed with Diversified Adjusting. Combined with postural exercises and awareness, adjustments can help you achieve and maintain better posture.
Is Diversified Adjusting Right for You?
While Diversified Adjusting is effective for many patients, it may not be the best choice for everyone. At Premier Chiropractic Center, Dr. Glover offers multiple techniques and will recommend the approach best suited to your specific situation.
Diversified Adjusting may be ideal if you have no contraindications to manual adjustments, you’re comfortable with hands-on treatment, you want a traditional chiropractic experience, or your condition responds well to manual manipulation.
Alternative techniques like the Activator Method or Thompson Technique may be better suited if you prefer a gentler approach, you have osteoporosis or other conditions affecting bone density, you’re uncomfortable with manual adjustments, or you simply prefer instrument-assisted or low-force methods.
Dr. Glover will discuss your options with you and help you choose the approach that fits your needs, preferences, and health status. Many patients benefit from a combination of techniques, depending on the area being treated and how their body responds.
What to Expect During Your Visit
If you’re new to chiropractic care or new to Diversified Adjusting specifically, knowing what to expect can help you feel more comfortable.
Your visit will begin with a thorough evaluation, including questions about your symptoms and health history, and a physical examination. Dr. Glover will assess your posture, range of motion, and spinal alignment to determine exactly where adjustments are needed.
Before any adjustment, Dr. Glover will explain what he’s going to do. If you have questions or concerns, this is the time to ask.
During the adjustment, you’ll be positioned comfortably, and Dr. Glover will deliver precise, controlled thrusts to the areas that need attention. You may hear popping sounds, which is normal. Most patients find the adjustments themselves quick and not painful, though you may feel some pressure.
After your adjustment, you might feel immediately better, or you might feel a bit sore, similar to how you might feel after a workout. This typically resolves within a day or two. Many patients report improved mobility and reduced pain right away.
A Personalized Approach
At Premier Chiropractic Center, Dr. Roshun Glover doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to chiropractic care. While Diversified Adjusting is an excellent technique that helps many patients, it’s just one tool in the toolbox.
Dr. Glover also offers the Activator Method for patients who prefer instrument-assisted, low-force adjustments, and the Thompson Technique for those who benefit from drop-table-assisted corrections. The technique or combination of techniques used depends entirely on what will work best for you.
Experience Diversified Adjusting at Premier Chiropractic
If you’re curious about Diversified chiropractic care or want to experience traditional, hands-on adjustments, we invite you to visit Premier Chiropractic Center.
At Premier Chiropractic Center, Dr. Roshun Glover provides skilled, personalized care using the techniques best suited to each patient’s needs. Our Bessemer office welcomes patients from throughout the Birmingham area who are looking for effective, professional chiropractic treatment.
Ready to see what Diversified Adjusting can do for you? Book your appointment today, or visit our technique page to learn more about the methods we use to help you feel your best.
Recent Comments