Restorative Chiropractic - Spinal Remodeling Traction
The latest research shows that posture is key in reducing the forces that cause breakdown in your body. Discs and spinal joints don’t just wear out, they wear from excessive stress from overuse, poor form and/or poor posture. While we address each of these in our clinic, posture is the most consistent and often most underrated stressor causing joint pain, headaches and nerve issues. Your posture is held through a combination of learned and conditioned patterns in the ligaments, muscles, tendons and nerves supporting and supplying your spine.
These patterns can be changed. Chiropractic adjustments may help with inflammation and range of motion, but for sustained postural improvement, spinal remodeling traction and postural exercises are required. Spinal remodeling traction is similar to orthodontics for your spine. This body restoring technology reduces stress and accelerates the healing process. In fact many physical conditions won’t change and/or will plateau without addressing this component. By specializing in spinal remodeling, our clinic is able to address conditions that other systems like physical therapy, medicine, surgery and traditional chiropractic systems are unable to do.
Spinal Remodeling Traction Example:
Standing lumbar 2-way extension SRT correction position for hypolordosis (below)
Lateral Lumbar (low back) X-Ray Pre and Post Treatment (below)
This patient required approximately 30 degrees to match their normal lumbar curve.
Before = 17.2 degrees / Post Posture Therapy Program = 29.4 degrees
Before = 24.5mm translation = Post Posture Therapy Program 5.4mm translation
Leg + Foot numbness and tingling resolved post treatment and Significant reduction in Lower Back Pain. Significantly increased ability to participate in life, work out and drive longer distances without symptoms.
A Typical Spinal Remodeling Traction (SRT) Session
SRT session aims to improve the overall alignment of the spine or region being transformed by slowly and permanently stretching the ligaments of the spine. We start by warming up the patient with a few minutes of exercise followed by a specific chiropractic adjustment to improve pliability of the spinal tissues. Then the patient is then placed into their specific SRT setup which our doctor identifies for each individual patient based on their x-rays, morphology (bone structure), symptoms and postural assessment. SRT is performed within the therapeutic range of tissue and patient tolerance. Even good changes can be uncomfortable (think fitness), but a SRT session starts with minimal force and minimal time to determine how each patient will progress. As the tissues begin to change and adapt to their new position, more force and time is applied. This creates progress as the tissues become healthier and stronger and the patient's tolerance increases.
A therapeutic dose of traction is typically between 8-20 minutes per session. During the session stiff and rigid tissues are slowly encouraged to relax and reform. Like intense physical fitness activity, SRT is done for the long term effects, but some patients enjoy the actual traction itself. There is often a powerful relaxing effect on the spinal cord in the area being tractioned which can have a warm, euphoric feeling following SRT.
Spinal remodeling is physical work and it is common to be uncomfortable during and have some residual soreness in the hours that follow. Because SRT works to correct the cause of a patient’s injury, we are typically working on tissue that is not injured, but is rigid or malpositioned. (Think of a tire that is wearing unevenly because of faulty alignment. Working on the alignment doesn’t touch the tire itself, but will stop it from wearing.) This means that SRT absolutely should not exacerbate the symptoms that the patient came in with. The soreness associated with body parts changing (think fitness) is usually most intense during the first 3 weeks of care. When done in succession SRT can make lasting changes to the structure and function of a patient's spine in as little as 10-12 weeks that can last years. In fact, much of the research being done on SRT has many 1-2 year follow ups that show continued improvement.
Spinal Remodeling Traction Example:
Seated 2-way distraction extension SRT for cervical hypolordosis & forward head displacement above
Lateral Cervical (neck) Pre and Post Treatment Neck X-ray (below)
Before 17 degrees —> After 34 degrees / Before 11mm forward head —> After 3mm
Chronic Neck and Upper Shoulder Pain, as well as on and off Low Back Pain, Jaw Pain and Numbness & Tingling in hands. All symptoms resolved at 3 month re-exam