Rushmore Family Chiropractic offers a comprehensive range of services. Our primary area of treatment is the spine but you might be very surprised to know what other areas of your body can be treated by your chiropractor!
Spines, necks and hips are where we see the greatest need from our patients. Wintertime slip-and-falls, workplace incidents and daily sports activities all contribute to pain in backs, low backs, necks and hips. But other areas of your body also need some TLC and we employ a variety of techniques to treat them, and alleviate your pain and discomfort.
Did you know that the jaw is one of the main places of tension with your body? So many people grip, grind and feel pain around their jaw. Thankfully, we have procedures to alleviate that pain and release tension.
For the jaw, we perform what is called ‘Trigger Point Therapy’ and ‘Activator Adjusting’. These are techniques that many of our patients can benefit from. You’ll notice that when you visit Rushmore Family Chiropractic with low back or neck pain, we ask how you’re feeling, where the pain is located, how you’re sleeping and other questions to help us determine where the pain began, and what other areas of the body may be affected.
Trigger Point Therapy
This type of massage treatment targets the muscles around the jaw. The superficial muscle is the Mandible (which lifts the jaw upward, to open and close the mouth). The next muscles, which lie deeper than the Mandible, are the Pterygoids which also help open and close the mouth, as well as to move the jaw from side to side, and forward. The Trapezius and Temporalis are the next muscles, located above the ear. These two can result in pain and soreness around the jaw area.
During Trigger Point Therapy, the patient receives cycles of isolated pressure and release. Through this procedure, we locate small trigger points within muscular bands. Precise pressure is applied, which helps to release constricted areas with the muscles, and reduces pain, sometimes after just one treatment. It helps if the patient practices deep-breathing techniques during their Trigger Point Therapy. Ongoing treatment including Trigger Point Therapy can help manage chronic pain from injury.
Activator Adjusting
The activator is a small hand-held instrument which delivers gentle impulses. The activator can be used on the spine, vertebrae or other joints, as well as soft tissues of the body This spring-loaded instrument rapidly clicks against the particular part of the body’. Because the activator is so fast, the muscles and joints of the body are less likely to tense in anticipation.
When a patient is suffering from TMJ, Activator Adjusting is often the best treatment a chiropractor can give. The activator can pinpoint an area of misalignment or subluxation, around the temporomandibular joint, and help to release it.
As chiropractors, our goal is to treat the entire individual and the entire body, not just one area experiencing pain or discomfort.
