WHAT TO EXPECT FROM TOTH CHIROPRACTIC
Our office specializes in sports and family chiropractic so you will primarily experience a hands-on adjustment with gentle stretching and occasional trigger point therapy. Care will be taken to address shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles to help manage any complaints involving the extremities. Drop Table, SOT blocks, and Activator are instruments that are occasionally employed to assist with adjustments when necessary.
Techniques include Diversified, Thompson, Gonstead, SOT, Webster, and Activator Method. All adjustments are modified to meet the needs of each individual so that seniors and children receive more gentle adjustments and adults who want a more robust force can get a more vigorous adjustment. Exercises and self-care will be recommended for each person in the form of home therapies, stretches, nutritional advice, and lifestyle modifications. Clothes remain on for all treatments, no special attire is needed for adjustments and X-rays are not required on the initial exam.
Co-management of patients with other providers is common and encouraged when necessary; Dr. Toth is acquainted with a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, especially with complex cases. Referrals to medical specialists and other health professionals in the community can be provided for patients who have additional needs. Med-legal cases that involve personal injury or workers' compensation are routine in our office, we provide detailed documentation for all treatments.
CHIROPRACTIC BASICS
Chiropractic was developed in the late 1800s and was the first profession to utilize X-ray for the diagnosis of musculoskeletal complaints. Since then it has become a broadly accepted form of treatment for structural conditions covered by most if not all insurance companies (benefits vary by individual plans). The chiropractic exam includes orthopedic and neurological tests, postural assessments, and spinal assessments. Exams are followed up using special tests including laboratory tests, X-rays, MRI, CT Scans, bone density scans, nerve conduction velocity testing, and fluoroscopy if necessary but are not routine. Treatment methods vary by practitioner and depending on the chiropractor you choose may include hands-on adjustments, instrument adjustments, drop table, traction, exercises, stretching physical therapy modalities like muscle stimulation, heat packs, ultrasound, and massage therapy.
PHASES OF CARE
ACUTE/ORTHOPEDIC TREATMENT
Orthopedic Care or Acute Care is chiropractic treatment for pain relief. This is essentially the first phase because most patients call a chiropractor with a specific complaint related to pain. This phase may last anywhere from 1 week to 8 weeks depending on the condition, how well the patient modifies their activities, and how long the condition has been present.
CORRECTIVE RETRAINING TREATMENT
Corrective Care or Rehabilitation is chiropractic care for the correction of structural imbalances. Correcting the alignment from imbalance requires a period of regular adjustments one, two, or three times a week in order to stabilize the structure. The body has muscle memory and needs to be retrained in order to establish long-lasting results that prevent relapses in the condition.
WELLNESS CARE
True healing comes from within, which means that our health depends on our body’s ability to coordinate an appropriate response to stress, strain, and trauma. This internal ability to maintain health is either strong or weak depending on several factors of genetics, age, accumulated abuse or neglect, etc. How focused we are on cultivating strong health and vitality can impact how likely we are to become ill or injured, how quickly we recover from injury, and whether we end up with residual problems that never resolve. A routine of healthy choices is an important component in the creation of a wellness lifestyle.
Proper biomechanics and posture are key elements that determine how well our body maintains good physical health. Structural imbalances should be corrected before they compromise the system enough for an injury to occur. It's very common for new patients to convey a simple event like reaching for their phone during the onset of their injury. The cause of this injury is obviously not the reaching but the faulty biomechanics that predisposed the person to an injury during an activity that they would normally be able to perform.
Wellness chiropractic means caring for your body’s alignment before the onset of pain triggers a phone call to the chiropractor. Dr. Toth recommends patients get adjustments about once a month as wellness care. This could be once every 2 weeks for people with serious levels of instability or once every two months for people with a stronger, more resilient body. For people visiting the chiropractor with a specific complaint, wellness chiropractic will be recommended after the resolution of the complaint is accomplished.
Natural approaches to cultivating health and healing like chiropractic minimize the need for aggressive medical treatments and honors the delicate balance maintained between the different systems of our body.
At Toth Chiropractic, we are always enthusiastic about helping our patients achieve this equilibrium. Call us at (707) 526-1390 or contact us online to learn more about our chiropractic care in Santa Rosa.
