Before the Adjustment
Hey guys, it’s Dr. Anderson at Life Essentials Chiropractic in Missouri City, and today I’m gonna show you what a chiropractic adjustment looks like on the thoracic spine. There are a couple different versions of this, and maybe even for the rib cage.
We have Jay here. Jay has already been a patient here for many years. He’s already had an evaluation, X-rays, and imaging of his spine, so we know exactly what his pattern is and what specific adjustment he needs. I’ll show you two different ways that we normally adjust the spine and that may work for you.
Adjusting a Thoracic Vertebra
First, we’re gonna identify the exact level of the thoracic vertebra. What’s happening here is he’s got a vertebra that’s slightly back and rotated a little bit right here.
It feels great. You’ll get great relief, and it’s a pretty gentle concept. We’re just gonna make contact on that specific vertebral segment. He’s gonna exhale and relax his shoulders, and we’re gonna do a specific adjustment right there. We just set that exactly back in its home.
Using an ArthroStim
Another thing we may do is use an instrument called an ArthroStim. It’s an adjusting tool that allows us to use pulses and vibration to move the vertebra back. We identify the segment, and we can use it almost like a little gentle rubber jackhammer to specifically vibrate the vertebra back into alignment.
Adjusting a Rib Joint
These techniques are also sometimes necessary for the rib cage. Some of the thoracic pain you’re feeling happens where the ribs connect, just like a joint. So we can breathe, they hinge and move as a joint.
Many times—I know me personally, I’ve had a lot of rib issues over the years—there’s a very similar adjustment where we might contact that rib and very gently adjust the joint, allowing it to hinge and move freely again. That can create a lot of relief for people with sharp or tight pain in the thoracic spine.
Adjusting Face Up
For the last one, Jay’s gonna lie face up, and we’re gonna show you one more way we may adjust your thoracic spine. We have to cross the arms. There’s another segment here, a little bit higher, that responds better to this style of adjustment.
He’s just gonna drop back, he’s gonna exhale, and we’re gonna gently adjust that segment back into place right there. Very good, awesome.
So guys, it’s as simple as that. It just takes a minute or two to start to feel better, to function better, and really be working on the root cause of the problem. I hope that helps, and I can’t wait to see you soon.
