If you’re a new patient, receiving a drop table adjustment can feel a little startling. Why? It happens so fast! A drop table chiropractic adjustment may be jarring for those unfamiliar, but it’s a reliable way for your chiropractor to make adjustments.
Before you hop up on the chiropractic adjustment table, we’ll give you insight on what to expect. Read on to learn what this treatment is, what you can expect during one, and why the technique is so effective.
What Is A Drop-Table Adjustment?
Dr. J. Clay Thompson first discovered the method when his chiro table headpiece broke. His keen eye noticed how the slight movement assisted his adjustments. This happy accident led us to an effective, non-invasive method of corrections.
The drop table chiropractic adjustment — also known as the Thompson Technique — uses a specialized chiropractic adjusting table for smooth, purposeful adjustments. The chiropractic treatment tables must have specific segments which can raise and drop, typically between 1 and 2 inches. Essentially, gravity assists your adjustment!
All chiropractic exam tables (from elevation to stationary) can be drop tables, so long as they include appropriate drop segments.
Why The Drop Table Chiro Technique Works
The drop adjustment table chiropractic technique works with gravity and your body. During the process, your physical mass and the adjustment force meet a suddenly still table. More energy is transferred into your adjustment because of this. You may even recognize this idea as Newton’s First Law of Motion!
The Advantages of A Drop Adjustment Table
Chiropractic techniques have been proven to alleviate back pain and other bodily issues. But when we seek out chiropractic care, there can sometimes be a waiting period between assessment and adjustment.
Drop table chiro care puts the two together. Your chiropractor can examine you and adjust accordingly (when subluxations are noticed). For example, if your chiropractor feels a cervical spine rotation, chiropractic drop tables allow them to make adjustments right then. After the quick correction, they can continue your spinal analysis. As a patient, you can sit and relax. The drop chiropractic treatment tables provide the controlled movement necessary for an adjustment.
Additionally, a drop table chiropractic adjustment is far less invasive than other methods (as forceful as dropping a few inches may sound). When you’re lying down on the adjustment table, chiropractic techniques can better help your spine. Spinal stress is minimized in this position, allowing for seamless adjustment along your spine and in your neck and shoulders.
This chiropractic adjusting table gives your chiropractor more control, too. Chiropractors can change the stopgap according to their patient’s needs. This assists in eliminating overcorrections that could be too forceful for some.
Who Can Benefit From A Drop-Table Adjustment?
The chiropractic drop table technique is used for problems in your lower back, including:
- Disc injuries
- Herniation
- Sciatica
It’s especially effective in combating muscle spasms and acute lower back pain. Elderly patients tend to benefit significantly from the drop table chiro technique. However, drop chiropractic adjustment tables is also used on neck and mid-back adjustments.
What You Can Expect During Your Treatment
With chiropractic drop tables, you can look forward to a relatively easy, comfortable adjustment. It’s mainly thanks to gravity and reduced spinal stress.
You’ll lay across your chiro table, where certain sections raise between 1 and 2 inches. After your chiropractor lifts the appropriate section, the mechanism holds it in place. Your chiro will then adjust the table’s stiffness based on your body.
Once set up, your chiropractor applies a gentle push to the area requiring adjustment. This causes the raised sections and that area of your body to fall too. Not so bad, huh?
What You Can Expect After Your Treatment
Your results will depend on the severity of your injury and the exact condition you have. You may require a few sessions before seeing life-altering results. However, each treatment should provide you with a better range of motion and reduced pain.
Final Thoughts
The idea of spinal adjustment is undoubtedly alarming, but thanks to specialized chiropractic tables, it’s actually non-invasive, easy, and quick. If you’re due for an assessment and in the Sacramento, CA area be sure to talk to Dr. Doug Loehrer about the drop table technique.