What is a joint?
Joints are where two or more bones connect in the body. Depending on the type of joint, there are varying degrees and planes of range of motion. Some joints are fibrous with little to know motion, while others, like ball and socket joints in your shoulder and hip, can move in any direction. Joints need to slide, spin, and/or roll to function properly.
What causes joint restriction/misalignment?
Joint misalignment usually precedes joint restriction. But they can occur for many different reasons like trauma, surgery, casting/booting, inactivity, muscle tightness, poor posture, core instability, or assuming certain positions for prolonged periods (sitting/sleep patterns/driving).
What are the effects of joint misalignment?
When a joint is misaligned, it is unstable and the joint itself degenerates over time. The deeper core muscles that stabilize the joint will have to work much harder. Over time, they will begin to undergo changes by developing trigger points which can cause nagging pain, weakness, and restricted range of motion. When they don’t function properly, the joint degenerates much more quickly. The superficial primary mover muscles are long levers and without the activation of the core muscles, will cause more abnormal motion of the joint. By realigning the joint, we can improve joint mechanics and restore muscle function. Sometimes the joint itself has developed scar tissue around it, think frozen shoulder, and will need to be mobilized manually by the doctor. For acute conditions, the joint mobilization usually resolves the issue. If it’s been misaligned for more than a few weeks, the doctor will use some form of muscle therapy like cupping, dry needling, or myofascial manual therapy to speed up the healing process.
How do you mobilize a joint?
Dr. Taylor uses a variety of joint mobilization techniques. He incorporates various chiropractic techniques to try and make the adjustment as gentle as possible for each patient. He uses Charette’s Extremity Protocol for joints in the arm, elbow, wrist, hands, hips, knees, ankles, and feet; Mulligan Technique for spine and extremity; Joint Capsule Mobilizations and many more.
If you have any questions about our services, please contact us today at (817) 523-9590.