With the numerous different interventions that we see incorporated in chiropractic care, there is surely enough to make a skeptic avoid this discipline of alternative medicin,e and to turn away a potential patient who is in need of treatment for a given musculoskeletal condition. However, there is a series of basic treatment interventions that are always part of the chiropractor’s toolkit and these interventions are applicable in almost every scenario.
One of these treatment interventions is known as chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT), and it has the potential to significantly alter the health outcomes of patients that receive its application. CMT involves anything that ranges from chiropractic adjustment to spinal manipulation and everything in between. Specifically, CMT refers to any sort of manipulation vertebrae that are not situated in the proper position, or that are not functioning properly in an effort to protect the spinal cord and offer the body maximum structural integrity.
The process of realigning the spinal column is integral in the practice of chiropractic care, and so many chiropractic professionals spend a significant amount of time throughout their education learning about the various different ways to adjust the spinal column. Spinal manipulation can sometimes result in an audible popping sound as gasses between the vertebrae are released throughout the process. This is no different than the cracking sound that is released between the phalanges during the process of cracking one’s knuckles.
CMT is often applied to patients that are experiencing chronic pain in some part of their musculoskeletal system. Whether it is the spine itself that is causing pain, the upper portion of te spin in the neck, or another part of the musculoskeletal system that is being negatively impacted my misalignment and improper locomotion, CMT can be highly effective depending on its application.
It is crucial to understand what a patient is dealing with before administering CMT but often times, any patient seeking chiropractic care is in a position to benefit from CMT.