Chiropractor at work

Types of Diagnostic Methods in Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care denotes a non-invasive and drug-free type of health care.  This care is designed for the restoration of your normal nervous and joint systems’ functioning and to help your body naturally heal with the use of various manipulation techniques. Over 30 million Americans seek chiropractic care annually for the relief of neck, shoulder, and back pain as well as menstrual discomfort and headaches. Although this might sound like a considerable number, there are still many people who opt for alternative treatments for various issues.

This is because some people assume that a chiropractor in Salt Lake City will use guesswork to make sense of your symptoms and waste time on the wrong treatment methods. However, this is a wrong notion since there are various diagnostic methods used in chiropractic care to guarantee that your treatment is customized to your needs. The following are the available chiropractic care techniques:

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

MRI scanning is the best method of diagnosing soft tissue injuries that might contribute to your nervous and joint issues. This diagnostic method has one of the highest sensitivities. It can assess the integrity of your neural structures and generate both physiological and anatomical data. It is used for the diagnosis of disc herniation, fractures, and nerve disconnections.

Videofluoroscopy

This is also known as cineradiography, dynamic motion X-ray, or fluoro video motion analysis. This diagnostic method will record spinal and joint motions on video, and the results can be used to assess your kinematic and kinetic abnormalities. Videofluoroscopy also suffices for the evaluation of the integrity of your ligaments. It is generally used for patients who have sustained deceleration or acceleration trauma, such as car accident victims.

3-D-Computed Axial Tomography

This is known as 3-D CT scanning. It has reformatting capabilities that allow the chiropractor to evaluate different structures that will be ordinarily inaccessible. The diagnostic procedure is used to assess your soft tissue and spine from all planes and angles. It has been confirmed to be particularly effective for diagnosing stenotic conditions arising from bony and soft tissue conditions.

Doctor doing neck adjustment in medical office

Nerve Conduction Testing (NCV)

This is also called electromyography. It is used for the examination of patients with sensory or motor issues affecting their extremities and spine. With an NCV, the chiropractor will differentiate whether a motor neuron, muscle, or nerve issue is the one contributing to your issue. Hence, it generally diagnoses myelopathies, plexopathies, and radiculopathies.

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

The images relayed in this diagnostic technique are far sharper and more detailed than traditional ultrasound. Moreover, musculoskeletal ultrasound, unlike conventional ultrasound, does not use ionizing radiation. This technique is generally used for the diagnosis of soft tissue issues since it can distinguish different tissue densities.

The diagnostic techniques mentioned above are all used in conjunction with palpation and other manual methods when diagnosing your injury. As such, you can rest assured that chiropractic care is a sure method of treating your musculoskeletal and nerve issues. It does not just rely on guesswork to administer treatment. Therefore, it might be your best choice for alleviating various issues that might be contributing to your body’s discomfort. Moreover, chiropractic care is far cheaper than conventional techniques for managing musculoskeletal and nerve conditions.

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