Chiropractic Techniques

We've taken the "crack" out of chiropractic with our gentle methods!

Dr. Carradine is highly skilled in numerous chiropractic adjusting techniques, which are not only extremely safe but also very effective.  The gentle techniques she uses are specifically designed to eliminate pain, increase range of motion,  reduce nerve interference, improve spinal and extremity joint biomechanics and restore normal function. The techniques she selects for you depends upon your condition and her examination findings, as well as her judgment with 30 years of experience practicing chiropractic.

Activator Methods®

​Dr. Carradine has been an Advanced Proficiency Rated Activator doctor since 1992. She was the first chiropractic physician in the tri-county area to attain this certification. Dr. Carradine has successfully treated literally thousands of patients over the years with this gentle technique.

The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique utilizes a hand held instrument and is a gentle, low force approach to chiropractic care. It has been used safely on infants, children, adults, and seniors since the 1960's.  The technique has brought relief of headaches, jaw pain, neck pain, arm pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, back pain, sciatica, hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, foot pain, herniated discs, bulging discs, slipped discs, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, torn rotator cuff, tarsal tunnel syndrome, and much more.

The technique incorporates the latest advances in orthopedic, neurological, and chiropractic examinations.  It's unique system of administering spinal and extremity adjustments using a research-based analysis with the Activator adjusting instrument restores spinal balance and extremity function both safely and comfortably.  Its effectiveness and gentle nature have made it the most widely-used instrument technique in the world.

Dr. Carradine uses specfic protocols for the technique to detect both spinal and extremity dysfunction, analyze leg length inequality, identify abnormal biomechanics, and test neurological reflexes.  This analysis enables her to detect and correct problems in the spine and extremities to restore balance and function in a gentle, safe and effective manner.

The Activator instrument delivers a controlled, fast thrust that is very comfortable for the patient.  Children often giggle when being adjusted! The instrument is so quick that the body's muscles are less likely to resist, which allows for a more precise and accurate adjustment. The Activator instrument has been studied extensively with results published in hundreds of peer reviewed research papers and was designed to give patients a specfic and gentle chiropractic adjustment.

The method is very safe for older patients with arthritis, osteoporosis, osteopenia, or other bone weakening conditions.  The light force Activator instrument and Dr. Carradine's expertise to pinpont the exact location of the problem with the Activator analysis relieves pain without discomfort.

Chiropractic care restores spinal balance to allow the body to heal itself.  The activator accomplishes this with safe, effective and gentle low force adjustments. Find out if the activator chiropractic technique can help you, too. Call our office today at 330-758-4446!


Impulse Adjusting Technique

Just as lasers have replaced scalpels in some surgeries, advanced technonogy has become available to chiropractors to assist in delivering chiropractic adjustments.  Dr. Carradine has been certified in the technique for the Impulse Adjusting Instrument® since 2008 and remains the only certified chiropractic physician for this technique in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

The Impulse is a patented and FDA registered device that was specifically created to provide gentle and precise chiropractic adjustments to the joints of the spine and extremities to relieve pain and restore function to the body. The Impulse Adjusting Instrument® is controlled by a micro-computer circuitry housed within the device that produces a controlled, light force that Dr. Carradine uses to treat the spine and extremities.

Years of research have gone into the development of the Impuse Adusting Instrument® to create gentle and specific chiropractic adjustments that are both safe and effective for patients of all ages.

Benefits Include:

EXTREME SPEED -  Impulse® is 100X faster than hand manipulation! That makes it so much more comfortable for the patient. The gentle thrust is faster than the body's tendency to tighten up and resist the adjustment. This allows for more energy to reach the bone being adjusted, thus requiring less force to be applied.

CONTROLLED FORCE -  Impulse® has three different force setting for different parts of the body and to treat patients of all ages and sizes.  The controlled, low force thrust of the Impulse® make treatments very comfortable!

FREQUENCY TUNED WAVEFORM - The Impulse® is specifically tuned to the natural frequency of the body that joints, muscles and nerves respond to, which optomizes results for patients.

If you suffer from any of the following conditions, you may benefit from chiropractic treatment with the Impulse instrument:

  • Low Back Pain
  • Sciatica
  • Disc Problems
  • Hip Pain
  • Knee Pain
  • Foot Pain
  • Neck Pain
  • Headaches
  • Numbness
  • Whiplash Injuries
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Arm Pain
  • Wrist Pain
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • TMJ Pain
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle Spasms
  • Soreness
  • and Much More

Give impulse instrument adjustments a try!  Call our office at 330-758-4446 to schedule an appointment.


The ArthroStim®

Dr. Carradine is pleased to also bring you the benefit of the ArthroStim™ adjusting instrument. As your partner in health care, Dr. Carradine is committed to your good health and offers the most state-of the-art techniques and therapies to help you get well again.

The ArthroStim® is a hand held electronic instrument that delivers a series of gentle taps to provide a percussive type of stimulation.  The instrument has various intensity levels to accomodate different sized bones in a patient, as well as different sizes of patients.  It can safely be used on infants, children, adults, and seniors as an effective form of treatment.

The rapid but gentle thrust and unique recoil produced by the ArthroStim® activates the patient's proprioceptors and mechanoreceptors without recruiting the nocioceptors (pain receptors), providing the comfort today's patients demand. The instrument produces TWELVE thrusts a second. This outstanding rapidity supersaturates the target area with specific adjustive energy forces. The energy continues to ripple through the joint to surrounding fringe tissues. This releases secondary trigger points and sites of muscular spasm to provide relief and corrections.

The ArthroStim® is not only a chiropractic adjusting instrument, but it can also be used to treat acupucture points by changing the tip of the instrument to an acupuncture tip to provide a non-needle stimulation of acupoints. It has several tips used for different purposes, making it highly versatile.

Our patients typically lay down during treatment, and there's no need for them to have to get into contorted positions for this treatment.  As with our other gentle methods, there is no twisting and no cracking of the spine or extremities during treatment. If you are in too much pain or unable to lay down onto a table for treatment, the ArthroStim® can easily be administered while you are in a sitting or standing position.

The ArthroStim® is a natural, drug-free treatment, which is non-invasive. Our patients find the gentle, percussing treatment of the ArthroStim® to be very relaxing!  Patients are also often impressed that something so comfortable can provide such fast relief. To experience the relaxing treatment with ArthroStim®, just call our office at 330-758-4446!


SOT

Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) was originally created by Major Bertrand DeJarnette. The Major was a doctor, both chiropractor and osteopath, as well as an engineer in the 1920’s. The Major was inspired to go beyond simple spinal adjusting and developed methods for correcting the cranium, pelvis, extremities and organs. He documented a system of adjusting patterns in the body (not just single body parts) and found the most significant pattern being the relationship between the sacrum and occiput (which became the name of the technique).

SOT stands for Sacro Occipital Technique. “Sacro” refers to the sacrum. The sacrum is the foundation of the spine, and it is often called the tailbone athough this is not exactly correct. “Occipital” refers to the occiput, which is the base of the skull at the back of the head. So traditionally, SOT has been a method to help normalize the relationship between the foundation of the spine and the top of the spine, which has been proven to be so very important in the normal functioning of the brain and spinal cord.

This chiropractic technique includes a category system that recognizes human structures have specific patterns of imbalance. The category system establishes an effective structure for diagnosis and treatment.

Adjustments are perfomed in the presence of specific indicators. Each adjustment has a sign or signal that Dr. Carradine uses to know when and where to adjust. For example, muscle tension in the knee area may indicate that the pelvis needs correction, while connective tissue fibers at the base of the skull, known as occipital fibers indicate different vertebra in the spine may be in need of a chiropractic adjustment. Watching the indicators also tells Dr. Carradine when the adjustment has been successful. Using these indicators, Dr. Carradine designs a different adjustment set on each visit, listening to the body each time. This method is both effective and precise without relying exclusively on x-rays.

Dr. Carradine places cushioned, wedge-shaped “blocks” in specific places to help adjust the spine. The blocks utilize your own body weight to make corrections. This light force technique is highly effective and comfortable to the patient. 

SOT chiropractic technique is designed to reduce or eliminate pain or disorders in the craniospinal area, TMJ, head, neck, back, pelvis, upper extremities, and lower extremities and in specific cases, improve organ function. See if SOT or any of our many other services can benefit you by calling 330-758-4446 to schedule an appointment!

 


Thompson Drop Technique

The Thompson Drop Technique was developed by Dr. J. Clay Thompson, and he was granted a patent for this unique method in 1955. This is another low force technique provided by Dr. Carradine.

It is a system of analysis that is used to adjust the full spine and uses a leg length check, as spinal subluxations produce a contracted, short leg. The protocol involves checking the patients leg length discrepency while the patient rotates their head.

The actual adjustment is made with the affected body part of the patient laying on top of a cushioned "drop piece" that gently drops down about an inch as the adjustment is made. The "drop" enhances the motion force imparted towards the segment or area being adjusted.  The drop mechanism also reduces the amount of energy required to move a specific bone, making it a light force chiropractic technique. Thompson Drop low force adjustments result in high levels of patient comfort!

Call our office today at 330-758-4446 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Carradine to explore your health options with our gentle approach!