Why Do Chiropractors Use "Palpation"?

We all have heard the phrase, "Laughter is the Best Medicine." Want to know what else works really well? The touch of another human being. Sometimes a hug or a steadying hand on the back of your hand can work wonders.

There's even research that back this up. In one landmark study, 16 happily married women were subjected to the threat of a mild electric shock; touching their husbands' hands brought immediate relief from the resulting anxiety. Even a stranger's touch was somewhat calming. "We know that anxiety decreases immune function and makes you get sick more often," says study author Jim Coan, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the University of Virginia. "If touch can help you be less anxious, you're more likely to stay well."

This is one part of chiropractic that I really enjoy, but also occasionally find to be challenging. There are many people who do not like to be touched, or are uncomfortable with the idea. Yet, I have also seen people get healthier after they were touched. Sometimes all it takes is a good adjustment with a chiropractor's hands to solve chronic neck or low back tension.

Palpation is the most frequently used diagnostic technique in chiropractic care and is a clinical cornerstone of most physicians' practice. It is a manual, non-invasive method of determining where a patient has structural or functional problems in the body.

In palpation, chiropractors use their hands and their detailed knowledge of anatomy to effectively see what is happening in the spine and its supporting structures, such as the muscles, tendons and ligaments. As your chiropractor palpates your spine, he or she will look for subluxations in your vertebrae, which are misalignments that may be causing pressure on spinal nerves, or other abnormalities that may be causing problems in your musculoskeletal system.

There are essentially two forms of palpation: static and motion. As the name suggests, in static palpation the patient remains still while the chiropractor palpates the spine and tissues to identify any misaligned vertebrae, protruding disks, and areas of pain or inflammation. In motion palpation however, the patient's joints are mobilized, bending and flexing under the expert eye and hand of the chiropractor. He or she will move various joints through different planes, observing the patient's range of motion and where a joint may "lock up." They will also measure the patient's amount of flexibility, muscle strength, stiffness, reflexes and general neurological function.

Palpation may be used at every visit so that a chiropractor can quickly determine whether your condition has improved or not since your last visit, and they can see which areas need the most care and attention. Based on what your chiropractor finds during palpation, he or she may then order additional diagnostic tests-an x-ray, MRI or CT scan, for example-to get a more detailed view of your condition.

Based on all these diagnostic tools, chiropractors can better determine the type and frequency of treatment necessary to resolve your condition in a way that is holistic, drug-free and non-invasive. Palpation is simply another tool in my personal arsenal of techniques to keep you moving well and pain-free.

And that's the only way we should aim to go through every day.