Thompson Technique

Poor spinal health can be the reason behind joint and muscle pain, posture problems and even stress and anxiety. If you’re suffering from lower or upper back pain, you can turn to a chiropractor who will manipulate and mobilize different muscles and joints and restore the spine to good health. Chiropractors use dozens of different techniques to adjust the joints and muscles; the Thompson Technique can be performed to reduce back pain, and involves manipulating the leg joints to correct misalignments in the spine and pelvic area.

The adjustment technique has been used for several decades, and offers several advantages over other types of chiropractic adjustments. If you’re suffering from back pain and prepared to see a chiropractor about it, learn more about the Thompson Technique and discuss the options with your doctor.

How the Thompson Technique is Performed

The Thompson Technique is performed on a drop table, and uses your own body weight to exert force on a drop piece. Varying amounts of pressure of the joints set a drop piece in motion, which in turn affects the muscles tissues and joints.

Most chiropractors perform a ‘leg length analysis’ to determine exactly where the imbalance is occurring. The “Leg Length System” is based on the work of Dr. Deerfield of Detroit, Michigan and contends that the basis of many problems in the musculoskeletal system can be traced to the length of the legs and how the body is positioned and balanced on the feet when standing up straight. The chiropractor can determine whether the legs are out of balance by observing the legs in an extended position on the table. They may flex and straighten the feet to see whether one leg is longer or shorter than the other, and how this may be affecting the individual’s health.

The Thompson Technique was so effective when it was first used that Dr. Thompson was granted a patent for the technique in 1955. The technique is now used worldwide, and is often recommended by family chiropractic clinics because it produces very precise adjustments for many spine and posture problems.

Adjustments with the Thompson Technique

All of the adjustments performed with the Thompson Technique are manual adjustments, and the chiropractor must exert varying amounts of pressure and force to perform the adjustment process successfully.  In some cases, this process can be painful; the force induced by the chiropractor’s thrust are further enhanced with the drop mechanism, but the end result can be significant.