As technology advances, your chiropractor might discover new ways to provide treatment to his/her patients. As you can imagine, your doctor sees many different types of people of all shapes and sizes every day, each with different sensitivity levels and pain thresholds. With such a wide variety of patient needs, sometimes the manual adjustment a chiropractor can provide might not be as effective or efficient, which is why your doctor might use a tool like the ArthroStim Instrument to enhance their treatment sessions.

What is the ArthroStim?
The ArthroStim Instrument is a handheld machine that aids your chiropractor in performing adjustments. This powerful tool delivers 12-14 incremental thrusts per second, making it much stronger and faster than a typical single thrust administered by a chiropractor. By dividing the energy of a single thrust into rapid successive inputs, the ArthroStim Instrument modulates the force your physician applies in treatment, but in a much more comfortable and effective manner.

How does the ArthroStim instrument work?

In order to understand how an ArthroStim Instrument works, you have to understand how chiropractic adjustment works. A chiropractic adjustment produces precise movements which stimulate ‘neural receptors’ in an injured/affected area. These receptors will then produce nerve impulses that transmit important information to the brain. The brain will process this information and use it to update its awareness about the condition of an area. Once the brain evaluates the changes prompted by the adjustment, it can begin sending out self-correcting commands to the muscular system, and other systems, to bring about healing within your body. The ArthroStim is just another way to administer these adjustments, but it is faster, more comfortable, and more efficient due to its controlled repetitive input. This input produces a ‘snowballing’ effect on neural receptors and allows it to transmit more information to the brain with less effort, pain, and force.

What are the benefits of ArthroStim?

The ArthroStim Instrument allows your doctor to maintain the effectiveness of your treatment while greatly reducing the amount of force that is applied, which makes it easier to use on a wide variety of conditions and ailments. Individuals that may especially benefit from the use of the ArthroStim Instrument include:

• Infants and young children
• Individuals with acute or extreme pain
• Particularly sensitive individuals
• Individuals who dislike being “cracked”
• Individuals who suffer from neck pain
• Individuals who require adjustments to the extremities
• Elderly individuals

Even people who are larger and stronger and therefore more difficult to adjust from a standard single thrust will benefit from the ‘neurological assist’ that the ArthroStim Instrument provides.

• Non-invasive: The Arthrostim instrument is a non-invasive, drug-free approach to treating musculoskeletal conditions, making it a safe and effective option for patients who prefer a more natural approach to healthcare.
• Gentle: The controlled thrusts delivered by the Arthrostim instrument are gentle and comfortable for most patients, making it an ideal option for those who are sensitive to traditional manual adjustments.
• Precise: The Arthrostim instrument allows the chiropractor to deliver precise adjustments to the affected area, which can help to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.
• Versatile: The Arthrostim instrument can be used to adjust a variety of joints in the body, including the spine, neck, hips, and shoulders.
• Efficient: The Arthrostim instrument can deliver multiple thrusts per second, making it a more efficient option than traditional manual adjustments.

Manual Adjustments vs. Instrument Assisted Adjustments with the ArthroStim

Manual Adjustments
Pros: One of the primary benefits of manual adjustments is the sensory feedback from the patient. Through the sense of touch, you’re able to “read” a patient’s musculoskeletal system. Furthermore, you can easily tell if your hands are working while you may not be able to tell if your device is functioning properly. It’s possible that a malfunction could occur which could result in the instrument not working properly. Parts wear down over time and this could cause a decrease in quality care. This is one important reason to make sure if you use a device like the ArthroStim that you ensure it’s working properly and perform maintenance as needed.

Cons: For the same reason that manual manipulation can be better, it can also be worse. Your hands are the tool used for adjustments. This means you’re limited to the strength and control of your hands which can be limited. Applying targeted force to a specific area is not as accurate as manual adjustments. Throughout the day, your hands and arms may tire due to overuse. Therefore, devices like the ArthroStim could provide an alternative to manual adjustments and aid in your ability to perform manual adjustments by saving your hands for when they’re needed most.

Instrument Assisted Adjustments
Pros: Instrument-assisted adjustments such as those provided when using an ArthroStim instrument can deliver the same amount of force as a manual adjustment focused on a smaller area. This results in lower impact adjustments, which can be very meaningful if the patient has recently been in an automobile accident or if they’re elderly. Instruments like the ArthroStim have an increased degree of accuracy. Smaller, more targeted adjustments also result in quicker adjustments, giving you more time to investigate the problem, discuss care options with your patient, and spend more time on the other aspects to the chiropractic visit.

Cons: Devices like these can be expensive. The cost can be prohibitive if you’re just starting a practice or have other costs to contend with. Training on the device is needed to ensure you’re using it properly. Many devices have maintenance costs such as repair, software updates, etc. which can increase the cost of using them.

The Science Behind ArthroStim Instruments
The ArthroStim instrument is a chiropractic adjustment instrument that is reported to be as good and often better at relieving pain than manual adjustments. The ArthroStim is capable of applying pressure ranging from a few ounces to up to 40 pounds of force to a very targeted point on the body. The ArthroStim instrument delivers thrusts at a rate of 12-14 hertz. This is a higher frequency than many other chiropractic adjustment instruments.

Typically, your chiropractor might use the ArthroStim Instrument by itself or in combination with other adjusting techniques, but of course, this will depend on the approach they feel is best for your specific treatment. Speak to your chiropractor to find out about the methods they use, and whether or not they think Arthrostim will be right for you.