Chiropractic in Franklin, TN
Chiropractic Philosophy
Aiello Family Chiropractic in Franklin, TN utilizes modern chiropractic techniques in the treatment of all types of patients including children, adults, and pregnant women. These techniques include traditional Diversified, Cox Flexion Distraction, Sacral Occipital, Thompson Drop, and Activator techniques. Our Chiropractic approach is based on Functional Neurologic evaluation. The functional neurologic approach is a specific approach to Chiropractic Care incorporating spinal manipulation, massage therapy, postural muscle retraining and low level laser therapy. Dr. Aiello also incorporates lifestyle modification, such regular exercise and stretching, dietary recommendations, and stress reduction. When you come into our office you will receive care above and beyond your expectations. Dr. Aiello has spent two decades refining his techniques to provide a higher level of personalized care to his patients. At Aiello Family Chiropractic Franklin, TN you will never be placed in assembly line of different care from multiple providers. Each session Dr. Aiello will personally perform all necessary care for your condition.
Why Does Each Chiropractor use Different Methods?
In the United States, we have 19 different chiropractic colleges. Each college has differing philosophies and teaches different techniques. Currently, we have about 200 different recognized chiropractic techniques in the profession. The philosophies for the most part have overlap as well as the techniques. The big difference is on which end of the spectrum a Doctor chooses to follow. You may meet a chiropractor who believes that a spinal subluxation is the cause of all human diseases and on the other end of the spectrum you may meet a chiropractor that does not even mention the word subluxation. Subluxation theory is based on the belief Chiropractors are correcting spinal misalignments. Unfortunately the Chiropractic profession has never proven that spinal manipulations have any effect on subluxation of vertebrae. The subluxation model is an out dated theory within the profession, but it still has the most traction within the field. Mostly because Chiropractic schools move very slow at changing their philosophy. Aiello Family Chiropractic in Franklin, TN practices on the most updated philosophy within the Chiropractic field, Function Chiropractic Neurology. This philosophy believes spinal manipulation are performed to restore motion between the individual vertebrae. Proper spinal motion optimizes postural muscle tone which at the root of most common orthopedic conditions. This approach does not require X-rays for diagnosis. This approach does not emphasize aggressive adjusting procedures to "pop" bones into place. Most importantly this approach does not require repetitive visits to attain results. Functional Chiropractic Neurologic approach is a very precise method of evaluation and treatment which requires extended education beyond the basic Chiropractic schooling.
The common ground among all chiropractors is they believe that performing spinal manipulations has a profound effect on the nervous system which in turn affects other systems in the body. Chiropractors all believe that our bodies have an innate intelligence to heal themselves when the nervous system functions optimally. So, each chiropractor has a philosophical belief on what effects spinal manipulation has on the body and practices techniques they believe best accomplishes their goal.
Deeper Discussion of the Two Chiropractic Philosophies
The first established chiropractic philosophy and technique started in the United States in 1895 by D.D. Palmer. He theorized that the vertebra would slightly dislocate and cause disharmony of nerve tone. This nerve tone was described by him as an interruption in the vibration of the nerves that allow nerves to communicate between the brain and all parts of the body. I won’t run on about all the twists and turns related to the original theory, but the modern theory has moved away from the tone of the nerves to the impingement of the nerves. This theory is the Subluxation Theory in chiropractic which is based on spinal misalignments or subluxations causing mechanical nerve impingements. These impingements can obviously result in pain throughout the body depending on the location in the spine where subluxations are located but they are also believed to have effects on organ function. A central part of this theory is a subluxation exists because either a dysfunctional organ or body part is sending an overload of signals to the spine causing it to subluxate. Trauma can also cause a subluxation. It is believed that when the subluxation is corrected nerve interference is removed and the body part or organ returns to normal function. You know if you are working with a chiropractor practicing this philosophy because they usually do X-rays to assess your spinal alignment and only perform an adjustment during the treatment.
The second major chiropractic philosophy and technique commonly referred to as Functional Chiropractic Neurology does not use the word subluxation or talk about directly correcting spinal misalignment. This philosophy believes that the vertebra can become restricted and become an immobile segment. These restrictions will limit spinal mobility and result in stiffness in the spine but more importantly, when joints are not moving properly it affects a larger system called proprioception. Proprioception is the system our body uses to give us awareness of the location of our body in space. A good example is when you have your eyes closed you know where everybody part is and what angle your joints are bent at, we are aware by receptors in the skin, muscles, and joints feeding the brain information. Our spine and especially our neck have many proprioceptive receptors in the joints and muscles surrounding the spine. When these joints become locked, they are no longer feeding information to the brain about position sense. This lack of information causes the central nervous system to fall back on primitive posture reflexes resulting in muscle imbalance in posture tone. This creates a muscle imbalance that over time leads to many different types of pain. Chiropractic manipulation is then performed to restore spinal motion and restore normal muscle balance. This theory places emphasis less on nerve impingement from misalignment to decreased input going to the brain because of restricted spinal joint motion. You know you are working with a chiropractor practicing this philosophy because they spend more time testing muscle strength and flexibility before adjusting. Visits usually take longer because this method not only addresses the adjustment but also focuses on stretching and massage therapy to help correct muscle imbalances.
Wide Spectrum of Chiropractic Techniques
The original techniques were based on the teachings of D.D. Palmer. His theory dealt with subluxation impinging nerves and affecting nerve tension. Misalignments can tense or slack a nerve causing changes in vibrational frequency affecting the communication of the brain with the body. While X-ray was not around in the early stage of chiropractic the belief was that bones were out of place and needed to be popped in. D.D. Palmer would feel the spine and make corrections based on how the boney alignment felt. Soon with the development of X-rays his son, B.J. Palmer introduced this new technology as an assessment tool. Palmer School of Chiropractic was the first school teaching the Palmer Methods overtime new schools opened across the country all following Subluxation philosophy but adapting different types of adjusting techniques. As new schools started opening and more doctors were practicing new spinal adjusting techniques started being taught. New ideas brought the development of many techniques both for detecting subluxations and corrections of them. Commonly used Subluxation techniques include Palmer Upper Cervical, Gonstead, Thompson Drop, Applied Kinesiology, Activator, Logan Basic, Sacro-Occipital, Flexion Distraction, and Pierce-Stillwagon. The most common Functional Neurologic Techniques techniques are harder to place names on because it has their own philosophy, so methods vary based on school teaching this method, and many use manipulation techniques from the subluxation techniques. As an example, Dr. Aiello is considered a Functional Neurologic practitioner and he use a method called coupled adjusting technique which he believes is the optimal method to free restricted segments, but he also uses some parts of the Sacro-Occipital Technique and on occasion, he will the Activator Tool or Thompson Drop to deliver an adjustment. Dr. Aiello believes every person is unique and some corrections would use too much force for a person or the opposite a person needs more force than normally used.
Which Chiropractic Philosophy & Technique Works Best?
The short answer is all the above. If a chiropractor is skilled at delivering a spinal adjustment to the area needed the body will heal naturally. The only difference is the skill of the practitioner and how well they can detect what is causing the problem and then apply proper spinal manipulation. Dr. Aiello's philosophy incorporates spinal manipulation to address nervous system imbalance, massage therapy to restore muscle function, and cold laser therapy to eliminate root causes of spinal restrictions.
Summary Quote from Dr. Eugene Aiello, Aiello Family Chiropractic Franklin, TN
I have been trained in neurologic-based theory of Chiropractic and found great success practicing the techniques associated with this philosophy. I believe that results are the most important factor and if care is delivered correctly, you do not need to see a chiropractor three times per week for months on end. Results should be attained within a four-to-six-visit timeframe for the average patient. If it is taking longer then we are not dealing purely with restricted segments in the spine and postural muscle imbalances. In these cases, we are usually dealing with herniated discs, chronic tendonitis/bursitis, or degenerative spinal stenosis. Chiropractors still have the ability to address these issues also but adjunct therapies such as decompression and other physical modalities are incorporated into manipulative care.
Below is a lecture series explaining Aiello Family Chiropractic Franklin, TN philosophy and approach to chiropractic care.