What Is Functional Chiropractic?

Welcome to our blog! I'm Dr. Austin Conn from Function First Sports Chiropractic in Tampa, Florida. Scroll down to continue to the article!

Even if you feel pain in a specific location, the source of that pain could be from somewhere else entirely! Functional Chiropractors assess the body as a whole to find and treat the primary dysfunction that is the source of your pain. As you can tell by the name, we focus on the body’s overall function and movement as a whole.

How Does Dysfunction Occur?

The nervous system controls our muscles, which move our joints, and allows our bodies to keep moving. When a problem occurs in one of these areas, it creates dysfunction, compensation, and restriction in all of these systems. For example, a weak arch in your foot can cause it to roll inward. This can lead to your knee caving in and for your hip to turn inward. To compensate for this compromised position of your knee and ankle, your hip can become less mobile. Now the nervous system sends signals to the brain that perceives pain in the hip! If the hip was adjusted and the motion was restored, you would likely have pain relief... but the original problem still exists! While the pain is felt in your hip, the primary source of that pain is still the weak arch of your foot. No matter how much we adjust your hip, the pain would consistently return because we haven't addressed the foot. The solution to this problem would be to strengthen the arch of your foot! The same could happen in the reverse order. Poor mobility in your hip could work its way down your body and lead to your foot rolling in. In this case, the ideal treatment would be to adjust the hip!

How Do We Address This Dysfunction?

As functional chiropractors, our mission is to find the primary cause of movement dysfunction with an in-depth analysis. We would then treat it with adjustments, rehab, and soft tissue work. All three of these tools are amazing on their own, but all complement each other wonderfully when used together. If we create spinal mobility with an adjustment, it would benefit us to release trigger points so that the mobility can be sustained. In addition, applying rehab allows for the correct muscle pattern and activation to create a long-lasting change to prevent a relapse in your condition.

What is Included in an Exam?

An initial visit will vary from person to person, depending on their symptoms and condition. They could receive a neurological, visceral, and/or an orthopedic exam. Range of motion will be inspected, walking form will be analyzed, and functional movement tests can be performed. What all exams will have in common is motion palpation of the joints in the spine and extremities, palpation of muscles to find trigger points and tight muscles, and an analysis of how the body is moving as a whole. What we find on our exam will dictate our treatment.

Chiropractic Adjustments

Adjustments remove restrictions from the joints in your spine. Increased mobility can provide pain relief, improve neurological function, and provide a greater range of motion. You will be able to feel and move better! A study from The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy concluded that 44% of extremity complaints are caused by the spine (yes, even knee and shoulder issues!). Vascular, neurologic, and orthopedic conditions can all be improved through chiropractic treatment. Get adjusted!

Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release is used to find and remove soft tissue disorders. Elasticity can be improved in muscular trigger points while adhesions are removed from the fascia. The joint is taken through a range of motion as the doctor contacts the muscle. You'll feel a stretch!

Functional Rehabilitation

At Function First, we are trained in Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS), a technique used to stabilize the spine and core while improving joint stabilization, muscle recruitment, and strength. This can be applied to every sport, weightlifting, and even everyday life. While applying this technique, we may use bands, weights, or other tools.

While these are the three biggest tools that we use in our practice, we also implement other techniques depending on the patient's condition.

Give us a call or schedule online to come into the office today! Eliminate pain, prevent injury, and improve performance!