Chiropractic Adjustment vs Soft Tissue

One is not better than the other. Consider the complementary of eachother. And thus is the philosophy at Endorphin Garage. Our bodies are not just bones or not just muscle, and as such we should address both in the healing and recovery process.

A chiropractic adjustment is the bread-and-butter for chiropractors. It involves a high velocity low amplitde thrust on a stuck joint to help restore mobility to that joint and in some cases the surrounding joints as well. The “crack” or “popping” noise you hear during an adjustment is known as a cavitation and is the process of gas escaping the joint. But the sound of a cavitation is not an indication of a good adjustment or not, though it is majorly rewarding to hear for both the patient and doctor, what is more important is to check if the joint mobility is restored after the thrust, sound or not.

Soft tissue is the process of working directly with the necessary muscle to reduce the tonicity and loosen it up or free the “knot”. This treatment can include massage, stretches, pin-and-stretch techniques, cupping or gua sha (scraping). There are other methods as well, but the ones listed above are the ones that are performed at Endorphin Garage.

While soft tissue can include massage, this is fairly different than going to a massage place or one at the mall. While they are focusing on relaxing the whole body and usually feels comfortable during the experience while the patient remains passive, soft tissue performed at Endorphin Garage focuses on a specific muscle or muscle group, can get uncomfortable in terms of pain and usually involves the patient moving (active).