My primary adjusting tool is an activator - type device called the Pro-Adjuster. It's a small instrument (think of a very tiny, very soft jackhammer) that gently taps the vertebrae into place. The activator instrument is connected to a computer that simultaneously creates a graph that indicates how the bone is moving. The computer stops the adjusting of the activator at the moment the bone has moved properly into place.

The advantages of using the Computerized Pro-Adjuster  Activator are numerous:

1. It is a very gentle way to move the bone. For those who don't like the twisting or "cracking" associated with traditional chiropractic, this is avoided. Also, if a patient is in severe pain (think auto accident or other acute injury), I can lower the force of the activator to almost nothing while maintaining effectiveness.
2. The vertebra, or bone, will move as much as possible in one session. In addition to moving the bone gently, the computer is tracking the motion of the bone. So it will move that bone as much as possible during any given treatment.
3. The repetitive motion of the instrument very effectively mobilizes a given joint. Much of the value of a chiropractic adjustment lies is the fact that, in addition to placing the joints back into proper alignment, the joint itself has its normal motion restored. The instrument, with its repetitive motion, is excellent for breaking up adhesions and scar tissue within the joint. This will allow for greater range of motion and freedom of movement in a given joint. I use the analogy of "working a hinge" so that it moves more freely. A joint that moves better allows for better fluid exchange within the joint and the disc. Joints that have lost their normal motion degenerate and age much more quickly.
4. The computerized activator allows for a very specific adjustment. With the Pro-Adjuster instrument, I can be exactly on the bone I need to be and adjust in the precise direction required to produce the best possible correction to that joint. I often find that a joint is fixated and needs to be moved in a direction that is not really possible with a hand adjustment as used by many chiropractors. With the computerized activator I can move the joint in the ideal direction.

The Chiropractic Merry-go-round:
Once a Week for the rest of your Life??

Another important aspect of my approach as a chiropractor lies in analyzing the spine to determine where to adjust to eliminate the root cause of the problem - not just treat the symptoms over and over and over again.  By finding and resolving the true cause of the problem, we can eliminate the need to be on the the Chiropractic merry-go-round.

One of my frustrations when I was chiropractic college was knowing exactly where, which bone, to adjust. Many times in my own chiropractic care it seemed to come down to: I hurt in my mid back so I get "cracked" right at my mid back. My concern was whether or not the root problem was being addressed.

A big difference lies between the primary misalignments (or subluxations) of a person's spine and the compensations. For example, if my pelvis is not level, a primary fixation/subluxation, this is going to have repercussions up the spine - perhaps causing a compensation in the midback or elsewhere. The compensation may even hurt more that the primary. Nevertheless, the primary or primaries are the key. If I get my midback adjusted, I'll feel great - for a while. Eventually the pain will come back because the root cause has not been addressed.

My job is getting to the root cause of your problem.

To this end, I use several ways of determining where your root cause lies.

1. If X-rays are taken of the patient, I use the protocol of a chiropractic technique known as Pierce-Stillwagon Technique. Without going into great detail, it is a way of viewing the spine in motion. For example, if I take views of the cervicals, I will examine the neck in flexion and extension (in other words, a side view with the head completely forward and completely back). With such views, the fixations, (the bones that are stuck from normal motion), can be seen. Some bones may be stuck in the forward direction, some in the backward direction - or both. Once the bone or bones have been identified the Pro-Adjuster instrument is excellent at realigning and mobilizing these joints.
2. The Pro-Adjuster activator itself is capable of analyzing the spine to determine which bones are fixated. In analysis mode, I use the instrument to perform a light test push on each vertebra of the spine. The computer will then analyze the impulses and display in a bar graph format which bones are fixated and by how much. 
3. Technology will never completely replace the human touch. Traditional chiropractic analysis consisting of feeling the spine, leg length checks and such are still an integral part of the chiropractic visit to my Marin county office.

Please contact my office to schedule an appointment.