If you have suffered from an auto accident injury, sports injury, or have chronic pain, it's time to see how chiropractic care can help. With Dr. Nat Agrippina at the Health Doctors, P.C. in Alpharetta, GA, you will get the gentle chiropractic care you need to heal from headaches, pregnancy related pain, soft tissue injuries, or chronic pain in your neck, back, hips or joints. The activator technique is one of the more commonly used adjustment strategies to get your spine in alignment and help you heal from your injuries.
The Activator Technique and Spinal Adjustments
An activator is a small, hand-held tool that is used by treatment practitioners to basically nudge your vertebrae back into place. If you have an area of your spine that is out of alignment, an activator can be used when positional adjusting is not possible. The activator technique is not painful, and for those nervous about going to a chiropractor, this is a gentler way to adjust the spine than traditional adjustments. When a chiropractor uses the activator technique, they can easily target areas of your spine to adjust the spine back into place.
What to Expect From Chiropractic Treatment
A chiropractor will often use the activator technique for chiropractic adjustments, but may also use ultrasound, massage, or soft tissue mobilization to ease the strain on your muscles, tendons and ligaments. Once an adjustment is done, it is going to stay in place longer when the muscles surrounding the area are relaxed. You will see the chiropractor several times a week to start, because it takes time for your muscles to heal, and stop pulling your spine out of alignment. You may find relief after your first appointment, but you will make continual progress when you stay consistent in treatment.
Schedule With Your Alpharetta Chiropractor Now
The activator technique for adjustments can help with headaches, low back pain, problems with your neck, and joint pain. Schedule with Dr. Agrippina in Alpharetta, GA today. Call The Health Doctors, P.C. at 770-664-0099 to set up your initial consultation.
What Is the Activator Method?
The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique® is a diagnostic and treatment system used by some chiropractors to treat many types of back pain, neck pain, and headaches (both chronic and migraine).
The Activator Method uses a small, hand-held instrument called the Activator Adjusting Instrument to deliver a gentle impulse force to the spine with the goal of restoring motion to the targeted spinal vertebra or joint.
It is an alternative to the traditional manual form of spinal manipulation, known as the high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) thrust.
Next to the Diversified technique, the Activator Adjusting Instrument is reported to be the most common therapeutic intervention used by chiropractors.(1)
- According to the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, more than half of full-time American chiropractors report using the Activator Method in their practices.(2)
- The Activator Method is also commonly used in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
How the Activator Method is Thought to Work
The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique is a type of manipulation described as follows:
A spring-loaded, hand-held mechanical instrument called the Activator Adjusting Instrument provides a quick, low-force impulse at specific points.
There are two theoretical advantages of an Activator instrument-assisted treatment. The first is based on the speed of the device. The instrument is so quick that the body's muscles are less likely to tense in response, and resist the treatment. The lack of muscle resistance may facilitate the treatment effectiveness. The second is that the applied force is localized and does not add any additional torque or bending movement to the joint.
Sometimes an evaluation of apparent leg length may also be performed. This evaluation is based on the theory that apparent differences in leg length may indicate where vertebral misalignments in the spine are present. However, this form of evaluation is controversial and there is a lack of clinical evidence to support this aspect of the process.
Activator providers may or may not use the evaluation method. Some chiropractors choose only to use the Activator Adjustment Instrument based on their physical examination findings alone.
Activator Method: What To Expect
The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique involves multiple steps. The chiropractor may use all of the steps, or may focus on only using the Activator instrument to adjust the spine.
A typical treatment will be done while the patient lies face down on the adjustment table. The treatment typically begins with the low back and progresses toward the head, targeting each vertebral segment individually.
The chiropractor will evaluate the patient for signs and symptoms to identify the joints of the spine or the extremities that may be the source of complaints and amenable to treatment with the Activator instrument.
Activator Adjustment
During a typical adjustment with the Activator, the chiropractor applies the Activator device to the tissues at or near the affected joint. An initial pressure is followed by a quick thrust from the device, which feels much like having one's reflex tested by tapping your knee.
The patient remains still, with no twisting or turning as there often is for a traditional chiropractic adjustment (high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust).
After an adjustment, the chiropractor will often re-evaluate for correction of signs and symptoms associated with the complaint.
Treatment Plan
A practitioner will recommend a series of treatments, such as 1 to 2 times per week, for an initial period of 4 to 6 weeks, though the final decision is dependent on each individual case. Once the patient's symptoms are improved, the Activator treatment is completed.
If the patient feels no pain relief after approximately 3 - 4 treatments, the chiropractor will stop the treatment and re-evaluate the patient's symptoms and condition. For example, the patient may need a different type of manipulation and/or referral to a different type of spine specialist.
- Research and locate chiropractors in your area that can help alleviate your back and neck pain.
- The FDA has approved the use of the Activator Adjusting Instrument for "chiropractic adjustments of the spine and extremities" based on a number of clinical studies with positive outcomes indicating that the instrument in effective and safe. The first instrument received 510(k) clearance in 1997.(3)
- In a study that conducted a systematic review of the literature investigating clinical outcomes involving the use of the Activator Adjusting Instrument, 8 articles reported benefits to patients with spinal pain. When compared to the use of high-velocity, low-amplitude manual manipulation (Diversified technique), the benefits of the Activator Adjusting Instrument were not proven to be better or worse.
The Activator Method is one of the most widely researched chiropractic techniques. However, most of the research has been funded by the Method's developer, and most of the studies were conducted in small groups of patients. Independent studies with large patient groups are needed to determine efficacy with any significance.
Activator Methods International, Ltd. (AMI) has been providing chiropractic care, resources and training since 1967. Founded on the principles of clinical research, AMI's major contribution to chiropractic care is discovery and development of the Activator Method Chiropractic Technique and the associated Activator Adjusting Instrument.
Co-founder and CEO Arlan W. Fuhr D.C. has more than four decades of experience in clinical research and private practice. He has been honored by the profession numerous times, including the industry's prestigious World Federation of Chiropractic "Honour Award." AMI has published clinical and scientific peer-reviewed papers beyond that of most chiropractic analytical treatment procedures. AMI's mechanical force, manually-assisted adjusting instrument is recognized and covered by Medicare. The number of licensed professionals trained in the Activator Method is approximately 150,000 worldwide, making it the most widely used low-force chiropractic technique in the world.
Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard educated M.D., bestselling author and lifetime practitioner of natural health and preventive medicine endorses "The Activator Methods" gentle chiropractic in the following quote by Dr. Arlan Fuhr, Co-Founder and CEO of Activator Methods International:
"Dr. Weil's endorsement of Activator Methods demonstrates that the Chiropractic profession continues to make advances in its techniques, and shares the philosophy of Integrative Medicine."
For more information about the Activator Method, please click here.
1. Huggins T, Boras AL, Gleberzon BJ, et al. Clinical effectiveness of the activator adjusting instrument in the management of musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 2012;56(1):49-57.
2. National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Job Analysis of Chiropractic 2005: A project report, survey analysis, and summary of the practice of chiropractic within the United States. Greeley, CO. January 2005.
3. Huggins T, Boras AL, Gleberzon BJ, et al. Clinical effectiveness of the activator adjusting instrument in the management of musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 2012;56(1):49-57.