P³ Chiropractic and Massage

Dr. Neil S. Aguilo, DC

The P³ Approach to Treatment

First, he identifies which muscles are involved by visual inspection, range of motion and muscle resistance testing. Once he determines which muscle are tight or hurting, he knows which bones are involved because all muscles attach to specific bones. My Dad can then test each of the bones in question and find out which ones are subluxated. After determining which muscles and bones are involved, my Dad then places the patient on a Spinalator table for 10 to 15 minutes. The table massages the back and helps relax the patient (especially those first time chiropractic patients) as well as the back muscles. This relaxation will have a general effect on all the muscles and the patient may even hear "pops" or "cracks" from the spine that are indicative of relaxing or loosening joints.

After the Spinalator, my Dad will then perform soft tissue therapies to further assist in the relaxation of the muscles and to help decrease any inflammation in the area of complaint. The length of time involved in performing the soft tissue therapy varies depending on the area of complaint. For instance, there are less muscles involved in an ankle injury than a low back injury therefore an ankle treatment is about 1/3 the time of a low back. After the soft tissue therapy, my Dad will ask the patient to move around and see if their range of motion has increased and/or if their pain level has decreased. He may also redo the same range of motion testing or muscle resistance movements from before. If there is a significant improvement, than my Dad says the condition was mainly a muscular issue.

Finally, my Dad will palpate the bones that were determined earlier to be subluxated to see if the subluxation has improved or if it is still present. If needed, my Dad will perform the chiropractic adjustment at this point. He may opt to perform the adjustment manually (with his hands) or use a device (such as the Activator or spinal blocks), this all depends on the comfort level of the patient. After the adjustment, the patient is asked to move around and test the area again. My Dad may even perform the range of motion and/or muscle resistance tests again to see if there was any significant improvement. If the patient improved more following the adjustment than following the soft tissue therapies, my Dad says the condition was primarily due to a subluxation.

There, that's it, I have now given away his secret, hopefully it makes sense to you as it does to him. Oh, and one more thing. Dad says when the patient is ready (meaning not in too much pain) he prescribes excersises to initially improve range of movement and flexibility. Once the patient has reached the "normal" range of movement and increased their flexibility in the area of complaint, the prescribed exercises switch focus to strengthening and stabalizing ones. This should help decrease future chances of reoccurences.

Okay remember, this is my Dad's approach in a nutshell. Depending on your particular condition his appraoch can and will vary. You may not even be a candidate for his approach, if so, he will let you know and refer you to the appropriate doctor (even another chiropractor).