The cornerstone of chiropractic health treatment is spinal manipulation, often called the "adjustment". It may involve either gentle pressure, or a quick thrust to restore normal motion to joints that have become restricted or "locked". While manipulation may be performed by other physicians, Doctors of Chiropractic have the most extensive experience and education in manipulation, performing 94% of the spinal manipulations in the United States. Numerous scientific studies have proven the efficacy, safety,cost-effectiveness and high levels of patient satisfaction of spinal manipulation. As a result, it is one of only two treatment protocols given the highest recommendation for the treatment of low back pain by the Agency for Health Care and Policy Research (AHCPR), an arm of the US Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about spinal manipulation, see Information & Research on Chiropractic.

Although most patients receive traditional manual ("hands-on") adjustments, we also offer "low force" adjustments, preformed with a highly advanced instrument. Some patients are familiar with these instrument adjustment techniques, which are often referred to as "activator", "pro-adjustor", or "impulse adjusting". These low-force adjustments are extremely gentle and precise. Experience has shown us that instrument adjusting can be especially effective when used in combination with manual adjusting. In other instances, instrument adjusting may be used as an alternative to manual adjusting. As with all of our treatment options, the doctor will be happy to discuss with you which adjusting techniques would be best for your particular condition.