Chiropractic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChiropracticChiropractic is a health care discipline and profession that emphasizes diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, under the hypothesis that these disorders affect general health via the nervous system.[1] The main treatment involves manual therapy including manipulation of the spine, other joints, and soft tissue; treatment also includes exercises and health and lifestyle counseling.[4] Traditional chiropractic assumes that a vertebral subluxation or spinal joint dysfunction interferes with the body's function.
Physical Therapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_therapyPhysical therapy (physiotherapy in many English speaking countries) is a health care profession which provides services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life. This includes providing services in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors.
Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation. This encompasses physical, psychological, emotional, and social well being. It involves the interaction between physical therapist (PT), patients/clients, other health professionals, families, care givers, and communities in a process where movement potential is assessed and goals are agreed upon, using knowledge and skills unique to physical therapists.[1] Physical therapy is performed by either a physical therapist (PT) or an assistant (PTA) acting under their direction.[2]
Massage therapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massage_therapyMassage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical (anatomical), functional (physiological), and in some cases psychological purposes and goals.
Massage involves acting on and manipulating the body with pressure - structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving - tension, motion, or vibration, done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, forearm, and feet. There are over eighty different recognized massage modalities.
Acupuncture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AcupunctureAcupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes.
According to traditional Chinese medical theory, acupuncture points are situated on meridians along which qi, the vital energy, flows. Modern acupuncture texts present them as ideas that are useful in clinical practice.[7][8] According to the NIH consensus statement on acupuncture, these traditional Chinese medical concepts "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture."[6]
The earliest written record that is available about acupuncture is Huangdi Neijing (???? or Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), which suggests acupuncture originated in China and would explain why it is most commonly associated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).[9] Different types of acupuncture (Classical Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Vietnamese and Korean acupuncture) are practiced and taught throughout the world.
Exercise Physiology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_physiologyExercise physiology is the study of the function of the human body during various acute and chronic exercise conditions. These effects are significant during both short, high intensity exercise as well as with prolonged strenuous exercise such as done in endurance sports like marathons, ultramarathons, and road bicycle racing.
Sports medicine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_medicineSports medicine specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries related to participating in sports and/or exercise, specifically the rotation or deformation of joints or muscles caused by engaging in such physical activities.
Nutritional Therapy
http://www.thenewmedicine.org/resources/definitionsNutritional Therapy focuses on eating or eliminating particular foods, vitamins, and nutrients for therapeutic benefit. Although food has always played an important role in different medical traditions, modern nutrition is based on early 1900's research that discovered dietary essentials (vitamins) beyond carbohydrates, protein, fat, and minerals.
Nerve Conduction Testing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_conduction_studyA nerve conduction study (NCS) is a test commonly used to evaluate the function, especially the ability of electrical conduction, of the motor and sensory nerves of the human body.
Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) is a common measurement made during this test. The term NCV often is used to mean the actual test, but this may be misleading since velocity is only one measurement in the test suite.
Nerve conduction studies are used mainly for evaluation of paresthesias (numbness, tingling, burning) and/or weakness of the arms and legs. The type of study required is dependent in part by the symptoms presented. A physical exam and thorough history also help to direct the investigation. Some of the common disorders which can be diagnosed by nerve conduction studies are:
* Peripheral neuropathy
* Carpal tunnel syndrome
* Ulnar neuropathy
* Guillain-Barre syndrome
* Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
* Spinal disc herniation