Not Your Average Chiropractor
“He’s not your average chiropractor.”
—Patient Testimonial
“If you have been used to visiting a clinic to sit down and have your chiropractor only crack you where it hurts, this is not the place for you.” —The Maine Business Review
You may have seen this quote in our patient’s reviews and social media posts.
But what does this even mean?
Aren’t all Chiropractors the same?
The short and definite answer is no, but let’s explain why…
Typically when people think of going to see a Chiropractor, they envision getting their spine “cracked” or “manipulated” but that’s pretty much it. They think the “adjustment” is the main purpose for the whole appointment. That’s because most Chiropractic offices are set up so that once you check in with reception, you go into a treatment room to have a heating pad or e-stim applied for a few minutes, sometimes by an assistant, before the doctor comes in to adjust you. At some offices, appointments are even shorter—you might be in a room with several other people and the doctor will go down the line adjusting everyone, hence the “rack and crack” treatment style name. Overall at these places, you can spend 10-15 minutes there, and be asked to return up to 3x/week for months receiving practically the same exact treatment.
Does this sound familiar? If you have had treatments like these you wouldn’t be alone: the majority of our patients who make their way to see us have described these scenarios as their only other experience with a Chiropractor.
But how effective is that style of care?
You might feel better for a few hours after treatment but the truth is, by only adjusting the joints, this type of treatment does not address the underlying muscular issues that are actually what cause joint restrictions and pain in the first place. After all, the joints are a “passive” system, meaning they do not move on their own. It’s the muscles that control the movement of your joints in the first place. So if you have been told that your spine is “out of alignment,” the real culprit is typically dysfunctional muscles causing joint restriction.
THIS is where our philosophy of care and treatment style deviates from the norm...
We know that painful conditions are rarely isolated in the joints, which is why Dr. Travis Dyer always looks at the bigger picture by:
Connecting what muscles are involved (just because you feel pain somewhere does not mean it’s from that spot—sometimes it is “referred pain” from up or down the kinetic chain)
Recognizing when (and what) muscle(s) requires stretching, strengthening, or stabilizing to improve the patient’s condition
Treating the involved muscle dysfunctions with therapies such as Active Release Technique, Soft Tissue Mobilization (including Instrument Assisted like “Graston”), and PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretches—basically, a fancy way of pre-fatiguing the muscle to get a better stretch reflex
Assessing problematic movement patterns and educating patients on corrective exercises to restore mobility and reduce pain
If this sound pretty time-consuming, it is!
Your first appointment with Dr. Travis Dyer is a full hour long, one-on-one with him the entire time. He will guide you through a full orthopedic and movement assessment to get a better understanding of your bio-mechanics and what is causing the pain. This allows him to formulate your treatment to your condition, which includes a lot of the soft tissue work mentioned above. He communicates with you about what he finds and how he would like to approach treating it.
But that's not all!
Sharyn Peavey Photography
During the last 10-15 minutes of your appointment, Dr. Dyer will give you stretches and exercises to perform at home (or at the gym) so YOU have the tools to prevent the problem from returning, or at least maintain relief until your next treatment. Sometimes at the very end , after all of that, he will adjust the area of the spine that needs it, because the joints still do become restricted. Follow up treatments are a half hour long and involve re-assessing, treating, and adding/changing exercises as needed to keep you progressing.
Treatments are always dynamic and adapted to what your condition requires that day.
So as you can see, his treatment style is comprehensive. This not only leads to quicker results and longer-lasting relief, but it also means less treatments are needed overall! Most treatment plans start at once a week and are resolved by the third to fifth treatment—NOT the typical “I’ll need to see you three times a week for six months” where you just hope for some improvement. Nope—not happening here!
That’s also why our practice is named Empower—it’s what we aim to do. We want to help you learn more about your body and how to care for it to make the most of your every day activities. We give you the ability to engage in your treatments and take control of your care plan instead of you handing the keys over to someone who intimidates you into some long-term treatment plan with minimal effort and results.
That is why Dr. Travis Dyer is “not your average Chiropractor.”
To schedule, book online below or call our office (207) 926 - 1375 to learn more!