Services and Techniques
Chiropractic Adjustments
Hands-on treatment at our office is individualized per the patient’s need. This can vary from very low-force, instrument adjusting to the standard chiropractic adjustment.
Therapeutic Exercises
Active care is essential in Dr. Dowdy's mind. His background is exercise physiology and he has spent a good part of his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida working in the biomechanics lab. There he has learned the critical role that proper rehab can play on performance as well as overall health and function. He has found that training your primary stability through functional exercises— a series of exercises that are aimed at alleviating acute and chronic back pain, improving posture and enhancing athletic ability, through the integration of your body’s muscle chains, and proper movement patterns — may strengthen and make you independent from care, whereas traditional rehab can go on for an indefinite period of time.
[ Massage Therapy ]
Massage therapy offers a natural, conservative treatment approach that relieves musculoskeletal pain for many patients. It is an excellent method for improving overall health and musculoskeletal efficiency. Massage has a number of beneficial effects on the body and the mind. Some of these include removal of toxins that can build up in the muscles of the body, increased circulation and increased flexibility in not only the muscles, but also the connective tissue within the body.
Massage also can help with muscle spasms as well as soft tissue injuries. Increasing the movement and reducing the overall recovery time by helping the body in the healing process.
Massage has proven to assist in the healing of a large number of conditions including back pain, surgery recovery, eating and sleep disorders as well as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Even though we do not offer this service in office, we have an excellent list of licensed massage therapists we can provide upon request.
Adjunctive Modalities
To complement and enhance the healing effects of the chiropractic adjustment, our office also provides the following physiological therapeutic procedures:Ultrasound
- Interferential electrical muscle stimulation
- Mechanical traction
- Cryotherapy (ice)
- Moist heat therapy
These therapies are meant to hasten your healing, reduce your pain, minimize swelling, muscle spasms and increase the range of motion.
Upper Cervical Specific Care
Pierce Chiropractic is the oldest upper cervical practice in Jacksonville. The chiropractors at Pierce use the Atlas Orthogonal technique, a gentle, specific adjusting method that uses a very precise force to realign the Atlas or first bone of the spine. Adjusting using this technique is painless; most patients don’t even feel the adjustment! However, the results are staggering. The top of the spine has a number of important neurological and vascular structures that can be negatively impacted by an Atlas misalignment.
Activator
The Doctors also utilize Activator adjusting in the practice. Activator is another low-force, instrument adjusting technique. It’s safety and effectiveness is well-documented in the research and is a great alternative for patients that don’t respond well to manual adjusting techniques.
Spinal Decompression
Spinal Decompression therapy is a non-surgical alternative for those battling chronic back pain. Decompression offers a gentle and safe way to find relief from sciatica pain, ruptured or herniated discs, posterior facet syndrome, injured spinal roots, arthritis and spinal stenosis. A single session takes 15 minutes.
Flexion Distraction
This adjusting technique uses a specialized table that moves the back and pelvis through a variety of ranges of motion. Even many acute disc issues can be treated using this technique. Dr. David Jendrisak has specific training in Flexion Distraction and is proficient in this adjusting technique.