Ep 15: Precision Changes Outcomes

How does precision technology improve chiropractic outcomes?

In this episode of Before the Scalpel, the doctors explore how modern chiropractic technology helps deliver more precise, comfortable, and effective care. They discuss the evolution of advanced treatment tools, the science behind the Impulse IQ adjusting instrument, and how innovation continues to shape patient outcomes.

You’ll also hear:
• How technology helps identify and correct spinal restrictions
• The fascinating bridge-engineering story behind modern chiropractic instruments
• Why precision can improve patient comfort and confidence
• Alternatives for patients who prefer treatment without manual adjustments
• An overview of advanced therapies including spinal decompression, rehabilitation technology, flexibility therapy, and muscle recovery tools

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:16

So in our previous episodes, we did it gave a little bit about the history of Powell and the doctors, of course, Dr. Powell Sr., which was great having him, and uh Dr. Jim, and then myself, and and how we got involved into chiropractic. And now we're going to elaborate a little bit more on um precision changing outcomes. So as far as our clinic goes, we have a lot of uh more modern type techniques. And so maybe you could elaborate a little bit on where we are there.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Sure. Well, dad was successful in practice and he reinvested um his income back into the practice to find new technologies, not only for himself and grandma and the rest of the family, but also patients at the clinic with very complicated cases that may he may not have gotten as great a success with the current tools that he had, so he would look for new tools. Well, that led in time to us doing the same thing. Yes. And precision uh gives us outcomes. Um basically, if we look at this instrument that we uh have purchased that we use in have in every treatment room. So this is called an impulse IQ. Uh it may look kind of odd, but um the reality is it's high technology uh instruments. So in the front of the instrument is a sensor called a piezoelectric sensor. And the piezoelectric sensor measures uh resistance. And that measured resistance goes to a microprocessor in the handle and it evaluates uh if that's changed. So for example, my hand, and then you can see on the uh graph that it's yellow if I do the table, and it's a higher resistance. So the instrument helps us move the spine and will shut itself off once the resistance changes from restricted to flexible. The piezoelectric sensor is not a new instrument or a new sensor. If we go back in time to the 50s, all the bridges over rivers were steel girders. And the steel girders were held together by rivets. And what would happen is that the temperature would change, the barometric pressure and the temperature, and the bridge between the cars running over it and the temperature changes, the rivets would break inside the steel girders. Over time, there was a critical mass where the rivets would crack inside the bridge and it would reach a point where it couldn't withstand the weight of the bridge any longer and the bridge would collapse. And typically this happened in the middle of the night during weather changes. So somebody would be driving home from work, used to be driving over a bridge, and the bridge was gone. It's down in the riverbank, and the people would drive their cars right into the river. So the engineers of the time figured out that if they tapped the rivet and they measured the vibration, if a rivet was solid, it would have a specific vibration. If the rivet was cracked, it would vibrate at a different frequency. So they developed a piezoelectric sensor that they would tap every one of the rivets of the bridges, any of the ones that were cracked, they would drill out and put a new rivet in, and then they were able to stop people losing their lives, and the damage and the cost for these bridges would collapse, and these communities couldn't even get food. Now, today's bridges are created in a completely different scenario. So we we don't have that problem nowadays, but they use the same technology in this instrument. So if a spinal bone's moving, if it's restricted and you tap that bone and it has a different frequency, it's locked up. So the instrument taps till the bone moves and then opens up that segment. Now it's more flexible, the nerve isn't as irritated, and the body heals itself. So that's how precision can change outcomes.

SPEAKER_03 4:39

Well, it's certainly different than the traditional uh stipulation of how we adjust spines chiropractically. Of course, using our hands uh is what makes us unique. We do that too. With the palpation in the feel, and we still do this quite a bit.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Um, but it's a little different than the typical, you know, what patients always comment on the twisting or the cracking or the popping. Right. Um one thing I wanted to bring up about this being so specific is once these um probes contact the skin, they never leave the surface of the skin. Correct. And so it's a I guess it would be a what we would consider a recoil. So as it pushes into the spine, the recoil back continuously goes back into that sensor. Right. And so once the motion is restored and everything's freed loose, again that that triggers it to shut off. So it's very specific. And that's very difficult to do with human hands.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

Um, we get very specific, and and the more years we do it, the better we get.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Right.

SPEAKER_03 5:38

But I think the combination of the two is is is probably the best bet.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Right. So and if we'll uh show you on an ammon animation, yeah, the instrument gives with each uh instrument adjustment.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

And the analogy that the creator of this instrument's a friend of ours, his name is Chris Coloca.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

And the way that he explained it is that if your granddaughter is on a swing and you push her on the swing and she swings out, and when she comes back, if you push her again before she's reached her maximum momentum, you'll disrupt her in the swing. But if you let her come all the way up and then give her another push when she goes away, you can get motion in that child with very little effort. So that's the theory of this instrument is that because it stays in contact and continues that the tap motion will move bones uh far easier.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

And many times you don't even really feel anything. No. Never really any pain or tenderness, it's just nice smooth pressure. And many people comment on how much better they feel after it. And when we first got this instrument, I think it was Dr. Lesh, your cousin, my cousin, introduced us to this because he had been involved in some significant trauma for his neck.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Car accidents.

SPEAKER_03 6:59

And so, because of that, he couldn't handle the manual manipulation. Right. And uh and it would actually make him worse. Yep. And I'm not really sure of the story, you may be able to elaborate on this, but he ended up finding this instrument and found that this gave him relief. And so, of course, he passed it on to us. And so when we first had this, when I was first adjusted with this, when I felt it, I believed it. But when I was watching it initially, I'm like, what can this thing do?

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Correct.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

You know, because I'm used to getting my hands on people feeling the bone move, and we still do that.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:29

Um, but what I love about this is when we have patients that come in with brittle bones, yeah, that we call it osteoporosis, meaning the bone is very fragile, and so you have to be very gentle with adjusting. Those patients that we may not have been able to do anything before, we now have this option.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Right.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

So that's what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

So, and there are people that uh have an aversion to the cracking noise or they're concerned about that. So we'll use this until they're more comfortable. Right. And if they get the results that we're after with just this, we don't necessarily have to do a manual adjustment. Exactly. I typically use it on almost every patient I have.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

I do too, a combination. So I think we have a video that exemplifies how this works. Correct. So we're gonna show that for you, and then you can kind of get a first-hand idea exactly of what we just explained uh visually.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Now, after you've had the opportunity to see some of these things, the the key component is this is just one tool. And we've been blessed to not just have this technology but quite a few others. Yes. And we'll go into greater uh explanation of each of those technologies as we go along, but maybe give us a couple examples of some of the other technologies that we have here that we're using.

SPEAKER_03 8:49

Absolutely. Well, one would be our spinal decompression. Correct. So we use that on the on the neck and back. Um this technology is state of the art, and we've we this is our 20th year, and we've had great success with that. So that's that's one of our great methods. And then we talk about our rehab uh technology and the emedics equipment, um, also for both neck and low back. And then we also have flexibility therapy, intersegmental traction. It's called a Leander table, and the vibrocusser, which um is a uh very uh specific handheld unit that we use to re release uh muscle tension, muscle spasms, also helps to increase circulation and decrease inflammation.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Right.

SPEAKER_03 9:30

So those are some of the technologies, among others.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Yeah, yeah. So it's all very cool. Yes, very much so. So our next episode will be uh small spines, uh big responsibility. So we look forward to sharing that information with you then.

SPEAKER_03 9:48

See you next time.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Powell Chiropractic Clinic introduces Discovery, the alternative to back surgery. The advanced discovery protocols created in 2006 by the doctors at Powell Chiropractic Clinic are healthy and effective ways to avoid surgery and relieve pain. Innovators in chiropractic care, Dr. Jim Powell and Dr. Walter Null invite you to live pain free, drug free. Call today for a free no cost consultation and preliminary examination. Powell Chiropractic Clinic, located on Munson Street Northwest in Belvin Village and at Powell Chiropractic.com.