If you need a chiropractic adjustment to your back or neck, but have an uneasy feeling about “cracking” or “popping,” you can relax. There’s a better way.

And now that better way is even better still.

For the past 15 years, chiropractors have used the Impulse adjusting instrument to improve spinal function and relieve pain and discomfort. Now the Impulse iQ, equipped with a microcomputer and artificial intelligence (AI), precisely regulates the instrument’s thrust and frequency for better results.

Dr Steven Thain, DC, of Disc Centers of America Bellevue, loves the technique’s effectiveness.

“It was invented by Dr. Christopher Colloca – one of the most peer-reviewed researchers on chiropractic in the world,” Thain said.

“The uniqueness of the Impulse iQ is it has artificial intelligence, it uses a microchip computer. When the instrument applies a thrust, it measures what’s called the resonant frequency – the movement response of the joint or the muscle that the impulse affects.”

The Impulse iQ will modulate its thrust pattern so it accelerates or decelerates to get in sync with that resonant frequency.

The experience is very comfortable for the patient, who can relax while lying face down – no cracks or pops.

The only sound, Thain says, is the sound of the instrument itself. Patients can hear its thrust frequency change, and when it detects three consistent responses, it stops. A single beep indicates a successful adjustment.

“In essence it’s making sure that you’re getting a measurable change,” he said.

Often when traditional manual adjustments were unsuccessful, it was because the patient would tighten or tense up in a defensive reflex. “That’s why some people feel uncomfortable with being adjusted,” Thain said. “This instrument can fire so quickly that you don’t have that.

“It’s very comfortable for people with severe arthritis. It works extremely well. My 83-year-old mother absolutely loves the technique.”

And so do Thain’s other patients. An in-office survey showed that 90 per cent of his patients prefer the Impulse iQ adjustment to manual manipulation.

Thain says its AI capabilities are a huge step forward for chiropractors and their patients.

“I’ve followed the technology for 15 years and I thought, understanding the physics of this, it’s going to be the wave of the future if somebody can make it intelligent. And sure enough, that’s what Dr. Colloca was able to do, and that’s what we have.”

To learn more about Impulse iQ, book an appointment with Dr. Thain by calling 425-310-4307 or email info@BellevueDiscCenter.com. You can follow what’s new on Disc Centers of America Bellevue’s Facebook page.

Dr. Steven Thain works with a patient at his clinic in Bellevue.