What Does Talako Therapies Offer?
Talako Therapies integrated chiropractic and craniosacral therapy practice utilises a number of different techniques, and these will be selected depending on your particular diagnosis, your age, and your level of discomfort when you first present as a patient. The treatment options include:
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle way of working with the body using light touch. It does not just involve the head; Craniosacral Therapy
works with the whole person and changes may occur in body, mind and spirit during and after sessions.
During a Craniosacral therapy session, Dr Tracy Dixon DC CST places her hands lightly on the patient. She is using them to listen to the patient in much the same way that a counsellor might listen to their words. The patient’s body responds to this sensitive touch by beginning to listen to itself. A feeling of being heard in the truest sense of the word is a common experience during and after a Craniosacral session. Read more about Craniosacral Therapy here.
Fascial Unwinding
Fascial tissue can be likened to cling film. It surrounds and envelops every structure in the body, every muscle, organ, bone, nerve and blood vessel is covered by a thin film of fascia. Fascial pulls within the body can often identify the underlying source of a patient’s condition, and may sometimes reveal as yet unrecognised pathology. Fascial unwinding is a very gentle and non-invasive treatment process (being a branch of Craniosacral Therapy) which involves responding sensitively to the body’s demands, never forcing or imposing on the body tissues in any way. It is therefore generally painless (even in acutely painful conditions) and brings about a much appreciated sense of ease, softness and relaxation, as well as the more profound therapeutic release of chronic underlying conditions.
Activator Method
The Activator Method uses a handheld spring-loaded instrument that delivers a consistent low-force adjustment that is very gentle and comfortable for the patient. Patients of all ages can benefit from the Activator technique. Being so gentle, it is also very effective with children and older patients; even those with arthritis, osteoporosis or other bone-weakening conditions find the Activator Method to be effective and gentle. As well as treating the spine, it is also helpful for adjusting elbows, wrists, knees and many of the joints in the feet.
Sacro-Occipital Technique
The sacro-occipital technique, or SOT, is a chiropractic technique designed to help normalise the relationship between the pelvis and the head. In SOT, the integrity of the spine, and the function of the nervous system it protects, begins with the pelvis. This is constantly subjected to the pull of gravity, and if pelvic 
stability is lost, it produces effects throughout the body.
At Talako Therapies, we use wedge-shaped ‘blocks’ that are positioned under the pelvis when lying down to correct the spine and help ‘tune’ the nervous system. By using gravity and the weight of your own body, gentle corrections are made naturally, resulting in healthier patterns of spinal function. Along with safe and consistent results, SOT is known for emphasising patient comfort….. many of our patients want to take the ‘blocks’ home with them after their treatment!
Soft Tissue Work
At Talako Therapies, your therapist may utilise a number of soft tissue techniques to help the healing process. These may include deep tissue massage techniques, trigger point therapy, muscle stretch techniques, dry needling, and the Acumag Massager.
Acumag Massager
This is a professional deep tissue pounding massager. This gives a more concentrated massage, resulting in greater soft tissue relaxation. It has been proven to be able to penetrate down into the deep and soft muscle tissue, which is normally only reached after hours of intensive hands-on massage. It is a particular favourite of our patients at Talako Therapies!
Dry Needling / Medical Acupuncture
Dry needling is a technique that uses very fine acupuncture needles in the treatment of muscular tension and spasm. It is called “Dry” needling because nothing is injected into the tissues. This technique offers a safe and effective way to rapidly deactivate painful muscle knots, known as trigger points. Dry Needling has been shown to decrease muscle spasm/contraction, reduce chemical irritation, improve flexibility and decrease pain. Please note, whilst dry needling (often referred to as medical acupuncture) uses the same type of needles, it is a different form of treatment to traditional Chinese acupuncture. Dr Tracy Dixon DC CST is trained in the use of Dry Needling and is not a traditional Chinese acupuncturist.
Cryotherapy (Cold Therapy)
Cryotherapy is the application of cold to temporarily relieve pain. The most common form of cryotherapy is the application of ice; at Talako Therapies, we may use Biofreeze gel following your session, depending on the techniques used. This gel is classed as a topical analgesic and produces the same sensation of cold that accompanies icing. Biofreeze is the only pain relieving gel that contains 100% natural menthol and 100% natural herbs; it is the only analgesic with ILEX, a herbal extract from a South American holly shrub. The ILEX works to extend the properties of the gel, which in combination with your treatment, results in longer lasting pain relief and acceleration of the healing process. It is safe to use for all patients, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Talako Therapies can supply individual sachets of Biofreeze gel for use when travelling; the sachets are small enough to be carried on in your hand luggage for use during a flight.
The Webster Technique
The Webster Technique is performed during pregnancy to reduce the effects of dysfunction of the sacral/pelvic area, and to ensure the mother’s pelvis is well aligned and her muscles and ligaments are under normal tension.The technique was first developed by chiropractor Dr Larry Webster DC in 1976 in response to his granddaughter’s difficult labour.
The Webster Technique is defined as “a chiropractic analysis and adjusting technique that reduces interference to the nerves and facilitates biomechanical balance in the pelvic structures, muscles and ligaments. This has been shown to reduce the effects of intrauterine constraint, allowing the baby to get into the best possible position for birth.” (Dr Jeanne Ohm DC, Webster Technique educator).
The ICPA (International Chiropractic Paediatric Association) recognises that in the care of pregnant women, dysfunction of the sacral/pelvic area may contribute to a difficult labour for the mother (known as dystocia); it is proposed that pelvic dysfunction may cause interference to the nerves of the uterus, misalignment of the sacrum/pelvis, and tightening of specific pelvic muscles and ligaments. This can cause inadequate function of the uterus, along with the condition known as intrauterine constraint, where the tense muscles and ligaments, and their constraining effect on the uterus, prevent the baby from comfortably assuming the head down (normal) presentation.
The resulting abnormal presentation is known as “breech”, when the baby’s bottom or feet – rather than the head – are presenting into the lower part of the uterus. Many breech babies spontaneously correct without assistance, before or even during labour. However, it is preferable for the baby to be head down by the time labour begins to facilitate delivery and minimise potential intervention.
The Webster Technique should not be interpreted as an obstetric “breech turning” technique; rather, it simply allows the baby to have maximum space in which to turn itself, if possible, and only when it is ‘ready’ to move. There is no contact with the baby and therefore it is not stressful to the unborn child in any way. This is entirely different to external cephalic version (ECV) which is performed by qualified obstetricians and midwives, and involves manually trying to move the baby into the head-down position.
Dr Tracy Dixon DC CST is qualified in the use of the Webster Technique. For more information, please contact us here.
