I am going to write this short post based on my experience as a ‘Chiropractor' and from meetings and having conversations with other 'Chiropractors' and ‘McTimoney Chiropractors'.
A McTimoney Chiropractor giving an ‘toggle recoil’ type adjustment to Thoracic Spine
The key point I want to make with this post is that McTimoney Chiropractors prefer to use a different type of ‘adjustment’ or ‘manipulation’ to a normal Chiropractor. The techniques they prefer to use are very very gentle and many patients I’ve met that have seen a McTimoney Chiropractor previously told me that they hardly felt a thing when they had been ‘adjusted’.
With a McTimoney adjustment, it is all about speed, if you watch a youtube video you’ll see they hardly any contact is made with the patient. This is in contrast to a normal Chiropractor who uses a larger contact which requires a thrust which may or may not lead to a popping or cracking noise at the joint. With regards to soft tissue work, both types of Chiropractor can use the same techniques, however each practitioner is different with regard to what treatment they prefer to use in each treatment scenario.
A normal Chiropractor giving an adjustment to the Thoracic spine (There are other techniques available but the previous two pictures are a good way to compare the two preferred techniques)
Both types of Chiropractor have an incredibly good knowledge of the body and a great basis of knowledge upon which they build their careers. So no one person’s knowledge should be regarded as being better than the others.
My own preference when I receive treatment is to see a normal Chiropractor, like myself, as I prefer a larger point of contact and force so I can feel my joints being moved. If though, you prefer a much gentler approach with little (if any) popping and cracking of your joints, a McTimoney Chiropractor may be right for you. If your Chiropractor does not use soft tissue work and does not provide you with exercises and home advice then I would consider changing as manipulation alone is not good enough. With either type of Chiropractor, I would recommend seeing someone with a good reputation and not just the nearest one to you, so have an ask around.