The seminal event for the chiropractic profession occurred in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa, when a deaf janitor visited a ‘magnetic healer’, an individual professing a new and remarkable physical healing method that utilized a hands on procedure delivered to the spine. This new method, as yet unnamed, purported to clear the expression of nerve energy from the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord. The natural healer’s name was Daniel David “DD” Palmer and the first chiropractic adjustment delivered by Palmer restored the hearing of the janitor.
Word spread amongst the populace as DD Palmer continued to develop this new physical healing technique and in 1897 he established the Palmer School of Cure which is, today, the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, the original location of that remarkable curative event. Today there are approximately 77,000 chiropractors in the United States who are required to pass a series of four national board exams along with rigorous state exams in their preferred state of practice.[1] Doctors of Chiropractic go on to specialize in various environments and clinical specialties, e.g. sports chiropractic. The great majority of doctors have family practices and chiropractic care is covered by the most health insurance policies and federal plans like Medicare, Medicaid and the U.S. Depts. Of Veteran Affairs and Defense and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.[2]
Chiropractic maintains principles that have served as the philosophical and procedural bases for the profession since its inception. The musculoskeletal system, comprised of the axial skeleton-the spine-and the peripheral articulations like the shoulders, knees and feet must have proper orthopedic a) motion and b) position factors to assure nerve patency, the healthy expression of nerve energy to and from the central nervous system. These motion and position factors are the joint biomechanics and if either of these aspects is unfavorably altered from injury or functional compromise like stressful ergonomic environments or physical injury then nerve irritation and pressure give rise to painful activities of daily living like getting dressed, sitting for prolonged periods, driving and recreational activities.
Chiropractic colleges adhere to philosophical constructs that dictate their curriculums. For example, one school actually has the word, “straight”, in its title, denoting a very conservative ideology and does not train their students in physiotherapy modalities. Most of the colleges do offer coursework in physiotherapy.
Practicing doctors who choose not to utilize any passive therapies like heat/ice, ultrasound therapy or electric muscle stimulation in the administration of their care designate as “straight” chiropractors whereas doctors who employ such modalities are “mixers”. These are simply coined, descriptive terms relative to practice styles and not derogatory. Doctors who are “mixers” must take a 120-hour curriculum and pass a final exam to become nationally Certified. As well, each state has its own certification requirements for those resident mixer doctors.
Chiropractic adjustments are painless unless the patient presents with abject pain. The chiropractor implements specialized skills in pain management along with appropriate chiropractic techniques to relieve the painful condition, oftentimes affording immediate relief and obviating prescribed and over-the-counter medications.
Certain conditions may require medical intervention. One such scenario is a patient with intractable pain coursing down the back of one or both legs mimicking a herniated lumbar disc. An MRI can determine the extent of disc damage. A disc bulge can respond very favorably to appropriate chiropractic techniques. If, however, the lumbar disc is herniated as evidenced on the MRI then the patient may require medical intervention in the forms of spinal injections and surgery. Nevertheless a chiropractic technique, lumbar disc distraction, employs a specialized table and has resolved some extents of disc herniation. A disc prolapse, although rare, is a more serious disruption of the lumbar disc wherein a piece of the disc has dislodged and rests against a nerve root. In these unfortunate conditions spine surgery is often necessary.
Guest Author:
Dr. Peter J. Williams
is a multi-decade D.C., Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Blood Type
Diet Practitioner and natural health researcher
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