How Did Chiropractic Start
The Chiropractic profession dates back to 1895 when it was discovered by Daniel David Palmer (D.D.Palmer). D.D Palmer was born in 1845 in Ontario, Canada and moved to the United States when he was 20. A few years later, after becoming friends with a magnetic healer, he moved to Davenport Iowa and set up his first clinic called the ‘Palmer cure and Infirmary’.
Palmer was working late one night when a fire engine went by his office. He realized that the janitor who was working did not flinch at the loud noise of the siren. He approached the janitor and soon realized that he was deaf. Palmer proceeded to communicate with the gentleman and it became clear that the janitor had normal hearing all his life until he bent forward one day and felt a pop in his back from a mis-aligned vertebrae. Palmer stated “I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man’s hearing should be restored,” he wrote in his notes afterwards. “With this object in view, a half hour’s talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I put it into position by using the spinous process as a lever, and soon the man could hear as before.”
From here, Palmer went on to see many patients with many different problems by repositioning misaligned vertebrae. He gave it the name chiro (hand), practic (practice or operation) and the chiropractic profession had arrived.
The chiropractic profession has advanced vastly since the times of D.D Palmer but the basic understanding and principles remain: by correcting spinal misalignments and removing nerve interference the nervous system will be allowed to function to its optimum capacity and the body will heal and repair.
Our Chiropractic Techniques
Gonstead Chiropractic
Dr C S Gonstead developed the Gonstead System of Chiropractic in 1923. This system focuses on the methods of diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of conditions that are caused by mechanical dysfunction of the spine and related joints. Dr Gonstead believed that incorrect function of the spine and related joints can cause irritation of the nerves that control muscular movement and function.
Clarence Selmer Gonstead was born in 1898. He initially studied as and became a successful mechanical engineer. Gonstead first turned to chiropractic when he started to suffer from a crippling form of rheumatoid arthritis in his hands. Gonstead saw a miraculous change in his rheumatoid arthritis for the better and then decided that chiropractic was to be his future. He graduated from Palmer Chiropractic College in 1923 and started practicing the same year.
Dr Gonstead applied his knowledge of mechanical engineering to the human body. He saw the human body as a complex, intricate marvel and applied the same disciplines and principals to it from his previous career. As part of his lifelong fascination with the human spine he would fly on his private plane to Lincoln Chiropractic College in Indianapolis and spend hours examining cadavers (bodies left to scientific research). From his findings and studies, Gonstead developed a completely new system of analysis and spinal correction based around what he called the foundation principle. This principle resolved around the pelvis in the human body which he related to the foundations of a structural building for example a house. He thought that if the foundations (pelvis or spinal vertebrae) where uneven or misaligned then all structures above it would be affected.
Diversified Chiropractic
The diversified technique is the most commonly used technique by chiropractors and is the technique that is composed of all other techniques. It primarily focuses on spinal adjustments to restore function to vertebral and spinal problems.
Activator Methods
The Activator Method is a chiropractic treatment which uses a small device created by Arlan Fuhr. It is used to deliver a gentle impulse force to the spine with the goal of restoring motion to the targeted spinal vertebra or joint. It is as an effective alternative to manual chiropractic adjustments.
Thompson Drop Techniques
The Thompson drop technique is a system of chiropractic that focuses on a patients leg length in balances to restore spinal function. The Thompson technique was started by Dr Clay and uses a special drop table to adjust parts of the pelvis and the spine. The majority of the spinal adjusting needs less force than conventional adjustments due to the drop mechanism of the tables used.
The most common therapeutic procedure performed by chiropractors is called a chiropractic adjustment. A chiropractic adjustment is a gentle, quick, placement done by hand to the restricted vertebrae. By adjusting the restricted joint, mobility is restored and the irritation to the nervous system is removed thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness and allowing the body to heal. Often you may hear a ‘popping’ noise; this is a natural phenomenon of air being released in the joint and nothing to be concerned about.
The Chiropractic Adjustment
Conditions We Can Help With
The chiropractors at Capital Chiropractic see patients of varying ages who present with a wide range of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems such as back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, sports injuries, tennis elbow, hip and knee pain as well as headaches and migraines.
