What Do Chiropractors Do and Why?

Chiropractic has been around for over a century and was originally defined by its creator DD Palmer and taken from the Latin for 'done by hand'.

While it took some time to develop a basic premise, in the early stages the ideas that formed its base had many influences. D.D. Palmer was originally a 'magnetic' healer with an interest in the metaphysical. B.J. Palmer his son had probably the most impact on the expansion of the profession.

Hippocrates said "It is most necessary to know the nature of the spine. One or more vertebrae may or may not go out of place very much and if they do, they are likely to produce serious complications and even death, if not properly adjusted. Many diseases are related to the spine".

This may have been an underlying thought that people at the time had. D.D. could have, at least at some point believed it to be always the case. And so he set about 'adjusting' or manipulating the spine in an attempt to help people with various complaints.

The basis of care focused on the integrity of the spine and nervous system. It was known that the brain controls every system in the body and uses the spinal cord and nerves to deliver messages to every part of the body. Palmer taught that if you are unwell there is a good chance that your nervous system was involved and that the chiropractor's job was to correct it.

He used his metaphysical interest to introduce the concept of 'Innate intelligence'. This thought involves the inbuilt ability of the body to heal itself and that any interference to the "flow" of this intelligence could cause 'dis-ease'. "The kind of dis-ease depends upon what nerves are too tense or too slack"

Later that concept developed into a more accepted version. This was still based on the thought that the body has an inbuilt ability to heal but that stressors on the body would disrupt the spinal joint motion. The most common causes of stress was believed to be Emotional, Physical and Chemical.

By the 1920's the research on spinal motion, disc herniation and nerve impingement was well underway in the medical realm. This at least showed that disruption to a spinal joint can irritate nearby nerves. D.D. termed this a Vertebral Subluxation - a dysfunction of a spinal joint that irritates a spinal nerve. It is a chiropractic specific term not to be confused with the medical term of subluxation.

And it has been this term 'vertebral subluxation' that has continued to dog the profession from inside and out. From inside there are practitioners who hold firm to this construct, others that have let it go, each side being very vocal. Of course from outside the profession this has been seen as a mark of disunity and has tarnished the professions credibility.

Palmer said, the chiropractor's role is to adjust subluxated spinal vertebrae back to their best position and restore joint motion. The premise being that this will remove any nerve interference and associated symptoms.

This is what they do, and the reason they believe they do it is of some contention. But what is not at all debated is that Workcover NSW Australia (a state-wide workers compensation scheme) do not have any bias toward Chiropractic or Physiotherapy treatment for injured workers. This at least implies they have similar return on investment to each other with respect to injured workers regardless of the type of injury.

A study in Canada in the late 1990's implied the results from chiropractic and other modalities for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation was effective and appropriate in comparison to a medical alternative treatment. A number of other studies also mentioned that manipulation is safe and appropriate for the great majority of patients with lumbar disc herniation.

So it appears that this constantly debated premise for why chiropractor's do what they do has very little bearing on patient outcome.

A recent study out of New Zealand 2016 shows that a manipulation does in fact cause a change in brain function. So maybe the research will one day be able to clarify the underlying belief of the subluxation that has dogged and divided the profession.

Whether a Chiropractor is improving the "Innate Intelligence" or helping the lower back repair after a work injury, one thing is still a reality, they have been helping people naturally for more than 100 years without drugs or surgery. Maybe this could be a more appropriate fact to inspire the profession to unite and move forward?