Chiropractic was invented by the Canadian David Palmer, who already in the 19th century tried to correct displacements at the joints by means of a special grip technique. Chiropractic is a form of manual therapy that can be learned today by doctors, as well as alternative practitioners, in an additional training. Many orthopedists have additional training in chiropractic therapy, which complements the common manual therapy of orthopedics, although to date it could not be scientifically clarified definitively whether the claim of chiropractic, misalignments of the joints and spine have a feedback effect on the organs, actually corresponds to the truth.
What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a form of manual therapy that nowadays can be learned by doctors, as well as alternative practitioners, in an additional training. Manual treatments of the spine and joints were already performed in ancient Egypt and in ancient Greece. Chiropractic received its name from Canadian David Palmer (1845-1913), who probably originally learned the methodology from Jim Atkinson of Davenport, Iowa. The term chiropractic is derived from the Greek and has the original meaning “to do with the hand”. In orthopedics, manual therapies have always been used that attempted to rebalance misalignments of the musculoskeletal system using special grip techniques. David Palmer, on the other hand, was the first to market chiropractic in a way that claimed that non-orthopedic conditions could also be caused by these misalignments and could be rebalanced through chiropractic treatment. In Germany, chiropractic may be performed by alternative practitioners and physicians with additional training in chiropractic.
Function, effect, treatments and goals
Application of chiropractic is primarily for functional joint problems in the spine. Displaced vertebrae due to tension or muscle spasms can both limit the mobility of the spine and also be responsible for back pain by pressing on or even pinching nerves. The cause of these tensions is often incorrect movement patterns or swelling and inflammation in the area of connective tissue. Before the actual manual treatment, the therapist takes a medical history. The patient is questioned in detail and then also subjected to a physical examination, for which the patient usually has to undress. The entire musculoskeletal system is observed and examined while the patient is standing, walking and lying down, since misalignments of individual joints can often have their cause in other regions of the body. The chiropractor then uses special handgrip techniques to try to loosen the blockages in the area of the joints. This is often done with a jerky movement that leads to the typical cracking sound, which, however, is often misinterpreted. The cracking sound is caused by the collapse of small gas bubbles that have formed in the joint fluid due to the misalignment and is completely harmless. The techniques used by chiropractic practitioners vary and often depend on the chiropractor’s sensitivity and ability to position the surfaces of the joints in relation to each other so that they can slide back into place. The treatment is not always done in a jerky manner, but can also be done gently and with repeated stretching. Basically, these two techniques are distinguished from each other in chiropractic. The slow methodology is called mobilizing, and the jerky methodology is the manipulative one. The manipulative technique is said to restore joint mobility more quickly and to a more complete degree. Which of the techniques is used is up to the chiropractic practitioner. In addition, other techniques are used, all of which aim to relieve pressure on the joints and ligaments, as well as the spinal nerves, thereby restoring the joint to its original position.
Risks, side effects and dangers
Before using chiropractic treatment, imaging, such as a CT scan, MRI, or plain X-ray, should always be used to determine if there is anything wrong with treatment.Contraindications can be tumors or a herniated disc, as well as problems in the area of the carotid artery, which could possibly lead to an injury of the same. In rare cases, blood clots can form in this way, which could subsequently trigger a stroke by blocking a vessel in the brain. Nerve damage can also occur as a result of improper use of chiropractic, which can express itself through altered sensation or even paralysis. In general, it should be said that complications are extremely rare in chiropractic when the methodology is performed by a trained chiropractor and any risk factors are excluded in advance.
