Did you think chiropractic care is a relatively new addition to your options for holistic treatments? The beginnings of chiropractic care can actually be tracked back to the very start of human history (or at least when humans began to record what was happening in their day-to-day lives).
It probably shouldn’t be surprising that some of the earliest traces go back to China and Greece. Written documents take note of spinal manipulation as well as moving lower extremities as a remedy for helping with low back pain (an issue that has long plagued humans because of our collective decision to shift from traveling on all fours to walking erect).
These documents range from 2700 BC to 1500 BC, and are persuasive evidence that chiropractic care has deep roots.
Even Hippocrates, the famous Greek doctor (460-357 BC), published documents that went into detail about how important chiropractic care is, although it wasn’t called that back in his day. “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases,” he advised.
That advice is still followed today, and obviously the skills of chiropractic care have improved over the centuries. However, what we regard as “modern chiropractic care” began in the US in the late nineteenth century.
An American approach
Daniel David Palmer became the founder of modern chiropractics in 1895, when he opened his first office in Davenport, Iowa. Palmer was an avid student of medical journals and studied physiology, anatomy, and approaches to health care around the world.
In 1897, he founded the Palmer School of Chiropractic, and this college remains one of the most respected in the country. Committed to a holistic approach to well-being, Palmer is dubbed the father of Chiropractics by many in the profession.
In the twentieth century, chiropractors steadily garnered the legal recognition they deserved in every state. This legal support led to a respect for chiropractic care on a global scale, and what was once considered alternative medicine (and not in the good way it’s thought of these days) became more mainstream.
Chiropractors began working more closely with general physicians. Both professionals recognized the complementary aspects of the two types of care. These days, it’s common for MDs to recommend patients to chiropractors, especially after a traumatic incident.
Chiropractors make it big
In 1979, the journal Chiropractic in New Zealand published a piece that bolstered the effectiveness of the practice, and led to even more medical cooperation. By 1993, the Manga study published a piece that investigated just how cost-effective chiropractic care is.
As a result, the public came to know that indulging in chiropractic care could save “hundreds of millions of dollars” each year, especially in terms of direct health-care costs and disability payments. This news spread like wildfire, and was the driving force behind the decision of so many insurance plans to add chiropractors to their networks and coverage.
Chiropractors themselves had no choice but to be pioneers in the realm of non-invasive health care. They had a big job to do: educate their patients and colleagues about the importance of science-based chiropractic approaches to illnesses and injuries.
Continuing education has always been a cornerstone of chiropractic training, but it became even more important as these professionals were expected to prevent and treat new conditions. As the public’s general health has declined, every health-care professional, including the chiropractor, has had to step even more quickly to the plate.
What chiropractors undertake
Most chiropractors complete four or five years of post-graduate education at an accredited chiropractic college. The requirements to be admitted to these programs vary, but many students have already received a bachelor’s degree or higher in a related program.
In total, chiropractic college requires at least 4,200 hours of class, lab, and clinical instruction as well as numerous internships and job shadowing activities. About 555 hours are dedicated solely to adjustive techniques as well as spinal analysis.
Compare this to medical schools where manipulation training is usually not required at all, and when it is, it’s limited. According to the Council on Chiropractic Education, most students have at least 90 hours of undergraduate coursework that are science-focused or otherwise related.
Those who plan to pursue a doctorate in Chiropractics must pass a national board exam as well as state-required exams for every locale they wish to practice.
Serious training
Every chiropractor may also face a slew of licensing requirements that vary from one state to another, and also be required to undergo stringent continuing education requirements. The “basic” education of a chiropractor includes clinical sciences and a variety of complementary health subjects.
The end goal is to ensure the student has an in-depth knowledge of the total function and structure of the human body as well as multiple diseases. Depending on the college, there may be requirements for basic medical sciences, physiology, biochemistry, and anatomy (which may include human dissection).
Some students specialize in differential diagnoses, therapeutic techniques, radiology, or another niche, while others take as many courses as possible in a smattering of specialties. Due to this intensive training, a chiropractor is qualified to diagnose and treat patients, which is very rare in the world of physical therapists and even some physicians.
Often when you see a physician, he or she relies on other professionals to take the tests and provide diagnostics, but chiropractors are regularly trained to do everything.
Getting philosophical
Chiropractors are “doctors” according to Medicare and most states, but only some chiropractors are “DCs” or “doctor of chiropractic.” The Policies on Public Health dictates that another appropriate title is Chiropractic Physicians.
No matter what you call them, these experts believe in natural, conservative approaches to health. They respect the body and know that it’s the best tool to heal itself. They often believe that surgeries and medications should be reserved as final choices of care.
Focusing on biomechanics — the spine, and how it plays into the musculoskeletal or neurological systems — these doctors honor preservation and restoration of well-being. A lot has changed in the history of chiropractic care, and today chiropractors most often see patients suffering from neuromusculoskeletal complaints (including headaches, low back pain, and other “daily troubles”), but they can do so much more.
From allergies to digestive orders, they employ many techniques to restore health safely. Feel free to contact us and find out what our practice can do for you.