Chiropractic History

Consider the function of your spine. It is the passage through which every nerve in your body communicates with your brain. When you touch a finger or a toe to a surface, it’s through the spinal column that the sensation moves to your brain and it registers in your mind as touch. Every action you request of your body passes through the spinal column. The proper care and maintenance of the spine is imperative to your health. Humans have long understood this and cared for the spine accordingly.

While Chiropractic care is typically thought to be a new health approach, Chiropractic treatment can be traced to the beginning of recorded time. Archiologists have discovered writings in China and Greece that discuss spinal manipulation and the manipulation of lower extremities as a process for relieving back pain. Those writings date back to 2700 B.C. In addition, writings by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates discuss the importance of Chiropractic treatment. He wrote, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases”. That is the ongoing mission of modern Chiropractic.

Chiropractic care began to expand in the United States during the 19th century. One of the pivotal figures in that growth was Daniel David Palmer. Palmer was well-versed in general medical knowledge and studied intently the burgeoning understanding of human anatomy and physiology. In 1897, he took his accumulated knowledge and began the Palmer School of Chiropractic. That school still stands, and today is one of the most prominent Chiropractic colleges in the country. Over the subsequent decades, as understanding of Chiropractic treatment grew and patients demanded its benefits, Chiropractic went on to become recognized in all fifty states and throughout the world.

Over the past century, Doctors of Chiropractic have become pioneers in the field of science-based natural, drug-free and non-invasive care, and their research has led to a greater understanding of the spine and its proper care. We believe that the more you know about Chiropractic care, the more you will understand that it is the best means for restoring and maintaining health.

Students of Chiropractic receive a minimum of four years of general college coursework plus three years of year round medical training at a licensed Chiropractic college before they take their National and State Chiropractic board exams. During their studies, Chiropractic students take much of the same foundational class work as traditional medical students, plus classes specific to Chiropractic care which make them uniquely qualified to practice Chiropractic. As students of Chiropractic they are taught how to identify and to correct spine and joint stress, loss of flexibility, muscle imbalance, nerve compression and many more physical ailments.

A student of Chiropractic’s curriculum includes, but isn’t limited to:

• A minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical experience
• Approximately 550 hours training in adjusting techniques and spinal analysis
• A minimum of 90 hours of undergraduate coursework, with science as the focus

The years of Chiropractic studies includes an internship in an outpatient setting where they get practical, hands-on experience in an academic clinical setting.

Following graduation from Chiropractic college, graduates must pass both specialized Chiropractic exams and science exams that all physicians, both Chiropractic and traditional, are required to take prior to practicing.