Background

Chiropractic is over 110 Years Old

Chiropractic is not new. Its beginning is traced back to 1895 when a magnetic healer by the name of D.D. Palmer adjusted the spine of a school janitor in Iowa, USA, and the man's deafness was cured. Things are a little cloudy as to what exactly D.D. did, but at the time modern medicine was selling snake oils off the back of wagons so it's not surprising the detail is lost, but this is how it all began.

For most of its history chiropractic has delivered fantastic results without the solid scientific research to explain how it works. However the last few decades have seen a lot of work into spinal pain conditions, and the results are now giving us explanations as to why chiropractic has been so successful ever since D.D. Palmer's time.

Much of the problem is that back pain is a difficult beast to manage. Given that at any one time about 1/3rd of the population is experiencing back pain, and nearly 2/3rds of us will experience back pain in our lives, yet there is minimal consensus as to the cause and best treatment approach. What is known is that bed rest is the worst thing to do, drugs just mask the symptoms and simply waiting for the pain to go away will almost certainly lead to regular flare-ups in the future.

Chiropractors are in a unique position as they train specifically to deal with spinal problems, and the research is now showing that what chiropractors look for is the most common cause of back pain - the subluxation.