The History Of Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care, like other forms of natural health sciences, has evolved immensely over time. The following timeline provides an overview of the roots of chiropractic care.
- Pre 19th Century
Pre-19th Century
The basic premises of chiropractic treatment have existed for thousands of years. In fact, they can be tracked as far back as 1500 BC. Early documentation detailing the manipulation of the spine and its effect on lower back pain can be traced back to China and Greece. It’s interesting to note that Hippocrates himself wrote papers that detailed the importance of chiropractic treatment, declaring ‘Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases’. - 19th Century
19th Century
In the late 1800’s, chiropractic treatment started to gain a following after a grocer by the name of Daniel Palmer believed he had cured a person of deafness after manipulating the person’s neck. The story goes that a janitor working in Palmer’s store was cured of his inability to hear after Palmer performed chiropractic neck manipulations on him.In 1895, Palmer, being incredibly well-read in the areas of medicine, physiology, and anatomy, founded the actual profession of chiropractic in Davenport Iowa. Two years later, the Palmer School of Chiropractic was established, and to this day, the school continues to be one of the top colleges of chiropractic in the US.
- 20th century
20th Century
During the 20th century, the profession and practice of chiropractic began to be legally recognized by almost every state in the US. Due largely in part to this growing recognition, the practice of chiropractic treatment also began to gain momentum all over the world.Through the research and practice of chiropractors in many different countries, chiropractic treatment became a recognized form of medicine, based on the fact that through several studies, the medical benefits of the treatment became highly evident.
Licensure
As the number of chiropractic practitioners began to increase in the US during this period, the need for licensure became necessary for a number of reasons:
– As a means of defining the full scope of treatment and guidelines that would fall under the category of chiropractic
– As a means to ensure practitioners were trained properly to provide safe and effective treatment
– As a means of ensuring that practitioners stayed within the defined scope and guidelines
– As a means of gaining sufficient credibility to be recognized by national health organizations such as Medicare, as an effective treatment methodology
- 21st Century
21st Century
Towards the end of the 20th century, with the field of chiropractic having grown to become an internationally recognized form of medicine, educational guidelines were established that required anyone wishing to become a doctor of chiropractic to complete a minimum of four years of studies from an accredited school of chiropractic in order to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree.
Modern Day Chiropractic Studies
In order to obtain a degree, students who seek admission into an accredited school of chiropractic must first complete either a Bachelor’s degree, or at least ninety hours of undergraduate studies in sciences such as chemistry or biology.
Once all pre-requisites have been met, the student will spend the next four years studying a wide variety of subject matter that includes physiology and anatomy, biochemistry, biology, and pathology.
Along with class coursework, there will be lab practice, clinical practice which includes learning the techniques of diagnosing spinal issues, and performing spinal manipulations. During the clinical portions of the course, students will also receive training in standard case management and other skills necessary to run a chiropractic clinic.
At the end of the four years, students must pass federal and provincial board exams. If they pass the exams, they will then be required to complete a one-year internship where they will actually be taking care of real patients in a chiropractic setting. This gives the student all of the necessary soft skills required to deal with patients.
At the completion of the internship, students may apply for a license to practice.
Post-graduation Chiropractic Studies
In many states and provinces, Chiropractors are required to continue receiving at least forty hours of accredited coursework every two years to maintain their license to practice.
Additionally, if a Chiropractor wishes to specialize or become board certified, further coursework will be required. Some of the specialties commonly pursued include the following:
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Rehabilitation
In order to become board certified, the Chiropractor must have completed at least five years in regular practice before pursuing certification.
Chiropractic History Summary
As you can see, chiropractic has evolved from being discovered by a grocer, to becoming a fully recognized form of medical treatment all over the world. One of the best things about chiropractic treatment is that there are no risky or dangerous drugs involved in the treatments.
Every day, thousands of patients receive treatment safe and effective chiropractic treatment. If you’d like a natural alternative to your health concerns, why not come in for a consultation at our Vancouver chiropractic clinic at Broadway AT Yew Chiropractic & Massage today!